How significant is a power cord upgrade?

Tvad, While I can appreciate what you say on one level, that of a reiteration of an endless dispute over the efficacy of a tweek, or any other of the many irresolvable issues in audio, I have a bit of difficulty accepting the admonishon from some one who was willing to give the controvery life by making a positive indorsement to the tweek knowing its history.

Gnugear, FWIW, I have 3 Primaluna Products and I use Belden PC to my total satisfaction in these units. I have NOT done extensive testing of all of the various power cords available, let alone in the Primaluna's. I'm sure if someone did they would find some that they felt performed better. The good thing is that I have never noticed a deterioration from the use of better constructed cable when I have tried them, I just judged the differences I percieved as not being worth the money. So if you go that route just try to do it thru in home auditions before purchase.

I do not feel this way about IC's and Speaker cable. It can change the performance levels of electronics and speakers positively or negatively, irrespective of cost or construction issues. But, beyond having good benchmark stuff available a reasonable prices, you should have a definable goal, otherwise you're chasing the wind and your $100 bills down the road.

I consider Canare Star Quad 4s11 a great starting point for a new audiophile. Its cheap, heavy guage, neutral, and is hard to improve on without spending lots of money. A true benchmark IMHO.

I personally, and generally, prefer Cardas 300b IC's in mid-level high fi electronic's, especially SS. If for no other reason that its a bit on the warm side of neutral and I find electronics in that catagory a bit on the cold side of neutral.

Thats MHO and reflects what I would tell my son to do if he were just starting out.

FWIW probably 90% of the other contributors would do something differently - thats the way it goes. Have fun trying to sort it all out! :-)

03-07-07: Newbee
...I have a bit of difficulty accepting the admonishon from some one who was willing to give the controvery life by making a positive indorsement to the tweek knowing its history.

I don't know what this means or to what post it refers. Sorry.

I am all in favor of sharing positive experiences with tweaks (power cords, interconnects, speaker cable, isolation devices, etc), or sharing experiences with tweaks that were negative, or showed no benefit.

What I take issue with is posts that bait people with "show me", or "prove it", or "I know you are but what am I?".

If you find something that works in your system with your ears, then share it. If you try something that doesn't work as expected, then share that also. But in either case, I propose that we share our experiences without insulting or baiting those with opposite viewpoints. Stating the specific gear with which the tweak was used is helpful, too.

Amen.

Kumbaya.

Shalom.

After going through a bunch of pretty good equipment, I have yet to hear cables that have the sonic impact of an upgrade to my source, preamp, amp or speakers. I have had good luck with the previously mentioned Belden cord, the Asylum cord (Belden or Volex with better ends), the VH Audio cords, and some home brew cords using the VH Audio wire, and special shielding/vibration damping material with high quality ends. Before I would venture into the $500+ PC territory, I would try to have everything else dialed in first, including speaker cables and IC's. To answer your specific question, I would start at the lower end and work upward. You can't really hurt anything going with the Belden/Volex or Asylum cords, and those should be an upgrade to your stock cords. Another tip is to clean and polish the ends of whatever cords you use. Deoxit and ProGold, or Brasso should work well. I would also suggest borrowing a higher priced cord from a buddy just to see if you notice a difference, before spending big bucks on one.

"How significant is a power cord upgrade?"

In my experience, less than that you'll get by addressing the room acoustics.

I would like to clarify my initial post:

03-06-07: Tvad
Every improvement in audio has its genesis in power delivery. Better power delivery results in better sound.

First, I have heard the Prologue 2 at several demonstrations. I do not own one personally.

Second, my comments regarding power delivery (comprised of power supply, power conditioning, dedicated AC lines, and power cords) are made having experienced the benefits in my own system on several components including: Modwright Sony 999ES Signature Platinum, APL Philips SACD1000, APL Denon 3910, Electrocompaniet EMC 1-UP modified by Empirical Audio, Exemplar Denon 3910, Exemplar Denon 2900, VAC Phi 110, First Sound Presence Deluxe II, Modwright SWL9.0SE, Lamm LL2 Deluxe, Moscode 401HR.

Several of the components above were modified. The first area addressed in the modifications were the power supplies. Furthermore, I have experimented with a wide variety of power cords on each component. The price range of the power cords was $7 - $1500 retail. The differences I heard were not necessarily commensurate with the prices of the cords.

On each amplifier, for example, simply increasing the wire gauge to 9 awg from the stock power cords, which were typically 14 awg, made a significant difference in the size of the image, and in the natural, grain-free quality of the sound.

Why this is true, I cannot say. It's what I observed.

The question of the degree of significance of a power cord upgrade (or change) can only be determined by the individual listener, because some listeners observe benefits and others do not. There is no right or wrong, IMO.

I hope this helps to clear things up.