Power Cords: A Skeptic Looking to Dabble...

jmcgrogan I think you are wrong. Look at how many people responded to this power cable question. Everyone has been over a hundred times but we still want to talk about it. Indeed it doesn't seem like new manufacturers are shy about it either, though I would have thought the market quite saturated by now.

Tls49+1-A dedicted power line is the correct first step. If your an apartment dweller or renter and can't have a dedicated line, invest in a PS Audio Power Plant. Back to the original question... ask yourself what are you looking to improve? And don't forget plugs play a big part in sound shaping(Wattgate-dynamic/bold-Oyaide(037-079)laid back.

I'm not in this with the specific goal of improving the sound of my system, but rather to evaluate for myself the reality of sonic difference from a power cord with a secondary benefit of potentially improving my system.

Jmcgrogan2 - I guess what I'm getting at is if I'm going to spend $10,000 on a CD player I would expect that the product be designed such that a $150 in Nordost Sort Kones not make a significant improvement because there is no excuse for the design to include this "technology" or at a minimum for them to charge me $10,150 and include the stupid cones as a package deal.

My observation from what Williewonka said is that the power cord becomes more important when the amplifier is relying on it for transient demands making it a more significant factor for potentially less expensive equipment that doesn't have virtually unlimited overhead in the power supply.

Mceljo - what I was trying to highlight is that installing a quality power cable in a modestly priced system would reap a certain set of benefits

But taking the same action with components capable of higher resolving power would result in a set of benefits that would differ from the first instance.

In all cases the power cable is addressing the transient requirements that could not be handled by the power supply alone.

Here's some of the important tweaks I have made.
- it all started with the purchase of a power conditioner - I immediately noticed an improvement in bass detail - mainly due to the outlets having better clamping of the plugs

- I next installed a better power cable on the amp - again I noticed more bass detail and the imaging improved

- after upgrading all of the power cables I had a nice image left to right, but it lacked depth

- I replaced my interconnects with silver cables and the image finally got some depth

- I then installed a dedicated line and ditched the power conditioner and the depth improved even more - but I thought I could improve on the micro details

- I then replaced all of the power cable connectors with silver plated copper connectors - the micro details, like venue acoustics, became much more apparent and the image again got more depth to it

- and last - I replaced the banana connectors on my speaker cables with silver plated quality copper - right now I have a very good 3D image that is very focussed with lots of detail - on my modestly priced system.

BTW - those are just the major tweaks - there are many more

My problem now is I think I have extracted every ounce of performance out of my existing components - the new phono stage arrives next week :-)

What I have found with power cables...
1. - 12 gauge extension cord from Home Depot - better than stock cords
2. - braided romex cables - surprisingly good and much better than stock cables for bass control and image - very cost effective

3. - DH Labs - better than the romex - improved details and bass control for a reasonable outlay

4. - Furutech - provides the most improvement particularly with micro details like venue acoustics, instrument timber and better control of the higher frequencies, but the cost is starting to climb

5. - Silver plated copper mains connectors - really added focus to the positioning of artist and instruments in the sound stage and yet more venue details.

So - now you have a wealth of information from the various members in this thread with some excellent recommendations

What you have to do now is decide what your budget is and what direction you want to take (DIY or buy or forget about it) - your choice

Try some out before committing - it's worth it

Hope this helped

Williewonka - Thanks for the information. While I struggle to wrap my mind around the objective reality for what you're saying, I do greatly appreciate your clearly written posts from your experiences. It definately gives some credibility to the possibility in my mind.

On every forum that I'm involved with I find that there are people to be ignored and people that you can learn from. At this point I consider you in the group of people that I can learn from.

Now, once I get my debt paid off in my budget for my tube amplifier purchase I can save a few dollars and then look into some options in the power cord or outlet world.