Do I need upgraded power cables?

You have gotten quite a few measured responses regarding power cables, which I think is great.  Too often these types of threads devolve to the cables do/don't make any difference and "anyone who thinks that they make a difference is deluded."  I am firmly in the "everything makes a difference" camp, and in my system cables definitely do make a difference.  You first have to understand that when most people say that something "makes a difference" or "improves the sound quality,"  they are talking about incremental differences, not "my system sucked and now its great."

In my system, I first tried an Audience Power Chord on my Plinius amp at the time.  I immediately noticed better bass.  I realized then that there was something to this PC thing to my surprise.  An excellent PC BTW.  Over the years I upgraded my system and now I have all Shunyata Sigma power cables, speaker cables and a Shunyata Everest power conditioner.

First, the Shunyata power cables are simply excellent.  You can get a pair of Alpha's used at "reasonable" prices.  I found that upgrading the power cable from stock on my ARC REF 6 preamp was a surprisingly good improvement.  The Shunyata over the Pass stock cable was also a decent but not as great improvement.  I found the power cable on my MSB DAC over stock made a minor improvement -- the least of the three.  And bringing up the rear, putting a new power cable on my REL s/510 was a complete waste of money.  No audible difference at all (to me).  So yes, I think that good power cables will improve the sound of your system.

But the biggest surprise to me was when I decided to stop reading all of the hype about power conditioners and bought a Shunyata Everest with a Sigma power cable.  That literally brought my system to a new level of soundstage, clarity, and dynamics.  The improvement was not small.  Again, not a new system, but it really refined it.  I have my Pass 250.8 plugged into one of the Everest's high current outlets and it sings.  The Everest HC outlasts are designed to handle power amps.  I am very very happy with my Everest.  Highly recommended!  

@mclinnguy Thank you

@bzawa the important part of your question is that you’re asking other people what you "need", and in my experience, that’s just never the way to go.

fear of missing out means you’re already in fear ... so you’re not in a position to listen critically or to enjoy

Having said that ...

AC cables have a very real effect on the sound, and there are so many options out there, but it’s only something that you consider at the very end when you are happy with what you have and are looking for something to take it over the top without buying new equipment

when you get to that stage, I strongly recommend Shunyata Research. Not only is it very audible, what they sell, but it’s backed by science, and the pricing is incredibly reasonable for the quality… I believe they have the top quality products in the world

No bad artifacts. Great value  

So the question is, what are you going for, and they have a number of options each with different flavors and different price points, but you can never go wrong buying anything from Shunyata

my three favorite cable products from Shunyata are the Theta, the Sigma X, and the new Omega QR, three very different price points

the Gemini 8 is a nice product for very reasonable money, and you can go up from there into Denali and Everest

@bzawa

You got your answer right away from @bigtwin. Order three or four from one of the online sellers that offer trial periods/refunds and audition them for yourself. Audio Advisor is one example.

Personally, I favor The Cable Co. You can borrow burned-in cables from them, listen and decide for yourself. This has become my go-to approach to cable upgrades. I just completed a power cable comparison using their cable lending library and opted to stay with my current brand but move up their line. If you’re interested, PM me and I’ll give you the name of the guy I always work with, there. Very knowledgeable, patient and no hard-sell tactics.

Good luck!

I haven’t read through all the responses, but before upgrading your power cables you should install a dedicated electrical circuit.   It’s the best, least expensive upgrade you can do and while your at it add a good quality outlet.