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What Power Cord for Tubed Preamp

About a month ago I made my first foray into tubes. I was not satisfied with the rather sibilant sound coming from my system. I thought that this might be a good "excuse" to try out a tubed preamp. What a difference. My system has never sounded more musical. Even my wife commented that the SACD player/tubed preamp was warmer and more natural. Well, anyway, my question is, what power cords have you found to be beneficial with tubed equipment? I know that cables are system dependent. But I want a place to start my search. For digital I use Marigo Labs Ultra series II and the CPCC model 11 for my power amp. Here is my equipment list:

Sony C333ES SACD player
Audio Experiment Symphonies tubed preamp
B&K AV6000 power amp
Paradigm Reference Studio 60 Loudspeakers
Home Grown Audio Super Silver Interconnects
Ted's Excellent Cable Speaker wire.
gallaine
natalie
404 posts
 
Bob Crump Assylum cord.
rgd
656 posts
 
I second the Asylum cord - made a nice difference with my Rogue 66 preamp and the price is right...
garyl
22 posts
 
Did you see the ad that was posted today for the new MIT Z cord? The seller claims that the improvement in sound quality is so profound, that it's like you spent an additional $2-3K on your preamp, or your money back. OK, we have all heard claims like this before, but it certainly got my attention.

Have you tried your model 11 on that preamp yet? I'm a big fan of the CPCC cords. Problem is, there are so many diferent cords available that are recommended. I would stick with trying popular brands that can be bought used at good prices, and quickly re-sold at little or no loss on your investment. Some good ones to try first have already been mentioned here, and I would add the Blue Circle and JPS analog AC cord to the list. I also have tried and like the Acoustic Zen cords.
fatparrot
1,314 posts
 
You're on the right track! I have a good deal of experience with David Blair's (Custom Power Cord) product line! The model 11's are a great power cord for the money! But if you really want to see what he is capable of...try the Top Gun Cords! (See the reviews in The Absolute Sound...a Golden Ears winner!) David recommends upgrading in this priority: 1) Source 2)Pre-amp 3)Amp(s). Also, consider his "Top Gun Power Block" line conditioner. Another "Golden Ears" award winner! Enjoy!
gallaine OP
114 posts
 
Thanks for the responses. Garyl, I tried the MIT Z cord when I auditioned around nine PCs late last year. Maybe I should try it again on the tubed preamp. One thing I should mention is that I try to keep my cable cost to about 30% of the component retail. That would put my upper limit on a power cord for the preamp to about $350; more than that doesn't make sense since I could replace all three 12ax7 tubes with Mullard CV4004's for about $150.

I've heard many good things about the BMI's and the Bob Crump design PC. My only concern is either finding a good deal on which I wouldn't lose too much or a thirty day money back guarantee.
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