Seeking informed recommendations for power cables and interconnects

Smart 

Thanks everyone for all of the recommendations. I plan to use The Cable Company lending library to find what works best for my system.

I’m using a full Triode WIre Labs loom. Neutral, musical, versatile, beautifully made and very reasonable. Peter is a great guy to work with. You can audition any and all of his products and he will work with you on custom pieces. 

Take a look at Signal Cable power cords & Interconnects. I used them exclusively on a fairly high-end bedroom system. I found that their products were comparable to the much, much more expensive stuff in my main system & you can maintain your budget...bang for the buck ratio is high.
Doug

Cardas Clear Lite Interconnect is 1/2 off retail

Go up 4 comments for link

I’m very happy with my interconnects from Silnote. They are out of Roanoke, VA, very helpful over the phone and only sell direct. The bang for your buck is massive after considering the large middleman markup of dealers. My Apogee Acoustics Duettas are very sensitive speakers and I have very clean feeds coming from my Balanced Audio Technology VK-600 w/ BAT pack solid state amp and VK-5i tube preamp. They match incredibly with Silnote’s interconnects. I’m using their entry level XLR to XLR from my amp to preamp and XLR to RCA to my Node2 streamer (mostly Tidal lossless and MQA source). This hobby is all about the ration of cost to return on sound investment. From this perspective, I find it crazy when people say power cables are more important than interconnects. Unless you have a noise issue with your components your return on investment is going to be minimal with power cables compared to interconnects and speaker cables. My approach is to also match make/model of interconnects between components (preamp to various components) because you want to minimize X factors that will impact the sound “stream”. Key is to keep the system as straight forward as possible and hence the sound as clean as possible. 

Here is what I use for core wire but not sure about the connectors. They might be able to upgrade the connectors. Many manufacturers use the 2549 cable with a custom outer jacket. 

https://www.amazon.com/Foot-Directional-High-Definition-Interconnect-Connectors/dp/B01ALFWF7E/ref=mp...

They might carry Mogami speaker wire terminated also. 

https://highend-electronics.com/products/synergistic-research-red-black-uef-power-cords

Not affiliated with manufacture

You may find interest in this link

https://www.moon-audio.com/cardas-clear-light-interconnect-cable.html

Not affiliated with manufacture

Out of curiosity, I ran a search here on the ’Gon for Vandersteen, Rogue and cable and many of the hits returned AQ cables as recommended by Richard Vandersteen.
There is something to be said for ’same brand’ full ’loom’-in that the character and overall sound becomes cumulative. (Why this should be with power cable vs speaker and interconnect is an interesting intellectual question I can’t answer). That said, The Cable Co. also has a division called "Used Cable"-- I don’t know if and how the cable loan program works with the Used Cable business, but it could give you the opportunity for home trial and mark down buying used cables. -
The first time I fooled around with cable changes I had a pile of different speaker wires loaned to me by my then dealer in the late ’80s and spent the weekend listening to them. I can’t remember what I concluded or whether my choice had any relation to price, but I felt pretty confident about my conclusions at the time.
I’ve been running essentially the same brand since 2006 in my main system with one upgrade at the earliest link in the chain that I could substitute- from phono stage to line stage. The manufacturer has a generous trade in allowance for upgrading so all that worked in my favor. Haven’t really thought about those cables much since the one upgrade 5 years ago.
When I did my vintage system more recently, i wasn’t interested in kilo dollar cable, so sought out DIY and well constructed modest cable--having owned most of the equipment in that system since the early ’70s, I remember how little attention we paid to wire in those days- zip cord for speaker cable and lord knows what for interconnect and power cords (probably stock). That system sounds wonderful and cable cost was truly minimal. (All the gear had been fully restored)
Good luck, this should be a fun process, not one that makes you crazy,
bill hart

Thanks Al, sbrownnw and kearney for your recommendations.

japanjim,
Looking to avoid the nosebleed priced cables (hence my $500 cap) and the confirmation bias echo chamber. I'm a bang-for-the-buck type of chap, hence my solicitation of experienced listeners and cable acquirers.

I vote transparent. Very good sound very transparent.

I use Mogami 2549 in all my RCAs with either KLEI copper harmony or furutech 126g RCAs with ground floated / shotgunned at one end. See my system details. I’ve tried many power conditioners as I have some DC on the line and every one killed dynamics including PS Audio humbusters, power plants, furman and DYI. The only one that didn’t is the emotiva CMX-2. I use Mogami speaker cables also plus a porter port on a dedicated line. Like how the copper cables mesh with my Audio Refinement (YBA) gear, especially with my modified RP6 / Jasmine analog front end and ProAc Studio 148s. And I use signal cable magic power cable on all source components. I have yet to find a reasonably priced power cable that matches my Audio Refinement amp. 

Buy the most expensive cables you cannot afford.  Then you can join the collective bunch of audiophiles who end up reassuring each other on their purchases.

OK, good! So the design of the hybrid version reduced the 6K output impedance of the all tube version to 600 ohms.

