Cheap Powercords...worth the effort???

BMI regularly auctions their Majik cords on Audiogon. They're inexpensive, well made and a significant step up from stock cords. A pair of them usually goes for less than $150.

I have had experience with the following cords in my budget system: original MIT Z-cord, XLO, BMI Edge cords, LAT International, Blue Circle BC 62 and Cardas Golden. It depends on what you mean by cheap, but I figure up to $200 is cheap. Buy used and if you don't like it, you can re-sell without taking a bath. In my system, which probably leans toward the bright side, the Cardas is clearly the best, but it may not suit your AR complete. My advice if you want to start cheap to experiment would be to find a used LAT (can be had on Audiogon for around $60), which will be a major improvement over your stock cord. I used this cord on both my CD player and amp with good results. The Blue Circle BC 62 is, in my opinion, an excellent cord for the money (demo I believe currently posted on Audiogon for $165), far superior to the LAT and probably would suit the AR very well. It is an extremely musical cord that does just about everything right and a real bargain at $165 or less. I paid around $200 for a used Cardas Golden and love the cord; it's very lush and "full bodied", some would say "dark" but works extremely well in my system.

I ditto the response from Hdm regarding the LAT cord. I actually use this cord on my Audio Refinement Complete and it works well. You want to go real cheap? Make one. I made one from Belden #19364 cordage, terminated it with a nice Hubbell plug and a good IEC connector for under $25. It's just as good as the LAT in almost every area but even better in the upper treble (smoother).

Another under $25 or so DYI cord is Audioquest AC-12 in bulk from any parts source (like Michael Percy in Inverness, CA) and some hospital grade plugs. I made a pair, it didn't take an inordinate amount of skill, and it works nice and plays nice. It would be worth comparing that to a $250 cord. I haven't, but my guess is it would be pretty competitive. We are talking small differences in the scheme of things. Probably $200 worth of room treatment would net more improvement than $200 in cords.

I haven't tried a lot of different power cords to offer an experienced opinion, but I like what I hear with my Harmonic Technology power cord, and it really is at a very fair price for a good quality product. You can often find one for $100-125 at Audiogon. Perhaps when I get adventurous and have a little extra time I will try a few other brands, but I think that it would most likely give you an improvement in sound quality. I have seen so many opinions from some of the well informed members here that I have concluded that it is necessary to try a few different brands on your own system, allowing for synergy. Make sure you don't judge until you have run in a cable for 80-100 hours. Good luck.