It seems Peter and I have reached that point of contentment that I think we all hope to reach with our systems (or at least as regards our power cords ;~)) And like me, Peter has apparently tried quite a few. The fact that we have both settled on the same one though, doesn't mean it's "the best on earth" or even that we both made our decisions for the same reason(s).
What our stories and comments (and those of many others) should tell you is this: The ones with which you are likely to find an "endpoint" product so to speak, come from a very, very short list. Maybe half a dozen. And the reason they're on that list has to do (mostly) with their designs, including topology (conductor number and layout) materials (dielectrics and metals) and construction techniques (especially how the conductors are connected to the hardware.) And those designs allow all of them to meet the same group of performance criteria -- also about a half dozen things. How they each do that (electrically/mechanically) is pretty much the same (believe it or not) though they may look somewhat different physically (I'm thinking right now of the Virtual Dynamics 3-cord monster ;~)) and though they may each tout different qualities in their advertising claims in their effort to set themselves apart.
So, do your "due diligence" (a fancy term for "research') and make your own short list of cords to try. Here are a few points to help you do that (it might take a little while too, because it's a bit like following stock prices):
1.) Watch for the brands (and models) which seem to flood the used market vs. the ones you only see listed occasionally (and always at 50% or more of their new prices ;~))
2.) Limit your choices to 10 AWG cords (check w/ mfr. if necessary,) for all applications but preamps, TT, tuners etc.
3.) Limit your choices (for most applications, see my previous post) to cords w/ some way of dealing w/ RFI and EMI. (I prefer a floating shield design, but there are other effective techniques like active shielding and exterior counter spiral wires, or woven/braided conductors.)
4.) Make sure the cord provides for some degree of mechanical shock resistance (usually means it's gonna be fat!)
And most important, before you start messin' around, make sure the rest of your system is performing optimally. Because you CAN hear the differences in ICs and speaker cables while still using all stock PCs. But you'll NOT hear obvious differences (and they're there!) between PCs if the rest of your cabling is sub par.
