Power Cord Advice

Actually, I have already tried making AC cords using Romex. It is not bad, after all, it is what is in your walls! I even remember a review from Peter Moncrief of IAR, where he used a four cross (two Romex cables in an X) to build an AC cable. I tried that as well. Also, Tube Research builds a 10 strand Romex AC cable with the large 20 amp IEC connector soldered in place for their GT 400 amps (I had that cable too). All of these are good, but I must confess I prefer the old Tiffany TPC 60 over all of these. And although the Tiffany is now discontinued, it is often for sale at $60.00. To go beyond, I also believe that many of today's more expensive power cords are better than the Tiffany. I don't want to ruin this post with a negative comment, so I would just add that each of you can experiment for yourself, especially considering the small expense involved. After all, if it works at all, it beats the stock cords and you have a backup in case you get a loner piece of gear you wish to test. Last comment, Romex is a brand name, (like Band Aid) there are many types of sheathed copper cables, and there are differences in the sound of each. This will make this somewhat more difficult to test. (Sorry to bring all this up).

Kacz, wanted to clarify that my house wiring is not stranded, but is solid core, similar to Romex, not sure the brand. It is only 12 gauge times 3, however, and all the breakers are only 15 amp. We only have 200 amp power service, also. I don't think this is as much of a drawback as has been made by others, however. Also, I must take issue with your assumption that high quality or "new" cables in your house, or breaker box, would TOTALLY eliminate the need for ANY filtering or conditioning, especially for line level/source components. I feel that there is no such thing as a clean 60 Hz sinewave straight from the power lines (or under-ground lines). Just look at the test of the PS Audio unit, and you'll see how distorted the waveform was before it got to the PS Audio. I've considered trying one, but I think it'll consume too much power for one of my rooms (700 watts?), where both source and amp are on the same circuit. That said, I have every intention of trying your cord both on my source, and on both my Krell and Rogue amps. I like to plug my source components into a Chang Lightspeed 6400. I'll try it with and without the Chang, for argument's sake, though. I have the Z-Cord 2, and believe that it is a 14 gauge times 3, is it not? It has the stock connectors, and since it has beaten EVERY expensive cord I've thrown at it (when used ONLY with the source component), I'm not inclined at all to change the connectors, fearing a loss of synergy (I realize many enjoy doing this, however).............I've noticed that Purist Audio Design, and also ESP, use the Eagle IEC connectors. Do you have an opinion on them, Kacz?..................As far as "tweak freaks" go, I would say that I am NOT really in that camp. There are those that believe that interconnects and speaker wires should have conductors literally exposed to the air with no dielectric or insulation, and that speakers should have no binding posts, that the wires would just come out of a hole in the back of the cabinet, and even soldered directly into the amplifier (bypass its posts), when possible. I admit that binding posts have a sonic signature much greater than the "wire" connected to them, but there are certain safety and practicality issues that should be adhered to to avoid all sorts of time over-consumption and terrible "accidents", it seems to me.

Carl and Albert: It´s a very good sign for me to see you guys coming with a "balancing" comment here. Albert very good point there are other alternatives with shielded cable (stranded though) that could be used from Belden for the power cord.... It all depends on where in the stairway of improvements you are now... As metioned for me almost for sure will get improvements on stock cords but I'm taking my time considering the options in order to do it the best I can. My in-wall wiring is stranded 12ga. and for the amp I'm going to go to at least 10 (still stranded though. I'm looking for solid wire sources at this point). Carl : I agree on the need of PLC for front end in spite of wire age or type in general. You´re confirming my impression that MIT is 14x3 gauge. In my opinion changing the plug in it made an improvement that I personally like, as we all know from many threads it´s a matter of try and decide I´ve compared the Hubbell wall plates vs Eagle or Leviton they are very similar though I consider the construction and finish quality slightly better in Hubbell's (talking hospital grades here) As you point in the last lines of your comment, definitely safety is a first priority. Have you experienced any of the directionality issues mentioned about in-wall wiring mentioned elsewhere. Regards

Carl, what other power cords have you tried out of interest? I am curious as to whether you have tried any of the Powersnakes. I have heard a lot about them but have been unable to hear any myself yet.

To Sol (the name of our sun, but I guess you know that): No, I haven't experienced directionality issues with regards to in-wall wiring, but I haven't experimented with it, either. I don't foresee changing the house wiring in the house I'm in now, but plan to make you all envious with what I'll do in my "dream house" one day. One thing I would do is use several parallel runs of large gauge wire for each circuit, and perhaps anywhere from 20 to 40 amp dedicated circuits (among other things)...........To Nhorton: You must have missed my epic saga called "My Sidewinder AC cord Progress". Seek it out, it's under either "Sound Advice", or "System Matching", I forget which. As others have done, you can even highlight, copy, and paste anything relevant you might find, in another thread, like this one for example.