Nilthepill, " If PC changes the tonal character ( good or bad) why use them since presumably manufacturer of equipment must have voiced the equipment using stock cord and changing it would change the 'perfect' voicing". Thank you, point well taken. I have a bad habit that I listen to a handful of CDs day after days for the last twenty years and I am familiar to each tracks on each CDs. With the El Cheapo Prelude, in " the boulervard of broken dreams" DK sounds not the same as with stock cord provided. I like my 400xi sound the way it is: warm and litlle dark but sweet, so I end up using the stock cord instead. Most of the stock cords are ugly looking as those skinny and curly serpents and a pain in the ass to get them straightened. The bottom line is I like my components sound the way they are designed for but it is interesting how PS audio PCs and its Power plants can manipulate the sound at different frequency response.