about to jump into the power cord foray

Well so much for system synergy, all the revealed nuances with my new speaker cables, and the improvement with my new interconnects, not to mention the jaw dropping affect from my new power cords! I'm actually thrilled I can imagine big improvements into my system, boy did I save some money today!!!!

Listen to Blindjim (well put BTW Jim) VH Audio is a great place to start with your level of gear. Plus you can DIY all his Flavor series cords.

Get a good single disc player OR the new Wadia iPod docking port (sweet and pretty inexpensive) then you can have your cake and eat it too!

In an attempt to bring a bit of balance...
From a sheer science point of view, Musicnoise is quite right; the science (electronic theory) behind audio electronics is well defined and documented; if it wasn't, no audio gear would work, and designers would have no starting point to improve things.

I do believe good shielded IC's can make a difference over the cheap free cords often packaged with components, but remember they have to deliver a fairly fragile, low level signal, and they are the entire chain from one component to another.
That's not the case with power cords, which simply form a very short extension of your house wiring, carrying high voltage AC, hence a higher level of skepticism from many here.

However, to me the biggest problem is that we often get sucked in to thinking that "expensive" must always be better (not just in audio). It's so easy in a passion like this to get carried away trying to squeeze every last drop out of a system, and plenty of people out there are happy to take advantage of that.
The retail price of any consumer electronics is not based on just quality; it's largely to do with brand-name positioning, status, demand and so on. Any small scale or niche product (eg super-duper Power cords) has to be expensive to keep the maker afloat, given his low sales volume.
So does a $200 PC "sound better" (whatever that means) than a $20 PC? Probably not, but if the buyer thinks they hear a change, then I guess it's their money to spend as they please.

Final thought... my $500 Seiko keeps worse time than my $80 Casio, but it's build quality and finish is much better.

Musicnoise

Some like chocolate, some like vanilla. They both come from the same size scoop.

How’d you pick your significant other? Did they mind the inspection and measurements taking process?

…or your favorite comedian, or food?

Intangibles comprise the vicissitudes of the space ship we live upon.

How do you measure the affectation of a movie? A roller coaster ride? The thrill attained from sky diving?

…or even simple pleasure itself?

Yeah.. it’s dopamine, and endorphins. Super. But we do it anyhow. Right? Why not just inject those substances into our being instead of proceeding with the act itself?

One can not apply imperical evidentiary assignments in areas wherein ‘perception’ makes the final call.

They remain only frail guidelines.

You’ve overlooked one vital ingredient, the human element. It often defies description in quantitative terms. By and large with all the vessels of learned experience at our disposal, all the seemingly immense strides so called science is so proud of making thus far, we remain infantile in our own scope and quests.

The world becomes a very scary place when it’s values are defined in terms other than black and white. Even scary is a good thing. It keeps us on our side of the road… from petting sharks… and walking off the tops of buildings.

It can prevent us from having other valid worthwhile and positive experiences too.

The world at large, is more than simple black and white. It’s in those grey areas where we find the dimensions that yield the true texture of it. Indeed that is where it’s qualatative state, and it’s mystery, it’s flavor, does indeed thrive.

Define attraction forinstance. Oops… sorry… that doesn’t get plugged into the wall outlet, so throw that one out.

I’ve seen any number of things which compare nearly exactly on paper, but are vastly different upon audition. Explain away all you wish or add in any other number of variables for that result, but it’s a very true thing.

So long as imperfect creatures construct their own imagined designs, the world will always be at the beck and call of imperfection and subject to perception. True or false, for good or ill, there we all are, adrift on a sea of human discernment and prefference.

Of course for those bound to strickly measured results, they will remain shackled to a less conflicted journey and feel quite safe along it’s way I suppose. Probably save some deal of money too for many mass fi equipment being built today is good in fact. The truly refined and beyond that the world class items, possess only marginally better specs in some cases, and not as good measurements in others, yet provide for many, greater perceived or real world, performance increases.

My Onkyo recover for ex. Has less reported THD than do my Dodd mono blocks, or Thor preamp. On paper the HT receiver even attains THX status! There’s no discounting the fact the separates out perform it however.

Specs and capacities don’t always translate to good or bad, better or worse in a world fueled by human desire and perception, nor do they equate to actual improvement at times by point of fact. By some dimensions, (oh by the way who’s doing the measuring?) it can be said the reported numbers are but marketing tools. If specifications or tallies are the grail by which all else is determined in accordance with the end value or performance, a lot of people will be either disappointed, or never experience those truly fascinating efforts being offered by the current artisan level of designers.

Few of us have either the acumen or tool set needed to perform valid testing of wire or components. Fewer probably would do it anyhow. The bottom line in this hobby is always a “see for yourself” thing.

After all, as I’ve said previously… “IF you don’t hear a diff, don’t pay the diff!” but if you never try out other things, you will never know what you might be missing either.

Numbers only matter if you mind, if you don’t mind, they don’t matter. Those numbers in my wallet do matter.

Blindjim-That was a well thought out & written reply that was quite enjoyable to read.