[gorillaman02]

  I just got my Moon Audio Black Dragon V2 Balanced for AK cable for my Angies.  You'd have to be deaf not to immediately hear the improvement over the stock balanced cable.  The detail in bass, mids and treble is increased.  A lot.  What was apparent was all of the little bits of sound around the main sounds- a plucked guitar string has resonances/vibrations around the actual sound, and those are now MUCH clearer.  Everything is cleaner/brighter/heavier at the same time.  Vocals seem a bit more forward.  Bass seems more defined while at the same time being stronger (in a great way).  Mids are lush without being syrupy.  Trebles- oh my god the trebles.  It really improves the balance of the Angies, which were already well-balanced.
 
If I'm gushing it's because these things are really good.  I had the Silver Dragons in balanced for my Pono, but it was hard to tease apart what improvement was the balanced and what part was the cable.  With the Black Dragon I don't have that issue- I can tell what is going on and it is awe-inspiring.  If you don't believe a cable can make a difference these will make up your mind that they can in a hurry.
 
They came with the bass pots all the way up.  I tried them that way, and they were much better than the stock cable that way.  I then turned them down to 2pm, which is where I had the stock balanced cable.  Seemed not quite enough, so they are now a bit past 2pm.  Listening volume is about the same, no big changes there, though I keep turning it up a bit just because it sounds so good.  The cable is a bit thinner than the stock cable, and the bass pots are recessed so you don't accidentally move them.  I'm still playing with the memory wire, have to get it just right (I wear glasses).  
 
They shipped these when they got my order, and with Fed Ex- I paid for 2-day- they came in... 2 days.  Not much waiting time at all.  A bit pricey at $200 (free regular shipping) but they make a giant difference in an already great iem.  I've listened to 12-15 songs (jumping around) since I got them, and everything sounds great (16/44 and 24/x).   

 
I'm thinking about getting this cable for my Angie's.  I noticed Moon-Audio offers two sizes of amplifier termination, 2.5 mm and 3.5 mm.  Is there any difference between the two?  I also noticed that the 2.5 mm states "Balanced".  What kind of affect, if any, does "balance" have on audio quality?  Thanks
 
Btw, I would be connecting to an AK Jr.  

 

[PinkyPowers]

Balanced is a great improvement when the DAC is fully balanced as well. The AK100ii and upward are all balanced. The Jr. is not. So not only would the balanced cable give you no improvement, it would not even work with the Jr.

 

[olddude]

Even single-ended with a 3.5 connector it would be a great cable for your Jr.

 

[gorillaman02]

Well, I just pulled the trigger on it! Can't wait to hear the difference!

 

[olddude]

Quick turnaround if you pay for 2-day shipping.

 

[kingdixon]

I have a strange question,

While i like the sound very much, it hasn't been the most comfortable,

Iam not a fan of silicone tips, i like complys and i always use the smallest one,

But it seems the nozzle of the angie is pretty big, i use the t 500 one other iems and they are normal and comfortable,
But when used with the angie they are not easy going and i have to push harder than other iems and spin which at some point hurted the skin of my outer ear canal,

Iam searching for perhaps a smaller tip or may be smoother, i will try to mod one of the t500 to remove the inner plastic part but i dont think it will hold to the nozzle anymore

Any way the most comfortable for me now is the comply active sx-500.

So any idea could help !!

Thanks

 

[olddude]

You could try the Shure Mushrooms.  I posted a picture a few pages back on how to get them on the bigger Angie nozzle easily.
 
And no, if you remove the Comply plastic core it won't stay on the nozzle.  I use the Isolation 500s and have no issues, but I use the Large size.  

 

[Skint]

So my Moon dragon V2 came today (super fast delivery I must say), AB'ing with the stock cable, at first couldn't hear any difference, but now hearing a much tighter bottom end, less boomy but still nice, not much difference in mids/highs yet but I will continue to test. Here's a few pics of the setup (left IEM on stock cable, right on Moon cable).
 

 

 
Setup: Plenue M>Optical>Mojo>L Stock/R Moon
 
The Moon cable is better than the stock and I can still turn the bass pots with my nail The 3.5mm is built like a tank, kinda wish it was smaller but at least it's strong (it must cope with long travels). No issues of either side cutting out yet, so happy day's there. Indeed the IEM connector fits much tighter in the socket, which I'm sure helps. I like the thinner cable too but it's a shame they did not put L/R dots on the IEM connector like the stock, I may do this myself.

 

[olddude]

They are marked L and R on the connectors.  Do you mean colored dots?  

 

[Skint]

  They are marked L and R on the connectors.  Do you mean colored dots?  

Yeah I can see the L/R marking, but on the move or in a hurry it's nice to just see a red dot and know exactly which side that is.

 

[olddude]

  You mean you want colors so that, "on the move or in a hurry" you can see which earpiece goes in which ear?
 
The angle of the memory wire should be a much easier way to see which earpiece goes in which ear.  Just holding the earpieces in your fingers should show you left and right.  
 
But to each his own.  

 

[Skint]

@olddude

Haha I'm hopeless when their all tangled finding the correct side. Dots just make it easier when their all a tangle. If they're on the stock, why not the moon lol

 

[olddude]

@olddude

If they're on the stock, why not the moon lol

For one thing, because the Moon cable is better.
 
 

  If I put the left one below in my left ear the cord is going to curve AWAY from my ear.  
 

 

[gorillaman02]

I'm new to this hobby/passion so when I got my Angie's I was planning on listening to them through my iPhone - big mistake!!!!!! Btw, thanks to everyone's helpfulness I immediately purchase a AK Jr. And wow what a difference it made. Initially I wasn't blown away by the sound, not because they weren't singing their hearts out. I was over analyzing trying to pick out each chord struck or guitar string plucked

So I stopped trying to be an expert audiophile and just zoned out to the music. What I heard was pure heaven! These girls had me so entranced in the music I couldn't put them away, until the battery ran dead. For me, I had to forget about the details to actually hear them.

But I knew she had more left in the tank and I wanted to hear every last ounce of it! was so eager to get the best sound possible out of my Angie's I made an impulse purchase on the Moon Audio Black Dragon. Keep in mind that up to the purchase of Black Dragon, I had maybe listen to my Angie's through a proper DAP for 2 hrs top! Needless to say, when I swapped out the original cable with the black dragon, I couldn't hear any difference, (go figure, right?!). So, the black dragons are going back in the case until I can properly give the original cable a good listening. Once I feel like I've gotten everything out of the originals I will be putting the Black Dragons on to hear the difference!

I will have to post back in a month or so when I switch the Black Dragons.

 

[cheep]

Any suggestions for preventing gunk from getting into the bores?