So Many Choices - PCords for Digital Sources?

Wadia150,
Wow I could not disagree more soundly. Not with your very good advise regarding speaker placement, room treatment, getting cables off the floor and the like, no I have no issue with that. What I DO take issue with is that power cords are the last place one should look to realize a big bang for the buck when upgrading a system- especially when the OP is seeking to improve a digital source. Power cords are one of the very FIRST places I go when seeking to dial my system in. Every aspect of the sound is effected- frequency information (highs, mids, bass), phase information (sound staging, imaging, layering) and the not so tangible but oh so important aspect of "quality" for all that frequency and phase information (smoothness and airiness of highs, pin point imaging in a huge and convincing soundstage, layering, image height, and so on). As for multi-channel, 5.1 is, well, 5.1 x more affected then a simple two channel system :)

As is always the case, listen for yourself and then decide should be the mantra to follow. If your dealer won't let you take a few cables home for a week or two, find a dealer who will. After that you won't have to take anyone's word for it.

In my opinion, what wadia 150 has to say has some merit. I have found that power cord upgrades tend to have less effect than other types of upgrades. That is not to say that pure electricity is not important. It is very very important. It's just that power cords tend not to matter as much as other types of power upgrades. Personally I found that replacing the wall socket with an industrial grade one was more effective than upgrading the cords themselves. Furthermore, certain power conditioners can be very beneficial to your system.

Go to VH Audio or Sonic Craft, in my experience both are excellent sources.

Purchase the required lengths of either Neotech NEP-3002 or NEP-3003 bulk power cable and Furutech FI-11 AC terminations (or some more exotic ones if you've got a lot of extra cash and want to get rid of some). I've found these to be the sweet spot in the price/quality/performance ratio.

Put in about a half hour and you'll have excellent power cables for a very reasonable amount of money, easily within your range.

PS: For power amps move up to the Neotech NEP-3001 or 3200 cable.
PSS: Furutech FI-11 come gold or rhodium plated. Gold is very, very slightly warmer. Rhodium plated cost more. Choose depending on your system.

I often wonder when folks say there is no diff from one pc to another, on just hwat level of gear, and what level of pc (s) are being used?

I'd like to know in fact those above items... so I can ignore those cables altogether. or some concensus of folks having used those same wires in other venues can chime in and support or deny such claims.

the only support I would give to the exchange of pcs in A/B conditions is that wires are unlike components and their dialectric composition plays a part in it's presentation.... that facet takes time to unfold itself 100%.

Look.. I'm not flush with dough to throw away, that's a given. so when I pitch decent bucks at some aspect of my system it is because I've determined it provides me results I'm willing to pay for to have them in my rig.

I'm not a cable maker... nor an employee of one. I get no royalties and last time I looked, not even a Xmas card or tank you by email.

God love you if you don't hear a diff when A/B'ing pc's. Most won't... after a while though when it settles in you may.

It is funny to me that these dealers who disavow wires as having some additive level of performance, also sell cables. Why is that? Send 'em all to Radio shack if there's no difference.

The truest and most helpful item we can all pass along to anyone seeking aid in one regard or other is for them to try these things for themselves. As I and so many others have done. then either buy 'em or send 'em back depedning on the outcome of the trial.

But as with preamps, CDPs, amps, and even speakers, wires need that warm up and run in period too. Ears will not adapt to changes in the sound as quickly as you might think. They'll respond better to an increase in volume better than they will to a decrease. Why's that? it's just a simple change, right? Nope. change yes, simple no.

Ears ain't light bulbs. There is a lot going on when we hear things and then try to detect some difference from one set of conditions to another. tons of factors affect our daily ability to hear things... like humidity.. position.. blood pressure... state of mind.. exposure to extraneous noises... etc.

but either way I've no issue with those who scoff at the implementation of upscale pcs to gain some increase in performance... but the question which should always follow is easy: Which pc's were tried on what gear or system for you to come to that conclusion?

Makers of gear too which have non migratory pcs attached to them are there for one reason... the maker likes what they get using that pc. Plain and simple. They are trying to make a buck too... they'll make their stuff less attractive pricewise if they say the pc you must use is another $500, or more.

But even the makers of such pieces chose one they liked over a bunch of other's ... Didn't they?

otherwise we've missed the boat by not buying stock in Radio Shack or Belken.

See for yourself. it always works. most cable makers have a window for try outs. Good luck.

Do some research, narrow your choices down to 3 or 4 cables, then find dealers who will loan them to you for an audition. That is the ONLY way to know for sure.