That being the case, your guess is as good as mine as to what to focus on first. But if any of the interconnects are particularly long that would tend to warrant increased focus, IMO.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al

Thanks for the advice thus far everyone, very helpful.

(Although I’m a little uncertain concerning your use of the word "hybrid" in referring to it; is your phono stage a different configuration than what is shown at the link, which is described as having an all tube signal path?).

The Budgie Hybrid was an upgrade to the original Budgie with JFETS for boosted gain.

Budgie Hybrid stats:

SpecificationsTubes: Two matched 6922 Electro-Harmonix tubes (included)
Gain: 46dB (suitable for HOMC, MM and MI carts with at least 1mV output)Input Impedance: 47K, adjustable
Output Impedance: 600 ohmRIAA Accuracy: +/-0.5dB from 20Hz to 20kHz
Distortion: less than 0.1% at 1kHz with 15mVrms input SNR: 84dBA with 5mV input
Overload: Minimum headroom of 100mVrms at 1kHzWarranty: Two year
Power: 7W
Input Voltage: 100 to 240VAC with external 12VDC supply (included w/ EU or OZ adapters free upon request)Weight: 2.5 lbs
Size: 7.75”L x 5.5”W x 4.5”H

Also, the lower 600 ohm output impedance is due to going with an active RIAA eq circuit, so driving long RCA interconnects or low input impedance devices won't cause high frequency roll-off.

According to the specs shown here the Parks Audio Budgie phono stage has an extremely high specified nominal output impedance of 6,000 ohms. And I wouldn’t be surprised if that value is even considerably higher at some frequencies. (Although I’m a little uncertain concerning your use of the word "hybrid" in referring to it; is your phono stage a different configuration than what is shown at the link, which is described as having an all tube signal path?).

Assuming that none of your cables or power cords are especially long, and assuming the 6,000 ohm spec is applicable to your unit, I would therefore think it likely that the connection of the phono stage to the integrated amp would exhibit greater sensitivity to cable (or power cord) differences than any other connection in the system.

Although that is not to say that you would necessarily find a given $500 pair of cables used at that location to be subjectively preferable to the Blue Jeans you are using now. And in fact low capacitance, such as Blue Jeans LC-1 provides, assumes particular importance when a cable is driven by such a high impedance. But as I say I would think that interconnection is likely to be the most cable-sensitive point in the system, and it is therefore what I would focus on first.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al

@arturos73 Great opening post. Clearly laid out and full of information.

@whart Provides a terrific summary and approach.

Having recommendations as a guideline from those like @gdnrbob as a fellow Vandy owner and others who have similar equipment or setup to yours will be valuable. But as already pointed out, only you can drive this.

To your specific question about IC vs PC, which first:

Ideally, both simultaneously, but if you need to take a stepped approach and do one step at a time, I would choose the power cables first without hesitation.

Yes, I am pleased with my AQ Rocket 33s, so not looking to upgrade speaker wire. I may take advantage of The Cable Co.'s lending library as that seems the most economical way to compare. Just wondering if I should focus on ICs first before the power cords.

As a fellow Vandy owner, I think AQ is the best choice for speaker wire.
I use the GO-4 double shotgunned to the speaker.
I suggest PM-ing John Rutan (audioconnection). He sells Vandersteen and AQ. and knows just about everything stereo. He can give you lots of free information without trying to sell you something. I think he will provide the best information for your current components.
Bob

Thanks whart, helpful advice. I agree your way is the preferable means to isolate the best performers. I was hoping others who have used similar components may have already been through this exercise.

I ran the amp into the wall before getting the Furman. To my ears, the Furman improved the sound and lowered floor noise.
I have seen Jim's book referenced before and plan to get a copy.

The best advice you’ll get is to try some different cables, either through The Cable Co. or a dealer who has access without an agenda (I know, I can hear the snickers but there are some good dealers out there).
What works for one person in one system isn’t necessarily something you can readily extrapolate and apply to yours- you really have to hear these things in situ.
There are some known ’house sounds’ to different brands, some favorites in terms of synergy with certain speaker/amp combos, etc. but the only way to get to the bottom of it is for you to make informed decisions in your system using your ears.
I have a range of cables, from high end stuff that i use in my main system to a combo of DIY and modest, beer budget stuff in my vintage system.
You’ll get a lot of positive feedback from users who have gone through the process and reached a conclusion based on their systems and sonic preferences. Getting a dozen or more brand/model suggestions without listening wouldn’t be helpful in my estimation. And, cable changes, while they make a difference, aren’t a substitute for a good set up, placement in the room, etc. Do you own a copy of Jim Smith’s book?- that is probably worth getting if you don’t own it.
Have you tried running your amp direct into the wall rather than through the Furman?
PS: there’s a whole school of DIY cable that has gotten traction in the more mainstream audiophile community in the last couple years. That may also be worth exploring. Harder to try before you buy, but some of it isn’t terribly expensive.

In addition, I am also using a Parks Audio Budgie Hybrid phono amp and using AudioQuest Rocket33 speaker cables.