audiphile power cords

Once in a while the stock power cord sounds pretty good and
various aftermarket cords can muck up the sound. It's
happened in my past systems. Some aftermarket power cords
can make very little difference. One problem is that you
can't try every power cord out there. The one that is best
in your system may be out of reach and too pricey, or
totally unknown. Sometimes aftermarket power cords can make
your system sound better. Some can add bass and weight to
the sound, and some take away bass. Some add bass weight and
reduce the highs (this seems typical) but the reverse can
happen too. There's no set answer for what can happen, but
power cords usually alter the sound for better or worse.
Sometimes I feel like I've expected a power cord to make too
big a change. I've learned this is folly. The component
makes the big difference. A good power cord I use is the 8+
by Triode Wire Labs. These come with a 30 day trial period.
If I were starting out in what I call the "power cord
jungle" I would only deal with power cords that have at
least a 30 day trial period, so I could make a return if
necessary. This removes your risk. In various systems over
the years I have owned power cords up to $950 used.

No, they do not make a difference, and McIntosh proved it back in the 60s with a detailed and correctly carried out series of blind listening tests. Ever seen vintage Mac power cords? There's your answer.

Get STEALTH V12 big upgrade wonderful cord.

Bojack, THE 60s??!! Really!! So nothing has changed in 50 years.

While I agree that most make no, very little difference or make things worse there ARE a few that make a positive difference. But like all things audio you do need to pay for the improvement. But there are some that are in a reasonable price range for audiophiles.

If your system is not dark/warm but is neutral to bright I would recommend the new entry level cable, HE MKIII, from Waveform Cable formally Kaplan Cable. It lists for $529 and is an overachiever. It is one of the few power cables that lets the instruments natural tone come through. This is in more then one system.

One caveat. I have only tried it on amps.

Since there is no way to A/B different cords simultaneously, it is hard to tell if there is a big difference between them. Some people claim to be able to hear differences in listening tests that span a time (30 seconds, a minute?) between hearing the same music in the same system (and if you power your system down for a minute or more, you must assume that powering it down makes no change to the sound. But then, many claim you should leave your gear on, especially amplifiers for 30 minutes or more for best results). I'm not sure that I can hear a difference after a minute or more of powering down my system, and trying to remember exactly what I heard before. I think most people who say power cords make a difference would also say the difference is subtle - not huge. The more subtle the difference, the more exact your memory must be to hear that 2%. So I take it all for a grain of salt. That said, I have drank the cool aid and bought various models over the years, never more than $500 for one. The only ones I have seen that have provided -some- measure of science behind why their products should sound better are Shunyata. I had them with a Hydra at one point. I was never able to do a valid A/B listening test that could demonstrate to me, in my system, with my ears, that it was better. And for all the others, perhaps 5 or more, I have never been able to tell a whole lot of difference. My philosophy is to buy something that is well made that will serve your system for a long time. A stock cord might fit that bill.