@audphile1 and @dougthebiker
+1 with an exclamation point. As with so many questions posted on this forum, the OP's hope for a recommendation that is remotely helpful for your system is just a crap shoot if we don't know the finer details. And that includes the quality of the OP's mains power. If that's not their weakest link, the choice of cable mfr may make no difference. In my most recent upgrade (in which I educated myself before buying, see below), I experienced a huge improvement in SQ, but prior to that, random cable-rolling based solely on third-party opinions made no difference.
One thing to remember is that AudioQuest AC cables are designed to complement its line of higher-end power conditioners. In my case, I shopped for a conditioner first (an AQ Niagara) and then added the power cords. That produced a sonic upgrade of about 7 out of 10 (yes, no exaggeration!), and upgrading just the cables was a 4 and adding the Niagara w/o upgrading the cables was a 6.
Again, my experience may not match yours, but my point is that, at least according to Garth Powell himself, the AQ products are designed to work together, e.g., coordinating system-wide noise rejection. (Garth maintains that one of the greatest sources of line noise is other audio components plugged into the same circuit.) Every upgraded cable or condition can make a difference, but you’re more likely to get the most bang for your buck by taking advantage of the synergy among complementary products. As Garth put it, improvements can be incremental, depending on how many holes in the dike you plug.
Not sure if this observation applies to Nordost products, but if you do go with AQ, and do elect to add a Niagara, consider upgrading to lower-grade AQ power cables on ALL relevant components, rather than adding higher-quality kilobuck AQ cables on only your most critical components.
Hope this is helpful, even if it does raise more questions than it answers.
