Power Cables and Wall Sockets

@hilde45 I should have dug into the archives to answer the "wiring in the wall" question. But I appreciate the response and am looking forward to upgrading the cables to my amps to begin and see what kind of improvement that I hear. 

One thing that I am curious about is if upgraded power cables will eliminate the issue of my lights dimming when listening at reasonable high volume.

Thank you, everyone, for your responses today. It has made me really start digging in to a series of improvements that I think can be done. @erik_squires aka "bare wire as God intended" (love that) Thank you for linking your articles, they were very helpful, especially since I was being led to consider power strips as well.

I haven't really focused at all on the power side of the equation, so I have quite a bit of "low hanging fruit", in other words relatively inexpensive improvements that I can definitely make to gauge the incremental sound improvement.

If the improvement is noticeable, I may not stop...sound familiar? 😎

@ditusa I have a Van Alstine Transcendence 10 (tube) preamp, into the Van Astine SET120 control amp, also Rythmik Audio Sub.

I’ve been looking at electrical outlet options, and am leaning toward the Maestro at this point, but still researching.

https://www.cruzefirstaudio.com/maestro

@retiredfarmer thanks for your encouragement. I love that you said that it was hard to believe the increase in resolution from addressing the power side of things.

I was thinking of simply upgrading my outlets to Hubble commercial, but I may think on this a bit longer. The idea of changing an electrical outlet and having a "stunning" effect on the sound gives me pause!

@carlsbad that is helpful. So more than likely, the power is mostly impeded by the last leg of inferior IEC cable. It seems almost fantastical that a $5000 power cable would make a significant difference when plugged into a standard outlet. I tend to imagine it being the final ultimate tweak on the highest end systems, but I could be wrong.

I'm curious to experience the difference myself, though honestly I'll consider lesser priced options that the AudioQuest Dragon! Since I wouldn't upgrade all my current IEC's at once, do you have any recommendations for prioritization between a Pre-amp, Power-amp or Sub?

@geof3 the lights dim slightly on low frequency transits when I have my system turned up pretty high, otherwise it's not noticeable. Thank you for the recommendation about upgrading plugs. I think that may be an issue. The plugs are probably 40+ years old. 

@yoyoyaya @rbertalotto I can understand that the effect of upgrading power to improve sound has been a point of debate; however, there are some good recommended changes that I can make without spending a bundle (like better outlets).

If I have the experience of believing that it improves the sound, then I'll consider further upgrades. I'm not really skeptical about the improvements that good power can make empirically, but I also know that I hear with more than my ears.

The visual landscape makes a big difference in my enjoyment of the sound and my satisfaction of solid power could add another facet to my enjoyment. I don't have super high expectations, but would be delighted to be able to hear an improvement in soundstage, clarity and instrument separation. And that would actually be awesome!

First I'll upgrade my 40 year old electrical outlets, then go from there.