Power cords for Audioresearch.

I asked Chris at Audio Research the very same question. He said that unless you are willing to spends thousands of dollars for power cords, stick with their standard 14 gage.

Sounds like what a manufacturer would say.

I have the LS25 and the VT100 MKII. I found that the stock PC equalled or outperformed several aftermarket PCs. However, My gear went up several notches in performance with the Elrod EPS3s on the amp and either a NBS Master III or Elrod EPS2 on the LS25. The bigget improvement was obtained when I used 3 RGPCs on the amp and the Shunyata Hydra 8 on the front end.

However, I recommend that you should expriment with different PCs if possible. In the final analysis, the selection of PCs depends on system synergy and personal preferences.

I did a mini power cord shootout with the Audio Research VT 100 MK II with JPS labs Power AC+, PS Audio Lab II, Cardas Golden Reference and Shunyata Taipan (Alpha.)

The winner was Shunyata Taipan (the model was before they had 2 models but it is now called Alpha) The Taipan gave the amp great dynamics and transient responce without being harsh in the upper midrange. It seem to work well with the warmth of the tubes. (VERY FAST cord)

The close second was JPS Labs AC+ which was very good but wasn't quite as alive in the transients and sparkle. The Cardas was third but was too smooth, would be better with a good solid state amp. The PS audio was a distant fourth, it was dull and rolled off sounding in the upper midrange and treble but good in the bass.

I later went with a Shunyata Anaconda Alpha which was similar to the Taipan but with more, great on my ARC preamp and power amp. However, to throw you a curve I now use JPS Labs Aluminata cords and all my ARC gear and is by a LARGE margin better than anything I have ever heard, but there is a cost factor with the Aluminata.

Good Luck

Rick

I had great success with the Acoustic Zen Tsunami on both VT-100 & AR preamps. Dynamic, full, robust, smooth. Better than Synergistic AC Master or Virtual Dynamics Power 3.

I just bought a ARC VT100 Mk III and tried my Audience Powercord that I have used on my Lamm pre-amp. Maybe due to how the amp needs to be grounded or some other electrical issue but the amp lost it's focus and the solid soundstage that I had with the stock power cord was gone. The stock cord is excellent. Don't mess with success, let alone waste your money.

I am using the Taipan Alpha (20A) with my Hydra 8. It is indeed a very "fast" cable. I have experimented with the Shunyata King Cobra, Black Mamba, Audio Magic and a bunch of $3000 PC. In my system the Elrods and NBS were the most neutral. The King Cobra was an eye opener when I tried it several years ago: I was amazed at the improvements in my system. Again, you need to experiment with different cables.

Anything from Custom Power Cord Co.

I use Synergistic Research Master Couplers on my ARC gear. When placed on my 100.2 there was a extreme difference over the stock cord.