Best Budget power Cords

I have purchased and am very satisfied with DIY cords made by Matt Kim. He charges $49.00 per cord plus shipping on Ebay. His auctions are all dutch, so the price is flat. I think you'd have to spend at least $200 per cord on a commercially made cord to match his quality. You can find his PCs on ebay by searching using Cableplex.

Natlie: the Asylum cord is great value and a major improvement over stock cords, and you MAY be able to pay 5 times more and get nothing better, but that is not my experience. In my system the Asylum cord was easily bested by both the Blue Circle BC62 and the Cardas Golden, both of which I continue to use. Both these cords are available on the used market for between $115 and $175. And I doubt if Bob Crump (who I think is definitely a great guy) would be selling many of his TG Audio cords for $250 or $300 if the Asylum cord was as good or better than those.

HCM Audio has been running a special on AudioQuest power cords, plus another brand, for some months. I bought 3 of the AQ AC15-1.6 H/S models (these have the Hubbell male plug with the Schurter IEC female at the other end), as replacements cords for my Bryston preamp and power amps. I ordered all 3 cords with pairs of AQ's ferrites, which reduce RFI and EMI. The build quality on these cords is very good, and they cost $50-75 each, depending on length. I honestly can't say that I heard much difference, but I am also told that the Bryston amps seem to benefit less from upgraded power cords. However, if you want to experiment with decent cords without a large dollar investment, check out the power cord specials on HCM's web site: www.hcmaudio.com

I have liked the ZuCable Birth for around $100. For $200 you can get a Shunyata Sidewinder. The best value for the money is the BMI Whale Elite for $450....truly a great power cord, and Bill is outstanding to work with @ BMI.
Good Luck,
Steven

I also feel the Zu Cable Birth was a great value. In my system on my transport, it beats the Shunyata Sidewinder. I also have an Asylum cord and it's OK, I don't think it's that much better than stock cords.

The thing I like about the Zu is the fast bass which has very good extension - better than my Sidewinder. And it's not tizzy bright like the Sidewinder either. If I had to sum it up, I would describe the Zu as neutral with good extension at both ends with snappy dynamics in the low octaves. It doesn't have the rich midrange the Acoustic Zen cables have, but it's not that far off either. That said I admit I am still testing this cable, and these comments come after a couple weeks of use.

Cords I have, in addition to those above, are Acoustic Zen Tsunami and Krakatoa, Kimber PowerKord and a couple homemade ones. The homemade ones were a waste of money and I would discourage the investment in such a project when so many companies offer 30 day trials. It was cheaper to build, but it now sits unused in my den. I suppose you could get luckier than I did.

Another worthwhile investment is a dedicated 12 AWG (or 10 AWG) 20 amp circuit with good outlets, like FIM, Wattgate or Acme. I compared P&S against FIM and in my system, the FIM work much better; more musical. There's a review at Galon Carol's website - www.gcaudio.com...I went with the FIM's before Galen posted his review...so it wasn't a sales pitch that pulled me in. The hospital grade Leviton outlets should be avoided for possible poor performance over the longer term...many reports of degraded sound...and something that I experienced first-hand as well.

-- Greg