Best DIY power cable. Why not make?

@leexmaze - I will try :-)

My  Braiding is simply a criss-cross affair...
- Take the three conductors and attach them to the IEC plug
- plug the connector into an unused component (if you have one)
- or hold it in a vice
- you can even wedge it in a drawer or tape it to an table top if all else fails
- allow the live conductor to hang free
- take the ground and neutral conductors and cross them over the top of the live conductor
- then pass them to the back of the live conductor and cross them again.
- bring them to the front again and cross them - repeat until finished

Each time the neutral and ground conductors cross the signal conductor - alternate the conductor position i.e....
- place the neutral next to the live conductor for one crossing and then the ground next to the live conductor for the next crossing

The braiding needs to be "reasonably tight" - about 1.5 inches between crossings 

You may find the live conductor ends up being a bit longer than the ground and neutral - just trim to the same length.

I have tried a more normal braid i.e. criss-cross alternating conductors - but this method seems to work better.

Hope that helps - steve

@williewonka any reason you prefer the Rhodium plugs over the Pure Copper plugs?

@leezmaze - the rhodium plated plugs are the most "affordable" I could find on eBay

I actually prefer the Sonarquest or Vanguard silver plated copper because silver plated copper has the best conductivity rating

Pure copper (not plated) have a tendency to oxidize - whereas the silver sulfide on the silver plated plugs can easily be cleaned. Having said that I am yet to clean the Sonarquest plugs I have after 3-4 years of use.

Vanguard silver plated copper are a little more affordable, but are not as well made, but I still have a set of them that are 3-4 years old and have yet to see signs of tarnish as well.

The Sonaquest IEC connectors are better because they clamp like a vice

I listed that plug because you were looking for a $10-30 power cable, so I posted the more affordable plugs. I have used plugs like these also, but they are not as good as Vanguard or Sonarquest.

There is not a lot to choose between Gold plated or Rhodium plated copper from a performance perspective - they simply do not perform as well as Silver plated copper.

Beware - some silver plated or rhodium plated plugs are brass under that plating, they pale in comparison to the silver plated copper .

In the end it all comes down to what you are prepared to spend - just giving you some options :-)

I use Sonarquest on all my power cables these days

Hope that helps - Steve

For hot and neutral use solid core silver (the larger the better) in cotton sleeve with shrink tubing on outside. Use solid core copper (one or two sizes larger than silver). Silver coated plugs from wattgate. I was a skeptic as well until I tried this recipe. After that I upgraded all my power cords, umbilical power cords and even some internal power wiring. I am not smart enough to explain what causes the equipment's sound to be impacted by that short piece of wire, but silver is the best conductor and cotton is one of the best dielectrics. I am skipping  detailed descriptions about the improvements these cables made in my system so all the naysayers don't have to feel obligated to comment. If your system is good enough and you have tweaked interconnects and speaker cables as much as possible - upgrading power cables will make you shake your head in disbelief!

I use Sonarquest on all my power cables these days

As does Cullen Cables.