Power cords, AC line conditioners---preferences?

I've been playing around with power cables for a while now. I've settled on Cardas Golden and Golden Reference. Nice musical sweet sound, not to all tastes, but work for me. Certainly a step up from van den hul mainstream, DH labs etc.

A good choice, unless you want to get into the Nordost/Shynata price range.

Hi Bluesnbike1954,

I would highly recommend that you consider for audition the Running Springs Dmitri power conditioner. I still have not found a better one in the last two years. For details on the Dmitri take a look at my review here on the GON.

Somewhat ironicly, because of the timing of your post, I just went through another round of auditioning power cords from two very highly regarded companies. One cord I did not like at all, sounded dry and grainy, the other cord was terrific, however it sonics were exactly the same as my present reference cords, but these other cords retailed for double the price of my power cords! I never wrote a formal review on the Combak Harmonix DX Studio Masters that I use throught out my system, but if you go to their website you can see how highly regarded these power cords are. They retail for around $1,500.00, however they often come up for sale here on the GON for around $500.00 or less. I now have tried around 12 different power cords and have not found one I like better any were at this price point. They offer great liquidity, natural timbres, a silent noise floor, and great dynamics on any piece of gear I have them on. By the way, on Meiwan's response he mentioned both Nordost and Shynata, I have tried both companie's reference level power cords and did not like either in my system. Thought the Harmonix Studio Masters were far better for alot less money.

Read the reviews of Shunyata conditioners and cords in Absolute Sound and Stereophile and consider their wide use among mastering professionals. Shunyata, Running Springs and Audience are widely considered to be the top three conditioner lines, depending upon tastes. If you have very serious power source problems, you might consider PS Audio's latest power re-generator.

I won't comment on specific power cords because they are so "component specific" and tastes vary so widely. However, I will say that claims that $50 boutique cords are as good as even Shunyata's $99 Venom 3 cord just don't stand up to a quick audition. ( see Neil Gader's survey of power cords) The folks at the Cable Company can send you a couple of things from the top two or three contenders and you can be the judge for the price of shipping.

P.S.

I have a Conrad-Johnson CT5 preamp and a Shunyata Python CX connected to a Hydra 8 version II sounds sublime. I'm jealous of your ET 5! I hear it's stunning.

I can't speak highly enough of Nordost's power products, as they have transformed my system.

I started with a Magus loom. This beat a mix of much more expensive power cords (from ESP, LessLoss & PS Audio).

I next moved to a Vishnu loom. This was a big step forward.

To get the best out of Nordost cords, you should have a full "loom" of them: Nordost power cords should be used throughout. [Shunyata also recommends doing this - they just don't call it a loom]. Nordost argues that a loom of cords behaves more predictably. This has been my experience. I believe that mixing cords is a big reason why people find cords to be "component specific". I have a handful of friends who have Nordost looms. Each of them has reported hearing exactly what I hear from my Nordost cords.

The most important cord is the cord you use between your wall and power distribution device. The first cord sets the agenda for your loom, as it governs the flow from the wall outlet. I recently swapped a Brahma for the Vishnu I was using at the wall. This delivered one of the biggest upgrades I've experienced. It was as large as upgrading components.

Nordost's Quantum products are excellent too. I use a QB8 distribution device and a Quantum QX4. The QX4 is something I could not live without.