Importance of Power cords feeding Conditioners

Cords and equipment are all about synergies. The "best" PC you have might night be best with a source, but may be best with your amp, or visa versa. It's all about trial and error so there's no perfect answer unless you try it out yourself and experiment to get the soound you prefer.

Ptm, I strongly disagree with your statement "It's all about trial and error" or "all about synergies". It may be a LITTLE BIT about those things, but one can DRASTICALLY REDUCE the field by first taking into account the few immutable laws of physics that govern electrical energy transfer.

First and foremost being resistance -- bigger conductors and shorter cords have less resistance. But that doesn't mean one needs big conductors for everything!

Next is shielding -- mandatory for digital gear, optional for most modern components which almost always have built-in RFI and EMI (hum) filtering.

Beyond those two considerations, there are of course subtle differences among PC's which may or may not affect what you hear out of the speakers. This includes conductor materials, conductor topology (the arrangement, or layout of the conductors within the cord), type of shielding (braid, foil, ferrite choke, or simple twisted conductors).

There can be problems too, that most people don't know about. For instance, did you know that the FCC requires manufactures to supply shielded power cords with their equipment? Great, but unfortunately, UL requires that these cords have their shields connected to ground at BOTH ends. That's just asking for hum pickup! So it's usually best to replace these OEM cords with a PC that has a 'floating shield' if you encounter hum problms due to the PC picking up 60Hz from other cords, transformers, etc.

But I've found most of the variations in PC cord construction have only minor sonic effect compared to the two most important, of choosing adequate gauge, and most appropriate type of shield for the job. YMMV ;--)
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Nsgarch - I stongly disagree with the absolutes in your statement. I have found in my own experimentation that what often seems to be logical when connecting systems, be it power cords or interconnects or supposedly complimentary components, is often bested by something that just shouldn't work as well as it does.

Thus my stong suggestion that nobody take someone's "educated" word on anything. You must try it for itself in your own system before you can truly say it works best, for you, in your system, and in your own best interests financially and sound wise.

Ptm, my point was NOT that one can make decisions based strictly on objective (scientific) criteria. I don't know how you could have thought that from my comments. First of all, there are just too many choices out there even AFTER narrowing down the field!

My remarks had to do with putting together a credible short list of products that all have the basic physical characteristics necessary to do the job you want (one of them) to do. And that's when the listening should begin -- to find which one most satisfies your own sonic preferences.

But when something comes from out of left field (a "happy accident"?), or as you say, "something that just shouldn't work as well as it does", that seems to suggest the laws of physics don't apply to audio electronics. But they DO APPLY, don't they? And you will eventually discover (if you're curious) that for reasons you didn't yet understand, your 'miracle product' is working just exactly as it should. It's a learning experience ;--)
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I would strongly suggest that Nsgarch ad Ptm both have valid points. Yes, conductor size, material, and shielding will have major effects and may serve as the foundation of a great power cable. However, if physics and theoretical equations were all at stake, all cables would eventually converge to that configuration.

Materials and connections can have profound effects on the sound, and cable manufacturers actually do have to approach these from a trial-and-error perspective. For example, some have found that lower-priced IEC inlets and plugs perform better than those with costlier metals with mirror finishes in carbon houses.

My view is that it is the job of the cable manufacturer to make the breakthrough "happy accident" through an obsessive and exhaustive approach. Then, the consumer can make a minor happy accident in finding a match with their gear and tastes.

Throw in variables of marketing, emotion, a new-cable-launched-each-day, and that most people are looking to use cables as tone controls. Now you have a volatile situation where no one is apt to agree.

I have heard cables retailing above the 5k bracket that underperform, two cables antagonize each others best qualities, and some good cables reveal other weak links. My current cables contain exotic hardware and materials only found through an extremely limited number of sources, as well as ridiculously mundane materials found at your local hardware or hobby store. Let's call it part science, part art.