whats the very best sounding cables for realistic money

As always, lots of words and theories but no mention of actual experience. Yawwwn.

 
vtvmtodvm
I always wonder if anybody using esoteric “high end” AC power line cords has paused to consider the household wiring on the other side of their own listening room wall. That wire is ordinary AWG 12 Romex if it's for a 20 ampere circuit breaker, or (more likely) AWG 14 Romex if it’s for a 15 ampere circuit breaker. And what about that other ~ 10 miles of power line cable that extends back to the local power distribution yard? Hey, can your AC power line purity really be improved by adding that last few feet of costly “audiophile grade” power cord?

The short answer is: Who cares? All of the alternating current pulses, however fine or fuzzy, are going to be converted into a smooth stream of direct current. And it's only the purified DC, not any spurious AC, that will operate the ensuing circuitry. A modern solid state linear DC power supply utilizes full wave rectification with heavy filtering. EMI/RFI bypass traps are provided at the supply input, to shunt any high frequency noise to ground. Active components are utilized to enhance DC stability. Zener diodes clamp voltage levels and chop ripple. Precise series regulator stages are implemented where there’s justifiable merit. The consequent output is scrubbed free of extraneous AC artifacts—it’s just plain/pure/flat/steady direct current. And that can be confirmed by viewing the DC waveform on a basic 50 MHz oscilloscope.

While every audio component has it’s own unique DC power supply, every supply normally draws AC fuel from the same tank, so it’s vital to provide a fuel tank big enough to power all engines; see paper headed “Assuring Adequate AC Power”.

AC power line cords serve as pipelines that route the required AC fuel to each DC engine. There’s no benefit served by making that pipe fatter than needed. Every DC engine has a basic design task, and it can’t utilize extra fuel. For AC power line cords, the “fuel” is alternating current, and the capacity is defined by the conductor gauge. The original circuit designer assigns a gauge (AWG) appropriate for the required consumption. If you have good reason to want a longer or shorter cord, or one with an angled female connector, just let the designer’s AWG be your guide. Increase the conductor diameter only if you have to extend the length of the power cord well beyond its original design length. With respect to insulation, the commercial heavy-duty standard for prime AC power line cordage is type SJT, with molded construction. It’s quite excellent.

Be aware that you can buy top quality molded SJT power line cords, AWG 14, 16, or 18, made to any length, at http://www.stayonline.com/molded-cord-configurator.aspx. The price for such custom cord will be low when compared to a “high end” cord, but it will be functionally equivalent, and it will be of the desired length, without excess slop.

Do utilize AC surge protection; it might help in the event of a power line aberration.


>>>>I think I'll save this one for when I have trouble falling asleep.

Geoff.....Geoff....really?  Your usual posts, though I typically disagree with them, are usually polite, well written and of some use.  This one above is just an attempt to suggest that vtvmtodvm's opinion, which you quote at length, is elementary, useless and boring. Is this really you?  

Mains, as you have realized by the dozens of posts, there is no such thing as a 'perfect cable' regardless of cost or that company would soon run out of customers and fold. Even within the top cable manufacturers, it is onward and upward even few years, so lets just remember: nothing in our system is perfect. NOTHING. Not the cable, amp, preamp, tonearm, zip cord.
That said, decide how important it is for you to hear Eric Clapton's guitar technique, Beverly Sills' coluraturas, Yma Sumac's off-into-the-wild-blue-yonder high note, or Tina Weymouth's bass (Talking Heads), Ray Brown or Bela Fleck, or Ella Fitzgerald or Frank Sinatra or Lady Gaga and find a cable that is a revelation  to most the music you own.
If you want a full tonal, musical balance: MIT, Transparent, Shunyata, Crystal,  (although I don't think Crystal cable does ANYTHING "reasonably priced"). Others will have other cables.  I go for for tonal balance (so either "thin" or "technicolor" are out), a see-through midrange with good extension at both ends; all the ambience intact; and a sense of airiness, particularly in the bass regions.
 Oh, and killer sound staging and imaging. Hence, my suggestions, which can all be bought at the pricing you provided initially.
For power cords, I'd go Shunyata - but only the Alpha HC. I had that AND the Sigma and after 10 months, sold the Sigma. Not that it wasn't fantastic, but it was overkill. I gave myself plenty of time to decide that for myself, and then kept the Alpha HC for my PS Audio line conditioner. I will have another and some upper-level Nordost as well, but this does great. Nordost's line is good, but you have to watch for a slight upper bass/lower midrange suckout in the Alpha Series. MIT is the richest without being even remotely euphonic; and Transparent is stately and majestic, perhaps just a little "stiff" at the top (unless, who knows, you have their $40K Opus cable (or whatever it costs these days). 
Perhaps the other posters can say what their musical diet is, because asking for pricing without knowing what somebody listens to is having incomplete information. Those who listen to Megadeath are not in it for the tonal balance, you best believe that. 

Used older replaced models of Cardas, AudioQuest, Kimber, Synergestic Research - and get the lower mid to mid level stuff used and it's still half ok and not expensive. Power cords miss and match as you go and grab a semi ok - sort of decent one here and there or spend a fortune - start like we all did with a couple $100 Synergestic AC Master Couplers and a coupe Cardas this or AudioQuest that and use your best one on the source then pre then amp. Upgrade each one as you go selling the old one as you go so it only cost you the price difference. This will not get you great cable but it's not Cat5 or Homedepot extension cord cable either it's competent - well built - well engineered stuff that should always be worth right about what you pay for it as long as your smart about it. As you upgrade you can get all / most your money back. You might even like some of the older stuff especially if you haven't heard the newer - better stuff. Newbie cable Aphile 101. Then give yourself a treat for this conservative and displined approach and pick up a single set of Darwin interconnects - any version - the most expensive the better but all are good and place it right after your source. It will make your entire system a 1000 better and peel off layers you had no idea that were there but then it will also show you the impact that much improved cables can have so maybe don't do it. You will love the huge bump in performance for semi cheap money so do it but it very well might send you down the rabbit hole of chasing the bump and that gets expensive and usually starts in earnest when a cable knocks your sox off like the Darwin IC will surely do when used Amin these other modest yet competent less expensive cables but the good thing is the next bump will never be as large unless you spend a ton of doe so go for it and overall it's still a very cheap overall cable way to go. Then start getting better pc's from a $100 - $150 a pop to $300 to $350 one a time peice mail and sell your old one, your getting the picture. It's the only way to outfit your rig with semi ok cable that isn't total crap and is as cheap as humanly possible and still getting semi-useable cables. I would take a very good but older one of these brands over some value dirt cheap eBay cable any day. Good luck but there are no short cuts and this gets you a bit of the way there at a time. I mean no offense but anyone that's says cables don't matter are either totally clueless or their system sucks so it doesn't matter anyway. It's either one or the other...