Power cords at ridiculous prices?

Best not to try to categorize us.We all do this with different budgets,and while your statements represent your feelings;don't assume you know the rest of us and or prioritize our expenditures. I'm pretty sure many will agree with your thinking;no problem with that.I have some where near1,000 cds;the same count for lps.So improving what I already have is more important---to me.I have a plethrora of power cords ranging from just under 100 to 2,000.And yup,you get what you pay for.I don't figure one should put the 2k cord on a 1k piece.If your equiptment is up to it you will hear what you paid for.The advantages of powercords are twofold.You can improve your cd player,your dvd player your pre amp for lp playback on & on;and you get to keep it if you sell a piece.For my money,something to improve what I already have is better than 5grand for a sacd player as an example.--your milage may vary.

I use a Cinepro Line Balancer, whose creator, Eric Abraham, says that it makes power cords less important. Still, when I tried a Stealth HAC power cord, the improvement was very obvious. At well under $200, with a 30-day money-back guarantee, I think it's foolish to be guided by theory and decide one way or another about whether, and how much, power cords matter. Like so much else in high end audio, your ears are, and should be allowed to be, your primary guide.

Drubin, I have a few different cords right now in use. Synergistic AC Reference on my Classe amps, MIT Z- Cord II's on my ML Quest Z's, AQ12's on some source components (all cords bought used). I'm as guilty as the next in tweaking, I'm with George on fiddlin' with good gear, rather than swapping out perfectly good stuff. My point is, even with a generous budget, it can begin to get silly some of the "black magic" claims made, with no logical engineering principles to support the apparent claims. My observations are well supported, look how many "high end" power cords are on Audiogon on any given day. To each his own? Yep...

How 'bout donating money to the poor?

I, too was afraid of laying down big money on a power cord. I laughed at a guy who told me he was using $3000 power cords. Then when I was in the market for a tube amp, I went to Audioreview.com. I read the reviews on one amp. It was very reasonable, but one person said the unit was world class when changing to tube x and powercord z. Never heard of such a claim. So, I then read the reviews on powercord z in disbelief. What the heck, I'd give it a try. So, I picked up a silver powercord here cheap, in an auction. I played my amp for 1 hour, listened intently, then hooked the new cord up. INSTANTLY better sound. And I didn't have to strain a bit to hear it. All that stuff about focus, imaging, bass, midrange, treble, etc. was all true. Dirt that I never even realized was there was removed. Yep, all these people were right. And, from what they say, the effects on an amp are much less than on a source component. I'm a believer.