Cheap Powercords...worth the effort???

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.

Why is the last 6 feet that connects equipment to the mains so important? What about the cheap romex house wiring that feeds the recepticles? What about questionable grounding and the quality of the recepticles and the type of breakers used in the breaker box? Given these questions and many more is it logical to assume that we are introducing a band-aid to cure a larger problem or merely adding a coloration. Audio has some amazing cures.

It takes a minimum of about 5 or 6 feet for the "filtering" factor of power cord to work.

Filter what? And how?