quality or quantity?


hi all,
question for my system.if i have "x" amount to spend on power cords,would it be better to spend more on the amps [2] cords and less on pre-amp, phono etc. or would it yield better results to have all 4 or 5 power cords the same?
for those that might ask, all amps [mains,pre,phono] are by lamm...cd player has 5 ft. virtual dynamics.
would greatly appreciate your input as to why one way or the other might be superior.
thanks in advance to all!
128x128azjake
The trouble with most power cords is that (regardless of cord) they fix certain problems and cause others. There really is no exception to this since there is no perfect power cord. Given that you use mostly LAMM equipment, I suspect your system sounds rather neutral - detailed - dynamic - but somewhat cold and without love or emotion. If you have a darkish sound, and use the L2 preamp, you might want to check the voltage & reset to factory specifications (350V) - see manual or contact LAMM for details because you may also need to change the tubes.

Most LAMM users seem to use Absolute power cords throughout the system as a baseline "neutral" cord and if so desired, tweak & experiment with other cords (one at a time) in order to achieve a preferred tonal balance. Personally, I find the Absolute cords somewhat dull sounding so another option for a neutral baseline cord at a reasonable price would be the Supra LoRad. Unfortunately, I think the Supra is a bit too "shiny" sounding.

With the LAMM gear, you will easily hear the fuzziness of cords most people perceive as "the best available" and if you like LAMM for what it delivers, you may not want that fuzziness.

Use caution when purchasing used power cords (one at a time) for the Monoblocks. Sometimes manufacturers (electraglide in particular) do not maintain a consistent specification among like named models... and therefore two cords from the same manufacturer with the same naming convention may actually sound different because they were produced at different times and with different materials.

So... I suspect that once you've got your system as neutral as it can be, the best place to put the first "special cord" will be on your preamp - this will help you refine the sound of the system regardless of source - digital or analog.

And then go from there to tweak digital and analog independently.

Sorry I failed to answer your question but I hopt this helps.
I would devote my energy and $$ to my cdp. Dedicated line first, then power conditioner followed by an excellent power cord. Put the icing on the cake with killer ICs and you're going to be in electric nirvana. We be costly, but worth it if your cdp has the goods, IMHO. warren :)
Except for making sure you have a good quality PC with a "floating shield" on your DAC or CDP (to eliminate digital RFI) the biggest sonic gain (according to most folks' experience and the recommendation of many PC makers) is to be had by installing a large gauge PC on the power amp(s). By "large gauge" is meant no less than 10 AWG wire per each of the three conductors. Shielding and/or RFI/EMI filtering are nice extras, but this is one instance where size really matters! According to one manufacturer/designer who I greatly respect, it's all about "energy transfer" (?)