Does an aftermarket power cord matters for Amp?

Hi guys. Am vacationing around Grenoble, having wasted WAY too much time checking out euro PCs, and their guts at various sources. FINALLY found a good all-brass EC male AC plug I respect (even the 1k EURO siltech uses a chrome-plated male AC!), so I can now make Preludes & Fugues for euro'philes. Interestingly there's NO aftermarket for AC wall receptacles nor plugs. They use 2.5mm2 house wiring, which is just about 13AWG. At 220/240v it packs sufficient wallop (2kw+ @ only 10A), so maybe there's a bit less concern for heavy copper....A bientot. Ern

You're right on that Stu. I was comparing to his older model. Wasn't aware of his new stuff. As Gilda Radner use to say on Saturday Night Live, "never mind." Can you hear her? Anyway, I'm sure the new ones are jamin and worth the $$. peace, warren

With all due respect to you Warrenh, I think you are referring to Ernie's older models.(which I have owned in the past) This new incarnation is another league of power cord and more than just an "introduction". He has changed the cable and the design. It is a class act and though I have never sampled the heights of the harmonix cords, I have compared it to a shunyata black mamba V2 on my cdp and I prefer Ernie's for resolution, depth, and transparency. There was much more of a "difference" and that difference was all good. Whether it be synergy or good design, it's well worth the $160. IMHO.

Stuart

New cords are in. Right out of the box. Brand spanking new. No break in. SOUND?-- Unreal.. My system went from breathing through a cocktail straw to breathing from an inch wide pipe. Out of the box. Cold as a cucumber. I was told, in advance though, that they would not need any break in. They are glorious. Next week, the ICs!! can't take all this excitement. Will talk more when my tympanics know more.... peace,warren

Thanks guys for all the good input and I will continue to read up. Any additional input is still appreciated.

Jab,
What power cord did you end up for your VAC amp? Would love to get another suggestion.

After trying many P/C's from the Cable Co. I found the Shunyata Mojave's to be the best sonic match for my B&K mono amps.

Funny that member Jkphoto pushes Kubala-Sosna. When Jkphoto is the Kubala. Nice try.

My first pc upgrade was two relatively inexpensive Sonic Horizon cable into my amp and preamp. The difference from the stock cords was quite noticeable -- more refined sound. I have since "upgraded" tp more expensive Michael Wolff cords. They make subtle improvements, but not as significant as the replacement of stock cords. The replacement of stock cords created a larger difference than when I subsequently added a Richard Gray Power Company 600.

If you are happy with the Synergistic AC Master Coupler you are using on your front end, you might want to just step up a notch. I use the Active AC Master Coupler (w/mpc) on my B&K receiver with very good results. This last weekend I tried a Dimarzio PC (I use Dimarzio Super M-Path speaker cables) and although the sound was pleasant, the SR provided a much wider bandwidth of info and better bass. Also, many P/C's still exhibit an audible hiss when the sound is muted. The Active SR virtually eliminates the hiss. all of the above suggestions are good, however you could just stay with something you know. My 2 cents.

Cords that have made a significant improvement are from Kubala-Sosna Research - and yes - on the amps even more than the CDP. www.kubala-sosna.com. Good Listening!

Absolutely! Now finding the right cord for your system is the fun of the hobby. You'll get enough recommendations to keep you busy for a long while. The homework will be fun. I just replaced my Lat Internationals, serveral weeks ago, with two Sonoran power cords run from 2 dedicated outlets to my Eclipse power conditioner. (am I nuts with my electric, or what?) Today, my Harmonix Studio Masters are arriving. They will go from Eclipse to cdp and amp. You, certainly, don't have to get crazy with pcs to get audible benefits. But be careful, out there. It's a jungle and power cords can become a $$ habit. peace, warren

P.S. I have used Ern's cord. You can always email me for more feedback. It's a nice introduction to power cord possiblilites, BUT fasten you seatbelt....

Although I have never had the privilege of trying Subaruguru's Prelude No. 13 in Cu, when I ran the top of the line Mapleshade power cord from amp directly into the AC wall outlet, there was an obvious increase in dynamics, transient speed, and bass extension (plus, other improvements) for my Aronov Audio LS 960i tube integrated amplifier.
The VAC Avator has a comparable performance, so I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised how much a better power cord contributes to enhancing an already great component.
As pointed out by Stuartbranson, there can be very impressive power cord performance for a moderate price.

I use a Custom Power Cord Company Model 11 for my Plinius 8200 integrated with great results. Very synergistic combo.

I became a beleaver in the benefits of a good PC not when I pluged it in, but 30 days later when I tryed to replace it back with the original one.

The evidence that has come my way leads me to believe that a PC CAN affect the sound from an amp, or any other component. That may be for better or worse. When I experimented my amp sounded better with its stock cord over two aftermarket cords. From stock, a third cord did not alter the sound at all.

It did for me. I noticed a big difference in replacing the amp PC.

Hi Steve. I responded to your system post before. I am a believer in the benefits of better power cords because in my system they make a difference. I recently went through a cable downgrade, $$ wise, but have found some really good cables cheap. Check out ErnieM's (aka Subaruguru) power cords. I recently got his new Prelude No. 13 in Cu, and it is really great! I recently sold off my shunyata and electraglide cords and got his and don't feel I've sacrificed quality. I do find that changing a power cord anywhere in the chain makes a sonic difference and have yet to find that a stock cord is better.

Yes, An after-market PC will make a difference. If you are skeptical of this, find a company that has a 30-day money back trial policy. As for a company like this, I would recommend a company in New Jersey called Virtual Image. Their power cables are called the Pile Driver and the Sledgehammer, Pile Driver being the better of the two. I use V.I.'s power cables on all of my components (Pile Drivers on my CDP & pre and Sledgehammer on my amp). If you are interested in trying the V.I. cables, you can e-mail Al at virtualimage@juno.com .

I personally have never tried a Synergistic Research PC, but I have tried the Ensemble Mega's, which I am told are better than the Synergistic, and the Sledgehammer just flat-out smoked the Ensemble cables.

If I can be of any further help, please feel free to e-mail me. BTW, Virtual Image also makes some killer interconnects!!!