Power cords


I am kind of a neophyte and I need a power cord for a pre-amp that is being shipped to me. I stopped in a local electronics repair shop locally(been in business 22 years) and asked them about power cords. Owner said that anybody that spends more than $50 on a cord is out their mind. Essentially said a fool and his money are soon parted. Thoughts please. Thanks in advance.
bottomsup
Power cords do not make any difference whatsoever ...to a system that is is in the " middle of the road". A personal example with me was when I went from an Aerial 10 t - Adcom 5800 - lexicon mc 1 - monster cable m 1 system to an Aerial 20 t - Bat 6200 - Meridian 861 - Nordost valhalla system in one jump. Tweaks like symposium , Black Diamond , Aurios and especially power cords made so little difference that I never bought anything in the "voodoo science " of high end audio . Now , I can hear so much deeper into the soundfield that minute changes are appreciated and have purchased many of the tweaks I origionally dismissed as irrelevant. The difference between a 100.00 aftermarket pc and the Elrod I settled upon was simply astonishing in its sonic attributes. I would have never have believed it either , but now its an easy decision . I would not call a wider , deeper , blacker soundfield a coloration either. Your results will vary and people hear differently but until your system reaches a certain level of resolution capability , spend your money elsewhere. Its an icing on the cake upgrade after the chain is complete.
In my experience, yes PC's do make a difference, but I have not yet reached the point of diminishing returns. I think it is a personal matter where you want to spend your $, and when you are finally satisfied to just listen to music. I have a fairly resolving system, although not up there with many of the folks on this forum. For me, the CVH cords were a significant upgrade and have performed sufficiently so that I have not yet been tempted to upgrade. However, I am currently auditioning speaker cables, which in my opinion make a much greater difference. I also upgraded to dedicated circuits (one for amps and one for digital) which also made a significant difference. I would rate the significance of system improvements as follows, although there must be symmetry with regards to the level of performance from each link in the chain:
speakers
components
ic's
speaker cable
power circuits
pc's

YMMV - Tim
"" Owner said that anybody that spends more than $50 on a cord is out their mind. ""

The owner should like Frank at www.signaaudio,.com. Frank only wants $49!

"" Essentially said a fool and his money are soon parted ""

He is right on this point as well. Maybe we are all a little foolish devoting so much time and money to this hobby. :) I'm sure my grandfather ( if he was alive ) would tell me there are much better things to do with my time and money.

I'm one of those who thinks a $500 power cord is a waste of money. Try Frank, I don't think you need to look any further than him. However if your incredibly curious, you can look for something used here at audiogon. I must admitt I have done the same once or twice.
Appreciate all the responses. I have come to the conclusion from all the feedback that the system I am putting together doesn't merit an expensive PC. I think $ for a decent tuner is money much better spent.