What Power Cord can improve clarity and bass slam?

I don't want to be a killjoy, but I think you should consider whether a $1K power cord is the best use of your funds, especially when you consider that your speakers are $3K, your amp is $3K, and your source is $2.5K.

To be clear, I'm NOT criticizing your equipment, which from what I can tell, is well designed and well regarded. I'm merely suggesting that there are other ways to allocate your resources that may be more likely to yield the results you're looking for.

I'm not trying to ignite a debate about whether expensive power cords are effective or worth the money. I've owned several power cords that are more than $1K, and numerous power cords that are considerably less expensive. So I'm not merely speculating when I say that the improvements I've heard from expensive (and highly regarded) power cords are smaller than the improvements I've heard from other tweaks, many of which can affect the specific characteristics you mentioned in the OP, namely "bass slam," "openness," and "liquidity." For example, you could...

1. Install better Romex for your dedicated line. For example, VH Audio's 10 gauge cryo'd Romex. IME, this can improve the system's "bass slam."

2. Change the balance of shielded and unshielded cables. In my system, the best results were achieved from shielded power cords and shielded digital interconnects, but unshielded analog interconnects and unshielded speaker cables. That may not be the best approach for your system, but IME, finding the right balance between shielded and unshielded cables can improve the system's "openness."

3. Reduce the effects of EMI and RFI in the system. There are a great number of ways to accomplish this, many of which are discussed in this thread. IME, reducing EMI/RFI can improve the system's "liquidity."

There are more approaches to achieving the results you mentioned. Happy to discuss if you're interested. If, however, you want to stick with a new power cord, then feel free to ignore this post. You should of course spend your money however you like.

Bryon

07-02-12: Scott_weinberg
Sorry about the pussies portion: lame on my part.

Scott - I, for one, accept your apology. It takes guts to apologize. You got um.

Everything else holds steady.

Wait a sec. Is this one of those apologies immediately followed by "But everything I said was true!" It takes balls to discredit your own apology. You got those too.

Let's consider if what you said was true...

Does anyone there in this thread, anyone at all, ever go to live shows? Or do you sit around your speakers year round obsessing over bass 'slam' and 'tightness' of your CDs and records?

Many, perhaps most, of the people you are addressing attend live music events, or did at one point in their lives. Some of them, I happen to know, are the ones at the event who are ON THE STAGE PLAYING while you listen from the comfort of your chair, "on your arse," as you would say.

Ever been to a reggae concert? Or even listen to reggae? How many of you have stood 10 ft from Linton Kwesi Johnson for an entire live show?

I see. I wasn't aware that the standard for evaluating a person's musical devotion was, uhm, reggae. I would have thought it might be Bach, or maybe Louis Armstrong, or even the Beatles. But reggae?

Sure, there’s plenty of great reggae music. Just yesterday I was listening to Exuma, a Bahamian musician who was heavily influenced by reggae. But the idea that there is a single standard for judging the authenticity of music lovers is silly. And to make that standard reggae is absurd, however profoundly Linton Kwesi Johnson may have affected you.

Or the Skatalites? Never heard of them? No shit. I have. Live.

As it happens, I’ve heard of the Skatalites. One of my lifelong friends was the lead singer in a band that performed what was, given the time and place, an unusual kind of music: ska. So I was introduced to a number of rather obscure ska bands nearly 20 years ago. I can’t say it changed my life. Nevertheless, I hope fellow Audiogoners are as impressed with me as they are with you for having heard of the Skatalites.

Bet you've heard of the Wailers though, who I've heard (and felt) live.

Huh? You seem to be dogging the Wailers, but then you go on to say that you’ve heard them live. Which is it? Do they suck? Or are they cool? Or is it that they suck but you’re so cool that you go see bands that suck? I’m confused.

Still hoping for a real apology,
Bryon