I can't specifically respond to how the APL mates with different brands however I can recount my experiences with a number of high end cords on my Audio Synthesis Transcend / Dax Discrete front end. I also use a Hydra 8. For quite a while, I used Audience Powerchord, enjoying its musicality but became curious about what differences more expensive cords could make. I started by trying an original shunyata python on the dac which really suited the dac, giving great dynamics with a low noise floor and an almost euphonic palpability. Liking what I heard, I assumed the anaconda vx would be even better and bought 2; although it gave greater transparency, i felt it sounded as if the dynamics had become dampened. Prior to buying these, a dealer had recommended the Electraglide Ultra Khan Statements over the anacondas, however I guess I was in a shunyata frame of mine at the time. Given my experiences, I bought a UKS2 off audiogon and really loved what it did, bringing a much tighter dynamic and more natural sound to the system. Figuring I was now on a home run, I ordered a complete system loom of the new epiphany. My system took a great step forwards with these fully run-in and I was very happy; my wife however had other ideas about me turning our living room into a "nuclear plant", hating the way they looked and in the interests of domestic harmony I put them up for sale on audiogon. At the time, I was playing around with Wolff Empress interconnects and speaker cables (which is excellent btw) and Mike Wolff lent me a couple of his old style source power cords. Slotting these in on the front end, gave me a more palpable midrange with greater focus - hey things were starting to get interesting! My 20amp epiphany feeding the hydra was the next to sell and I had to slot in my old audience as an inbetweener - wow, the sound disintegrated by @30%, becoming smaller and much more grainy. It's often been said the greatest test of a component is what you hear / feel when you take it out. Well, this message had been firmly rammed home and given that I'd sold all of the epiphanies, the wife took pity on me and I was allowed to buy a new epiphany X to feed the hydra. From memory, this is bigger, more extended and clearer presentation than the ordinary epiphany - SOS have confirmed that it's several notches ahead. As for the rest of my system, well I now have Wolff's latest silver ribbon power cords feeding all the remaining electronics. They're much tighter and more transparent than his earlier offerings, it's almost as if the camera lens has been focused more clearly. So what are the lessons of my journey, well firstly power cords make a significant contribution and it appears the upscale models have something extra to offer. It's also a somewhat iterative process, in that certain cords mate better with specific pieces of equipment. In fact what worked on the dac, didn't necessarily sing on the transport, so YMMV. Finally, living in London on the otherside of the pond, I don't have easy access to try many usa products and Audiogon has proven to be an invaluable asset in both gathering information and allowing the purchase and resale of equipment. So many thanks to those who bring audiogon to us and the contributors who make it what it is!
