Are upgraded power cables really worth the money?

A good power cord can make a huge difference, but many will add different sonic characteristics to a component. If your system is a bit bright, I would avoid cables composed of silver wiring because they will make it sound even brighter. Some PC's are neutral, some are warm. I have used Nordost Shiva & Vishnu, Virtual Dynamics NiteII, Electraglide Synapsis 1, Elrod EPS 2 and am now using Cardas Golden Reference. While all of these are very good cables, they also displayed different sound characteristics to the components they were attached to. I found the Cardas to be the best for my system. I have to say that I did not have a way to audition any of these, so I purchased many on press reviews and forums. If you can audition, you can avoid the buying and selling that I have endured until I finally found a cable that I can keep for a while. :>) I would also encourage you to avoid buying any cables at retail, just too expensive. Whatever you decide, you will probably be able to find it here on Audiogon. Good Luck!!

I've only ever tried one power cable on my transport which is 13 years old now and it was $150 XLO cable. I didn't like it and instead opted for some cheap $60 power cable cable. I found that the XLO made the sound edgy. Note I did this over 10 years ago and since then I've not looked into power cables.

Anyway, reading this thread made me think, it putting a power cable on transport any different to putting it on a CDP? Has anybody any good experiences with PC's on transports?

jaspal.

Tvad's advice is excellent. Try one, if YOU can't hear A difference move it to another component and see if you can hear A difference. If after moving it to all your components you will have determined which components may be affected by a change in A power cord and will be able to focus on the specific cord you want to use on it. Not all (if any by some folks opinion) components will reveal a difference in PC's, nor all ears. If you can't hear a difference think of all the money you will save! :-)

Yes, power cords can make a positive difference. Is it a huge difference - no, it is subtle. Make sure your room is properly tuned and your speakers set up properly before you spend money on subtle tweaks like power cords.

If you have not treated the room yet, take your power cord money and spend it there first, you will get a MUCH bigger return on your investment...

-RW-