Dac or Power regen, which gets the better cable?

I think of the power before the power regenerator as dirty, and after as clean.  I'd put any fancy cable after it.

@erik_squires Great point!

Although I’m guilty of not following the recommendation, it’s been suggested that the source first in terms of PC’s, then preamp > amps, > power regenerator (or similar) afterwards. 

As I say, I’m guilty of reversing this. Just installed new PC’s on my preamp and amps, now need to get new/better for the DAC and the CD transport. SOTA TT has its own power supply. What got better I’m sure will get even more so when the sources PC’s are replaced.

@bkeske 

I thought about going to the streamer but I’m thinking the Dac would benefit more from a higher grade PC since it has a giant power supply (Denafrips Terminator).

@jl1ny 

I would agree with that. I have an Aries II, and that will be my next piece to get an updated PC.

DAC

I've seen a video with Paul from PS Audio where he mentions that the need for fancy power cords with their power regenerators is theoretically unnecessary even though they use very fancy ones.  If they do what they are advertised to do then they should produce essentially perfect power and require nothing in front of them.

In my very limited experience with cables, they don't always make an audible difference which may be a limitation with my system.  In my case I heard a very clear difference with a different PC on my Pathos Classic One MkIII, but cannot really say that I've heard any difference with different PCs on my DAC (two different ones).

From a purely theoretical perspective I think it makes the most sense to use a good PC on the source where the signal is the smallest and any noise or distortion will be amplified at each successive step (i.e. preamp and power amp).

Some PCs are specifically designed with source components or amplifiers in mind. 

The power generator needs a heavy cable, not a "quality" cable.  However, that is very important.

Neither as power cables make no difference in the sound that comes out of hour speakers.

DAC!

I remember being very surprised at the improvement on my BPT power conditioner when I switched from their basic to top of the line power cord...I find the effects of power cords more system dependent than many other cables...

In short run guess I'd pick dac, over the long run all pc important, weak link is weak link. I have heard differences with pc on power conditioners, and yes, they feed everything so need to pass much current.

IME I noticed the greatest improvement in SQ (more believable micro dynamics and imaging) from installing a Zavfino Fina PC on my streamer. I started with DAC/PRE first (also a Fina), then the power conditioner (Acoustic Zen PC) and amps (Merrill/Cardas PC). Everything made an incremental improvement, but I really heard the most when I upgraded the PC on my Zenith. Thanks to @thyname for the Zavfino recommendation!

Taking everyone’s thoughts into consideration I’ve come up with a plan. The incoming pc is a VD Masters series and that will go on my amp (str8 2 the wall), the pc from the amp is a VD David series and that will go to the Preamp. The pc on the preamp is a VD Power One and that will go to the streamer. The pc the Power Plant regenerator is a VD David series and that will go to my Dac. The pc on the Dac is a VD Power 3 and that will go to the Powerplant. So essentially every component will get a “new” powercord….Putting the Power 3 on the Powerplant is a downgrade from the David series but the Power 3 is a beast and will be more than sufficient. Thanks to @carlsbad ​​​​@mceljo for the insight on this.

Update: I played a little power cable musical chairs few days ago and I’m finally sitting down this morning for some listening. While not jaw dropping, there is a noticeable improvement in space / separation. One thing that irks me is when voices & instruments sound too close together within the soundstage. It’s a PITA to access my power cords, I pretty much had to dismantle my rig, but it appears to have been worth the effort. I’m flipping thru my favorites and so far I’m pretty impressed.

Power amp: VD Master series.

Pre-amp: VD David series.

Dac: VD David series 

Streamer: VD Power One

Power regen: VD Power One

Sub: VD Power 3 Anniversary Ed.

I'd bet best VD power cord on every component would be better yet. Weak links are still weak links, just altering where you place them, hoping weakest link is on least important component. I gave up on this way of thinking over time, now I just bite the bullet and put the best cabling on everything.

@sns 

I’m slowly working towards that…VD is no longer in production, I’ve been acquiring them whenever I can. Ultimately I’d love to have Masters on all components. Incredible pc for the money.

@sns - Best as defined as top of the line for whatever brand you've decided tickles your fancy the most?

Using the word "best" for anything audiophile seems like it would be in the American use when naming a teriyaki restaurant :-)

@mceljo I leave it to posters to decide what's best for them, just going with the wave. My use of best in regard to my own setup is used in same manner.

Yeah, using best as objective term in this subjective endeavor is a fools errand.

This is more complicated. Even within one brand top of the line power cord may not be best for every component and every type of the component.

But if I wanted to disregard what I just said myself I would first put 'the best' power cord on the regenerator. PS Audio regenerators greatly benefit from good cords, just like any other type of components, or more.

In my experience, tape decks of various kinds, including pro SVHS, are less demanding, but they benefit too.