Pre-amps with seperate power supplies .....

Trying a different external umbilical cord is not like switching internal parts in electronics. One could simply try the different cord and keep it if it sounds better to him. Then when selling, he could just sell the stock cord and offer the other non-stock cord for sale or simply keep it. This does not effect how original the component is at re-sale.

Upgrading caps or something else internal to the component is a different matter.

The OP question is about if a different umbilical cord would make a difference. That is an interesting question.

Yes it would make a nice improvement and yes just put the other one back in at time of sale or offer out both! A good cord in most instances makes for a nice improvement.

The external PSU on the CP-700 is two PSUs, one for each channel, with a copper shielding plate in the middle, and the DC current should be pretty darn flat, and free of EMI and RFI parasites, although I do not have an oscilloscope to test. Look at the number of pins on the thing, I am sure at least one is involved with external shielding of the DC cable.

That said I doubt that we CP-700 owners can do much more to upgrade PSUs.

As a new CP-700 owner I can attest how terrible it is, very jealous and conspiring to take me away from the family every night. The sublime neutrality and wide precise soundstaging with those SACDs is addictive for sure. Last night I tried to read while auditioning Haydn's lesser oratorio, The Seasons, half an hour later I had read only 10 lines, the VIIIth cranial nerve feed got the better part of my brain.

Hello Bob - and thank you and much appreacited. I was going to contact Classe' for a schemetic but I think you just answered it for me. By the way .... I really like this pre-amp. I have matched it with the Classe' CA 2200 and now a CA 2300.

"Granny is right in that lots of parts choices are compromises by the builder to control cost qand stay within certain price target."

I would say this is true of lower priced products, however, the peramp in question is a Classe CP 700 ($8,000).

"Look at the standard power cords components are shipped with for one example of cost cutting."

IEC sockets and stock power cords were created by reviewers, dealers and the market. Many manufacturers resisted IEC sockets for many years because the socket itself is a compromise compared to a hard wired cord. Audio Research was one company that was not willing to compromise until the pressure became too great. Why should a manufacturer provide an expensive power cord when the user is going to replace it anyway.