Is it all in my head??

The same old song.....
What started out as a testimonial has.. again , been turned into a debate about do they or don’t they "power cords".
My only comment is that the op’s experience is what usually turns doubters into aftermarket power cord users. They tried one, and GOLLY it does sound better.Good luck waltertexas!

lol... i did not intend to ignite flames :P  (when ever did a cable comment not)

So, I was in NYC last week and stopped by innovative audio off 58th or so and Lex-i got to listen to an amazing system:  a pair of dan d'agostino relentless driving wilson alexx fed by an MSB reference DAC thru a  d'agostino momentum preamp.  let's just say this was a life changing experience.. for as large as those amps and speakers were, the sound was pinpoint perfect immersive and engaging (holographic even) and I never knew such an experience could be had in high end audio.  

It's one thing to read about it.. its another to spend an hour or so listening to over $1M in high end gear set up with perfection in an acoustically treated room.  After experiencing that, it is now my view that everything matters and that there is no end to this obsession.  

In the end, it all comes down to taste and what it is you are chasing.  For me, I am in love (currently) with dynamic range and power+clarity at low volumes--to this end, I feel the Kimber power kord added a net + to the value prop.

waltertexas

That listening experience sounds totally awesome.  Reminds me of when I got a private demo of the MBL flagship system.  Quite head turning!

Though I’m curious about this:

—-“After experiencing that, it is now my view that everything matters and that there is no end to this obsession.”

You mentioned you were an engineer.  I’m wondering how you determined from listening to that system that “everything makes a diference.”

As an engineer you would understand the importance of isolating the contributions of one part of a system vs another to determine what any particular part of the chain is contributing and to what degree *if any* it is contributing.   So I’m just wondering how you believe it follows from listening to (I presume) a system full of gear you are unfamiliar with that you understood the contributions of every bit to know “everything makes a difference.”

I hope you agree this is a reasonable question to ask. (?)

" I am an engineer" is probably your biggest potential blockade to enjoying hifi. Try just enjoying the improvement and can the need to know why the improvements occur.  

The power to your system comes to it through hundreds of miles of wire owned by the utility company, but what wire you use in the last 2 feet will materially change it? Does this 2 feet of wire "add" something or "subtract" something from the power that enters your house?
The electricity then enters the internal wiring of your pre-amp/receiver and this addition/subtraction remains intact?