Power Cable ~ $300 - Which to get? Nordost, Audioquest, Furutech, Shunyata, Zavfino?


I just upgraded to an Audioquest NRG-4 for my amp, which already has made a bit of a difference, however, I am getting a new Audioquest Power bar/conditioner, and wanna connect the entire thing to the wall (will be wired nicely later).

I was told to get the best cable I can get from the power strip to the wall... hence looking for a mid-range power cord, say between $300-400 and not too bulky with some flexiblity... what do you guys recommend? Audioquest Monsoon? Nordost Blue Haven? Furutech, Shunyata in that price range... or Zavfino which is the only one making OCC cable in that price range! Even if a bit higher it's ok, as there are always specials here or there.

Any ideas? Suggestions?
alexb76
@milercarbon1 - a couple of years ago I got to compare these cables to top of the line products from highly regarded companies such as Cardas, Kimber Cable, Neotech, Audioquest and a few other commercial brands.

All of the Helix cables, power, interconnect and speaker cables outperformed all of them.

I have auditioned the Helix cables on various systems up to $50k on various products from companies such as Ayre, Gryphon, NAIM, Bryston, Magnapan, Tannoy, Gershman Acoustics, B & W, and a couple of tube amps. Each time the Helix proved to be better than the commercial cable products installed on the systems.

The only products I have NOT had the opportunity to try them on is any of the electrostatic speakers.

In one case, a fellow DIYer who tried them, replaced all their Nordost cables, a brand which I regard very highly.

The one thing that I cannot say for certain is - whether a person will like their sound - which is very neutral and extremely dynamic, maybe to their detriment because some people like the colouration and smoothness that some cables provide.

Some DIYer’s have used THEIR favourite wire to build them because they preferred that sound over the wire I have posted on my site. Other than that, everyone seems to be very satisfied that they tried the Helix Geometry.

I do agree somewhat with your comments - compared to the Helix Cables, my early DIY cable efforts were pretty "mundane".

So why did I continue building cables? Because of the great DIY information on this forum, which allowed me to "fine tune" my cables.

After many years of research and development, the Helix cables are in a completely different league compared to those early efforts, i.e.  from a performance perspective.

The Helix geometry is not the only style that provide benefits...
- Ribbon Geometry cables also offer extremely good performance, but that geometry does not suit power cables.

So I think we will just have to agree to disagree and leave it at that :-)

Enjoy the Music - Regards - Steve
From looking at their web site, it appears that Synergistic Research no longer manufactures the Master Coupler; however, they do make the UEF Red AC Power Cord that retails for $299 (1M).  Anybody have this one or comment on it?
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This is an old thread, but borrow a few cables from your dealer for a weekend.  I had my wife blind audition the stock cord vs Shunyata vs. Nordost Blue Heaven.  I am a very rational guy, so highly doubted there would be any difference in power cords.  But the difference between the 3 was obvious, much more so than changing a DAC.  Shunyata was big upgrade from stock, but Nordost was even better.  This is all system dependent, but for me power cables make a much bigger difference than interconnects or speaker cables.