Philjolet:
My second system has a decent cdp, amp, speakers, ICs and speaker cables. But stock, come-with-the-unit, PCs. So I was thinking of doing something about them, without spending an arm and a leg.
Along comes PS Audio's summer promotion, with most of its cables on sale, and I nearly bit. The Prelude is the second-from-the-bottom in PS's line of power cords. (The "Punch" is the entry-level...)
But, essentially, the responses have, each in their own way, answered my question. I now get to choose between staying with stock, and cords from Volex, Signal, VenHaus, MAC, Element, Virtual Dynamics, Voodoo, etc.
My second post was more a reflection on the state of the audio business. If five pretty major companies, with significant research and production resources, are making cords in the under $100/3ft bracket that virtually no one on A'gon favors, then that says something not too complimentary about those companies, who are trading on their name and not their product.
BTW, I need something that is pretty flexible, so some of the possibilities are out of contention...