Dedicated line w/ upgraded parts or power cond?

Whart - "floating shield" is not quite the same as "floating ground"

For instance, with floating shield, if you have a power cord with Positive, Neutral and Ground conductors, then all three should be connected at the IEC and mains connector - however, the shield ONLY is connected at the mains connector.

Theory is that any RFI is conducted away from the component connected to it

It works very well with a star grounding scheme

It could be accomplished with XLR using todays multi-shielded balanced connectors, but XLR cables generally are not constructed with a floating shield so I wouldn't consider changing anything with your XLR cables.

The occasional noise interference you attribute to power line anomolies may well be eliminated by the Equi=Tech solution

The explanation on their web site states that the noise on the incoming power line phases are 180 degrees opposed and therefore cancels out when put through their system.

If the noise on the phases are equal in amplitude - they would be correct - but we live in an imperfect world.

However, the differences would probably be so small as to render them innefective

One point of interest, they warn against floating shields - from their web site...

all audio cable shields be grounded at both ends.

Not quite sure as to why they state this - maybe they are assuming there is no seperate ground conductor and the shield is used as ground, by default - which may be true in some cables

Keep us posted on how it works out

Thank you all for you input thus far. I will definitely be putting in dedicated lines and upgraded outlets. But before I decide on power cords, it seems that I should first upgrade my IEC inlets. Do you agree?

Yes you should.This will make it easier to judge differences in power cords.

Rockdanny - replacing the iec inlets on hi-fi components is not always as easy as it sounds - so before ordering, open up each component to ensure it is something you are prepared to attempt or pay a technician to do.

Also, better quality components may well have perfectly good iec inlets. So you may be changing something that may make little or no perceivable improvement.

Having said that I have replaced iec inlets and the improvement was quite noticeable, but that was in one of my DIY projects where I was certain the one being replaced was pretty crappy.

If you are replacing them with Furutech or Oyaide quality iec's, then at least you are assured of their quality and as Lacee points out - you have no doubts that improvements are due to power cords.

Also, ensure that making these changes does not void any existing warranties or UL certifications

Replacing a power cable - simple - plug it in
Replacing a part in a component - a little more to consider

This type of tweak boils down to how much responsibility YOU are prepared to accept :-)