Stock Power Cords?


Are all stock power cords low quality? And how would you know if its good or bad quality? For example: I have a Classe CA-100 amp, the cord looks pretty beefy.Would a typical replacement power cord in the price range of 100.00-150.00 be an upgrade?and would it make any sonic difference?
krelldog
Get new power cords, stock ones usually stink. The power cord that came with my 20k+ pre is sort of insulting. Some members find that power cables make more improvements then any other cable upgrade, start with all of your digital gear and then do the amps-its what most every cable company recomends.
Tim
I bought new power cords for all of my gear, which has been an investment of over 35 grand (for the gear). I have to tell you, I'm not sure if it did anything. I can't hear any significant improvements, nor any change that would be considered consistent. I can assure you that I didn't shell out quite a few hundred bucks in the hope of being disappointed. I feel better knowing they are there, and that I'm doing what so many say you have to do to maximize performance, but there is a lot of snake oil with this stuff, so be careful. Also, take this analogy into consideration. If you are like 99% of the folks on this web-site who have 89 cents a foot Romex running from each 99 cent outlet to a 99 cent junction box and from there to a standard breaker box from good old Home Depot, what the hell kind of improvement do you expect to get with a $500.00 cord? The AC is running at 60 hertz, so am I to believe that a stock power cord is choking off my amp? If you stick 22 gauge wire into an active AC receptacle and you hold the other end, do you think you won't get electrocuted because the gauge is so thin? Is the radio interference so great where you live that your power cords have to be shielded so that no interference will penetrate them? And if it is, what are you doing to shield the rest of the electrical path? I liken it to putting a titanium link on an aluminum chain. Sure, the titanium link is great, but is it strenghtening the chain as a whole? Does the rest of the link magically become titanium too? Of course not! And no offense to Tireguy above. I do understand his wanting of an upscale power cord for his 20K+ preamp, but don't you think the folks who build 20K+ preamps know what they're doing? Is it possible that the omission of such a cord is that company's statement about this subject matter?
Upping your service to 220, running dedicated lines of high gauge shielded electrical wiring from the breaker box to your equipment and installing a very beefy, very expensive AC regenerating device............now that's making the difference. Then, I believe it may be possible to hear the differences between cords. If you can't do that, spend your money on improving the components you're using.
Just an opinion..........................................
pattmatt: great analogy! (the titanium link in an aluminum chain thing) i tend to agree although i haven't experimented with aftermarket PCs enough to say for sure. i guess i just don't understand how a high dollar PC is gonna help with a sucky house current? the great debate continues...
I own a classe Ca-151 power amp. I can highly recommend the Custom Power cord Company Model 11 at about 250. It is better then cables at twice the price. Call the Cable company. They will let you try before you buy. 1-800-fatwyre.
Those who are skeptic(cough-Don-cough) ask Bob_Bundus, he will tell you his experiences(who stick's out in my mind as being the biggest protagonist for PC's, he loves those little devils!) It is one of those unexplainable(to me at least) phenomena in audio, as suggested above give it a shot, the cables will speak for them selves. BTW thanks Don for telling me not to give up :) last night I took everything apart-cleaned the life out of it and relocated somethings and the rig has never sounded better.
Tim