What was the first power cable that you noticed a difference in the sound?


I have bought six or seven different power cords, none over $500 and have noticed little or no change in the sound of my system. All the cables are 12 gauge or bigger.  Without talking about cables made with unobtainium, where did you start hear a difference.
 

Thanks.

128x128curiousjim

Some of the more "esoteric" aspects of cable materials, layup, etc (and impact on sound) can come into play for analog interconnects and speaker cables. For digital cables and power cables, sufficient noise dissipation and shielding is the only thing that impacts sound...senseless to pay an arm and a leg for the latter as it can be accomplished at a very reasonable cost (no killer r&d crap required).

@elacross ,

Any idea when they stopped making the Silverwolf PC and what a good price would be on the used market?

A dedicated line is what matters most, in my experience, with a good power cord as  number two. I use Synergistic Research A/C Master Coupler X2 for my Atma-sphere Ma-1 amps. No miracle but they do sound better than stock cable.

I think that, the better the line to the amp(s), the greater the difference between power cords, good, medium and bad. But I am not sure if this is a rule. At least, both play a role.

This is built on long term experience with Krell FPB600, Atma-sphere MA-1, and other amps. I experiment with power cords but get to a point where I think, "good enough". This is the case with my Synergistic, Shunyata and Wywires cords, while others, like my Supra, is more so-so.

The greatest change, for me, was with a dedicated line. This was almost a revolution, with the big Krell. Much more authority, better bass, imaging, etc. I was amazed. The advantage is clear also with the MA-1 amps.