B01972- You are right on Oyaide connectors. It takes forever to get a clear sound out of them. Pricewise they are more expensive. I hear they are good but never used them. On their descriptions it is mentioned they use brass. The dilemma is that usually brass electrical conductivity is inferior compared to Rhodium, Gold and Copper!So, how they do it to sound so good.
Furutech connectors are very good and present tones of sound details. I bought a pair of them (FI-iiMM/IEC) sometimes ago. Before purchasing more of them to make some DIY cables, I tested those on some of my cables. FI-11 Gold are very good but even after 3 days, it is still doesn't have too much of clarity that one would expect. It is compared to Rhodium version. The bass is much fuller, midrange is fantastic and a little bit of shyness on High frequencies. Hopefully after 200 hours I will get more clear sound and precision on different spectrum of frequencies.
Power cable choice is not an exact science! Besides, I found it is useless to trust reviews on power cables in general and from one system to another one could get totally different sound. I tried several cables along with different power conditioners. Each has its good features as well as its drawbacks. It is valid also for choice of connector, from Rhodium to Gold the difference is so audible. It is amazing to find out how a power cord could totally change the sound character of your system.
Next try will be to test Furutech copper connector which seems to be more neutral.
Sonic_genius , For break-in power cords, in some sites I saw:
“Appliances such as computers and refrigerators are ineffective for breaking in power cords because they have energy-saving modes. Using appliances such as heaters, air conditioners, and powerful fans for over 100 hours can save significant in-system break-in time. “