Best power cord for amp??

Hi Kuro..; I recently auditioned 5 power cords from The Sanctuary of Sound in Seattle, WA, including a prototype of Shunyata's new "Sidewinder". (Note: right now my system is tilted to the bright side of neutral because of recent installation of dedicated AC system). The Sidewinder is very smooth, detailed, has wide soundstage, and is subjectively fast with good bass, ie pace and rhythm are well served. I think the Sidewinder is tonally neutral, but my system is presently a bit bright so I did not purchase it. Rather, I opted for the Syn. Res. Master coupler which is slightly on the dark, mellow side of neutral-- to help tame my system brightness. The Sidewinder I had was the 20 amp IEC plug version to fit my big McCormack amp. The SR-MC was the more standard 15 amp version, that I put on my pre-amp. I feel sure that if I had not put in the dedicated AC system, I certainly would have purchased the Shunyata Sidewinder, and I predict that at $375. (list) Shunyata is going to sell a LOT of them. But for MY system, I returned the Sidewinder, and ordered a 2nd SR-MC (in 20 amp IEC) for my amp. The SR-MC + Sidewinder was almost an excellent combo. Note: I also have Syn. Res. ICs and speaker cables, so there may have been some synergy with their PCs in my system. The other cords: Electraglide-- little difference from stock OEM; Orchard Bay-- same; Essense ESP-- too much of everything with a forward, aggressive midrange that some may like, but I didn't. I would never buy a power cord without auditioning it-- unless you buy it cheap and can resell it if you don't like it. As Michael Bush (1st post) recommended, I would not overlook the Synergistic Research Master Couplers or maybe their more expensive Reference model.

I also tried the Master Coupler. Too filtered, too dark, very tubby bass. The Reference is probably much better, but these Shunyatas are supposed to be great. Mine are taking a while getting to me.

Tjreed's post of 04/08/00 is RIGHT ON-- audition and choose what works best for you. That said, I WANNA try more Power Snakes.

has anyone tried the cardas golden powercord if so is it any good . I have been told that it is very smooth.

Chucky: I use a Cardas Golden Power Cord (which I purchased thru Audiogon from a dealer in New Jersey-mint demo-he gave me a great price-same as or less than used Goldens) which I use on my integrated amp (all these posters are super high-end guys so I'd be embarrased to say what it is!). My amp has a reputation for being a little on the analytical side and I believe the Cardas has fleshed it out a bit and the improvement has definitely been worthwhile-more info, very musical, much more bass extension etc. The dealer I bought from also suggested I "float the ground" so I removed the ground prong and this did indeed improve the sound further. I have been very happy with the cord. One drawback to the Golden is that it is very stiff. Something else you (or anyone) might consider are the BMI cords being sold on Audiogon auction-I recently purchased two of the "Edge" cords (got them for $50 each-I know-everyone's laughing!). These are outstanding cords for the money, and the guy that's selling them has a new upgraded cord out that is supposedly even better going at still fabulous prices. I put the two cords I bought onto my CD player and line conditioner and the improvement was phenomenal-I would place it in the same category as a major component upgrade, and if I wanted to buy another power cord, I would probably buy his new model; if you don't like it, you can switch it to your TV to get a better picture and not feel like you've lost a fortune! He has a ton of positive feedback postings, and some of the buyers of these cords have posted that they have since sold their Magnan, Harmonic Tech etc. "high end" cords to use these budget wonders on equpipment much more expensive than mine. Anyway-if you want more info on the Cardas dealer with the hot deal (don't think he has any right now, but you might ask him to keep you posted) you can e-mail me and I'll let you know who it is. Blake (palmerblake@hotmail.com)