Which Power Cords: I Need Some Informed Guidance

Some ideas below in your stated price range (mostly).

1. I would contact The Cable Company and ask what they recommend for your gear in that range.

http://www.thecableco.com/expertForm.php

2. For your Cambridge 840C I would check out the JPS Labs Digital AC power cord and the Shunyata Research Diamondback Platinum and Taipan Helix VX (the latter a very good deal right now on close out, but still over your stated budget) - I can vouch that the Shunyata cords sound very good with Cambridge Audio CD players

3. For your Krell, I would suggest you check out the Analysis Plus Power Oval 10 and Power Oval 2, the JPS Labs's THE POWER AC +, VH Audio Flavor 4™ Power Cables
with the upgraded Furutech connectors and the Shunyata Research Copperhead and Taipan Helix Alpha (also a very good deal right now on close out, but also over your stated budget)

4. Once you get your new power cables, you may want to upgrade or downgrade your power conditioner. Try plugging your gear directly into the wall socket and see if it sounds "better" or "worse" than routed trough your conditioner. If you live in a single family residence with decent wiring, chances are your system will sound better with no conditioner at all. If this is the case, and you still need a power bar for multiple AC connections, I suggest you check out this low cost but excellent solution:

http://generubinaudio.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=GRAS&Product_Code=Wmold&Category_Code=acc

If you are an apartment/condo dweller, more intensive power conditioning MAY BE necessary. Trick in this case is to clean power up a bit without sterilizing it (i.e. clipping musical transients). This may cost a lot of money to get truly transparent filtering - if such a thing exists at all.

Good luck.

Nasaman,

What "recipe" did you use for your Home Depot-baked cable? What gear did you use it with and what did you compare it to?

I made a 12 gauge cable to replace the 18 gauge dedicated lamp cord on my AMC integrated amplifier and it made a huge difference in overall presentation. Better bass, better musical flow, smoother but more extended treble, and able to play noticeably louder before compressing sound.

Could attribute most of this difference to larger gauge, twisted geometry and better(?) dialectric material. No easy way to compare with other amp cables without sacrificing IEC connector/finish - partly why I made my own.

My recipe:

-Pass & Seymour/Legrand PS5266-XGCM Heavy Duty AC plug

-Carolprene® Jacketed Type SJOOW 90ºC 300 Volt UL /CSA Portable Cord, 12 gauge - 5 ft. (essentially, bulk water pump or replacement hand tool cable)

-light coating of Mapleshade SILCLEAR on all connections

-wire nuts + electrical tape for internal connection

Total cost including tax $17.69 (SILCLEAR was on hand)

For building complete cable for exchange use between gear - I would probably experiment with different wire types. Note that IEC connectors would double the cost of a homemade budget cable

Bob,

Really nice review!

"just try each point in the line". My guess is that it will work best between the amp and the Conditioner - but it is difficult to tell in advance.

Let us know what works best!

That is great! Once I got the all the cords right, I kind of fell off the merry-go-round for a while and am just enjoying listening to music instead of the gear. Enjoy!!

Nasaman,

I compared several Shunyata cables pretty carefully and the Diamondback and Taipan Helix VX are both very nice. The Taipan is incrementally better, and the better your gear, the greater the difference you will hear. At the prices you can pick up a used or discounted new Taipan Helix Alpha for amp, or VX for digital, I would strongly recommend trying it.

FWIW, I did not find the Venom to be anywhere near the capability of these other cords, at least for use with digital front ends.

Nasaman,

Did not directly compare because DIY cord is hard-wired to amp, i.e no IEC connector to swap. BUT in general, I would say that the DIY cord has a less sophisticated but very relaxed sound compared with any of the Shunyata cables. The music just flows now. If I was to try to rank performance, I would say I like the DIY "better" than the the Shunyata Venom, but don't think it can stand up to the Diamondback or higher cords. The Taipan Helix cords are clearly a much better choice with more air, better spatial cues and much tighter bass.

If I were to use better quality wire (say with Teflon dialectric and cryo treated) and connectors (say moderate to high level Furutech), I think its possible to make a rear-kicking cord for well under $200. I would call my current experiment (HA HA) with the amp cord a whim driven by how pleased I was with a recently purchased Shunyata cord for my CDP, and what I was able to find on the shelf at the local Home Depot. At under $18 and about 30 min. work, it was well worth the effort.

Neutron, boy, you have jumped off into the cable deep end! Not much to add on the ICs.

As for building power cables, I have rudimentary experience with wiring and electrical circuits, so in terms of construction of power cables have been trying to educate myself about materials and what factors are really important. In terms of assembly, there is nothing really tricky about it, but if you really screw up you can blow a fuse or some tubes at best, or start a fire in the worst case.

On that cheerier note, here are some sites where you can get some more information pon building your own PCs:

VH Audio: http://www.venhaus1.com/diymains.html and http://www.vhaudio.com/index.html

DIY Audio Projects: http://diyaudioprojects.com/Power/diyMains/

DIY Cable: http://www.diycable.com/main/default.php

Nasaman,

It's good to hear you have had luck with the Blue Jeans ICs. I have been recommending this company's products for friends who are skeptical of wires that cost as much as their gear because the products appear to be well made and use quality materials. I am confident they will work well, if not expected to extract the last ounce of resolution, air or nuance from hi end systems.

For example, I purchased one of their HDMI cables for my father's HT system. It works great and was cheaper delivered than what they sell for at Radio Shack or the big box stores. Wondering if you have tried any of their speaker cables?

Interesting that Blue Jeans hasn't figured out that Power Cords really make a difference and entered that market. Their approach would be refreshing and have a niche I would think. The owner is a lawyer - maybe he doesn't want the liability of making products for high current application...