Are upgraded power cables for subwoofers worth it?

@billstevenson - my system is also transparent high quality so am considering REL. Thanks for the tip.

@stereo5 - you had thousands of dollars worth of cabling and power conditioning "just laying around" haha - must be nice - also good to hear that Sandy G would use the equipment too.  I've really been impressed with Shunyata gear

@docknow - interesting situation with the class D sub amps.  I run a high end class D for my mains in my second setup with an XC power cord.  Wonder if an NR would be more beneficial?  I really am in love with those Cardas Parsec power cables for low priced power cabling for amps though.  Seem to just punch way above their price point or just synergize extremely well with my system.  Tried against a $2000 Nordost cable and I preferred it by a mile.  My rhythmik subs have A/B amps so I probably will run XC with them or just some beefy amazon ones.  Right now it's partially just a distance requirement that I've come to need new cables.  The servo subs are working fantastically, although I've learned over the years that "better" can always be achieved if one is willing to pay the cost of entry and the time and effort to test various equipment in a similar price tier.

@sns My studio setup is similar but I still saw a pretty massive improvement using a Shunyata Gemini-8 with a Theta C19 power cable.  I know it seems like the book is closed for you on power conditioning, but if you have anyone near you that has Shunyata gear, may be worth a try again?  I'm noticing the opposite -  improved transients and it's not a preference thing.  I'm an audio engineer and recording engineer so I live on my system and am well aware of how transients are incredibly important for realism on a system and can make or break a good mix when layered properly.  Your setup from your breaker may be superior to mine though?  Interesting how components can be world shatteringly amazing in one system and not work at all in another

@jrareform Perhaps I wasn't clear in that I was only commenting on amps/subs on power conditioners. Vast majority of equipment in my system running through BPT 3.5 Signature with film cap and AC outlet modifications (Oyaide R1). In my demos of amps on PC's, the Audience Adept proved best, still negatively impacted transients.

@sns Thanks for clarifying your setup. Since you have dedicated lines for 10AWG wiring, including lines dedicated to subs, I can see why a 10awg PC could help you obviate any possible current limitation, especially if the PC's that came with your sub came with were restricting their current requirements. (When I talked with REL, they explained that their PC's were sufficient for their subs.)

But I have to admit, your description helps me, as I've wired a new room with those kinds of outlets (and a dedicated breaker box), but I have not moved in there yet. When I do, I will reconsider my conclusions about PC's and subs.  In my current room, with a 20 amp circuit, no dedicated outlets, and wall wire that is 12AWG, I could not hear a difference with PC's, BUT that's likely because my setup, unlike yours, prevents me from hearing the benefits that you can hear. My claims about not hearing a difference were probably falsely attributed to the PC.

I suppose others reading this advice might take away the reasonable conclusion that if they have a setup like mine, they may also not be able to hear a difference from a PC (due not to the PC but to the wider system).

My guess is that most people will have 12ga with a 20a circuit. So, for most, a 10ga cord probably won't matter unless they have a high-power sub and an 18ga cord.  But if they have a setup like yours, the PC might matter. 

I appreciate this exchange. I'm learning from it. Advice is always relative to someone's setup, and you've made me understand the difference between your (amazing) setup and my ordinary one.

!0AWG is difficult to work with, generally the largest gauge that will fit most breakers and AC outlets, and for longer runs they certainly help with supplying needed current for those transients. For me, the easy part of PC for subs is determining gauge, 12AWG in wall, at least 12AWG PC, and so on. As I previously mentioned I've long heard differences in bass delivery to audio equipment, in other words resonant vs more damped down/tightened bass. First time I really noticed this was with an extremely expensive Elrod PC on some Cary monoblocks I was running at the time, I was amazed by how both the quantity and quality of bass was so different from the other cables I had tried up to that point. Ever since then I've been extremely sensitive to how bass quality is affected by PC's. I absolutely require a deep hard hitting bass devoid of even a wiff of the dreaded one note bass, bass should be tuneful and articulate in my book.

Now I will concede that in my system and some others the main speakers may be delivering vast majority of bass frequencies. With my Klipschorns, including modified crossovers and all drivers, careful placement in corners, modified top plates for max seal I get in room frequency response down to aprox. 32hz at my listening position, REL's crossed over at this freq, and this with only one of the hot wires connected to my monoblock amps, volume knob only two or three notches from minimum. So, essentially the REL's are supplying very little bass in my setup, vast majority of benefit I get is with sound staging, In any case, I simply want the sub to be an extension of the main speakers, coherence is paramount, and this important even with the little bass REL's adding to my system. So for max coherence I posit PC's  on subs should replicate those used on amps, and even preamps, gauges may vary, topology and metallurgy should match. On the other hand, I can envision a situation in which this may not be optimal, perhaps some systems may require a different recipe for amp/pre vs sub.