AC Power cable for ARC Ref 5 se.

 Power cords known to work well with ARC geare are Sain Line, Shunyata, and Synergestic Research. I have heard good things about Wireworld and Transparent but don't know anyone who uses them. ARC uses Sain Line and Shunyata power cords and cables in their listening rooms. They also use Shunyata VTX internally in thier Reference gear.

 I chose Shunyata Alpha HC for my ARC gear. But that was a few years ago. Sane Line was slightly better but much more expensive. I have had both ARC Litz cable and Synergistic Research in the past.

 I have not tried Audioquest in years. Though I do use their HDMI and Ethernet cables in my network with great results. I have tried Nordost Heimdall 2 and Kubala Sosna, I forget the name but it was the black one. My Ancient ARC Litz cable was better than either of those. Really the Sane Line was the first cable I found that was significantly better.

I have only tried the Shunyata Black Mamba HC and Alpha HC. I don't have a Shunyata Dealer near me. I have heard that their new Delta cable is excellent, as good as my Alpha. Go with the HC (high current) version of whatever cable you choose. The ARC Ref 5se and Ref 2se use 20 amp power cords. While my Ref CD7 has the normal 15 amp power cord.

 Actually very good. The main reason I upgraded was because I upgraded my preamp. My old LS25 mk2 used a 15 amp power cord. The Ref 5se needs a 20 amp. So I needed a new power cord.  I chose to go with the Ztron Alpha HC after talking with Grant from Shunyata. The Zitron Alpha HC is excellent. Better than the Black Mamba. It is even better than the Sigma Analog cable. I have since upgraded all my power cables to Zitron Alpha HC cables. I have heard that the new Delta is as good as the Alpha but I have not tried one.

 The Black Mamba has a cult following so some people ask a lot for them. I would not pay over $350 for the HC. I paid $325 each for the 2 I had. If it were me I would hold out for an Alpha HC. Unless you have a Shunyata dealer near yu and can demo the Delta.

 You can search Hifishark.com and have them send you email alerts. It won't hurt to get the feel of the Ref 5se with the stock cord. Then you can more easily appreciate the difference that the Alpha makes.

 The Ref 5se uses a 20 amp power cord. There are pictures of the back on the arcdb website.

 I have not heard either of the Anaconda power cords.  I have heard that the later version was not quite as good as the earlier but I don't know. Like most companys, some of their pieces are real home runs while others are not quite as good. The HC versions have better shielding and usually sound better than the regular versions.


  folkfreak, Does the Ref CD9 use a 20 amp power cord? I know that my Ref CD7 uses a 15 amp and I believe the CD8 does also.