You might want to check out the PS Audio power cord sale at Audio Advisor. Prices are a function of length, about half regular price and start at $50.

Shunyata "Venom". Only available in one meter lengths @ $99.00

RG

Why not give Do It Yourself a shot ?

Try :
http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/diycables.html

They offer:

Mains cables
General theory behind mains cables and mains filters
The TNT Merlino: easy DIY mains cable
The TNT - TTS (The Twisted Snake): no-compromise mains cable
Follow-up on the TNT TTS
Availability and upgrades for the TNT-TTS
The TNT Hydra: DIY chain-gang socket

It amazes me that replacing the power cord can improve the sound quality of a CD player...or amp, or tuner, etc. If the power cord is properly grounded shouldn't that eliminate any possible noise or interference?

I recently purchased a Music Hall 25.2 amp, CD player and tuner. It sounds marvelous! Maybe I was lucky and got the ugraded power cords...or, maybe, my hearing is not so good. If I follow "the golden rule of wire" then buying a more expensive power cord is not the answer.;)
Other than properly shielding and grounding a power cord what more can be done? For $350 a power cord better do more than make my stereo sound good.

Mike - As weird as it is, some power cords have made the most impressive differences in my system. It's worth exploring. Let your ears decide, not what some people think they know.

I really like the PS Audio xStream Statement v3 cords (with removable pin that are on sale now because they've been replaced by newer designs), but, they're out of the price range asked for in this thread. I used ESP cords for many years, but, I haven't heard their new Reference version, or their budget cord.

I've read good things about Volex cords, which are super cheap, but, I haven't heard them either.

The budget Shunyata might be worth checking out.

Quote:
The budget Shunyata might be worth checking out.

I use the budget Shunyata Venom on my integrated. Noticable increased bass performance, beyond that, differences, if any are too subtle to comment on. For the budget price, I'm happy with the improvements and the knowing I have a decent power cord.

Just recently installed the JPS LABS Digital AC that Art liked so much on my universal player. Normally I wouldn't spring for such an expensive cable but at 30% off curiosity got the best of me. Although not broken in as suggested by the manufacturer there was an immediate noticeable improvement in bass response, but the jury is still out on any other discernable improvements.

But a question for you cable guys. My player does not have a ground pin. Because of this, am I losing some of the benefits of what this cable may offer? Should I be connected at the wall in a different fashion because of this, or does it make any difference?

RG

RG - I've often wondered about this. I remember my friend's Meridian player only had 2 prongs in the IEC. The purpose of a ground pin is to tie the ground of your AC receptacle to your gear. If your player doesn't have a ground pin, I suppose much depends on how the unit is wired. Does the chassis get wired to the neutral? Does the wiring then need to be polarised? Does the ground just float? I know with interconnects, which end is floating can make a difference. Maybe someone with more know how will chime in.

There's a bit of info on grounding at the bottom of the page here.

The Transparent High Performance Power Link is also an affordable choice at $100. There is a HUGE thread that you might want to check out in the cable forum about power cords.

Here are some thoughts about upgraded power cords from my blog:

The audibility of power cords is starling! I've been playing around recently with stupid expensive cords and I must say the differences can be shocking (no pun intended). The main argument against power cords being able to create audible difference is that the power cord is NOT in the signal path, this is false. An amplifier, for example simply modulates the power coming out of the wall to produce a larger version of the signal that it receives as an input. Hence the power supply is in the signal path. Hence, in my opinion the power cord IS in the signal path in a very real sense.

Interestingly this theory of mine was helped to form by McIntosh labs who believes that their power supplies are in the signal path and are major contributors to that "MAC sound." What's ironic is that McIntosh doesn't believe in highend speaker cables or interconnects, let alone power cords. Mac has been very public about this belief. Only recently at trade shows did they start using better interconnects and speaker cable, just to "shut people up." The IEC socket of a removable power cord does compromise the connection slightly but allows for much better power cables to be used, a slight step backwards for the possibility of a couple of major steps forwards. But the same cord soldered directly to the power supply versus being removable and connected to an IEC socket would be the best solution.

Other arguments brought against power cords have to do with the fact that the last 6 feet can

Note to self: Cue DUP LP with NEMA, ampacity and magic wire quotes...

If you have electricity "jumping" the gaps, you have more problems than some imaginary sound troubles. How does current move faster? Check out some engineering books. Larger wire allows MORE current before melting the cable, not "faster". You have made some incredibly insane comparisons, and conclusions of how electircal system function. That "low quality" wire used in transmission systems is actually better than anything you could ever encounter. The stuff is out there for DECADES under all weather conditions, and physical stresses. You are reading way too many consumer ads for pieces of magic wire. Whether an AC line cord has or does not have a 3rd wire for chassis ground is determined by it's design. The PS cord with the removaeable ground pin is the dembest idea this month. 3rd prong is a chassis safety ground, if your equipment is designed to need it, and you defeat it, based on some imaginary sound benefit, the electrocution you get might not be worth it. Some pructs have the input AC line transformer isolating the product, others don't. Most residential, if not ALL are not run in conduit. What type of residence are you living in, most conduit EMT is in commercial bldgs, according to code requirments. NM in a residence meets code. Some NYC residential bldgs require EMT maybe. NYC has many code requirments over and above NEC. If this idea of an AC line cord improving the sound, why won't my tv look better or coffee maker work better, how do the electrons KNOW it's audio? The line cord idea is absurd, and a marketing success.

DUP

Now that you mention it your TV would look better if you could upgrade the power cord. Many you cannot. But video does show the differences in power cords as well. As for electricity jumping a gap I didn't necessarily mean a gap, I meant less than tight contact. The use of the word gap was meant for illustrative purposes. As for your coffee tasting better, I wouldn't know. I'm not a coffee drinker. Maybe when soundking comes out with power cords you'll try one.

Jeff

DUP is more of an 8-track than an LP because he keeps repeating himself over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
and over and over and over and over and over and over
and over and over and over and over and over and over
and over and over and over and over and over and over
and over and over and over and over and over and over
and over and over and over and over and over and over again!

I wonder how many miles of aluminum 14/2 is running all over NYC? Now that is some cheap wire that was a very bad idea. NYC did not corner that market either. The US is littered with it still in use.

Atlantic Scientific Lightning Protection

If you have a ground loop that is causing you audio nausia, often times the only way to solve it is to remove the ground to neutral connection (unscrew the ground pin in your nice AC cord, or use a 69 cent ground lift adaptor) in the offending gear. I would not be doing this in a GFIC circuit as it is definately there to save lives and it does work. Just stop leaving your 500 watt stereo sitting on the edge of the bath tub. LOL

Lightning can come up into a electrical system from the ground rod that should be a minimum of 8 feet long (all too often it is 4 feet) and you should only have one ground for your AC panel. Older homes often had multiple grounds and may have even attached one to the cold water pipe coming into the residence.

The tricky part here is that if you have installed lightning protection at your service entrance panel, protecting the ground to neutral leg (since by code now that is the defacto std) a ground fed lightning strike fed into another ground connection will now hit the neutral leg and can travel the house wiring system.

If you have an older home you probably have multiple ground points and not know it and think that your lightning protection at your panel is working 100%. It is worth checking out.

I once did cellular work at an old police station including installing a $20K multi channel Eventide digital recorder for logging and recording their 8 lines of 911 calls. We unconverd 6 ground points around the building while installing lightning protection at their panel.

I will tell you the NEC is good, the guy you hired may be a licensed electrician, but that does not mean the guy pulling and hookin it up is, or that the work is always 100 percent inspected. In my 7 year old house 2 3-way switches were wired wrong and not caught. Over 1/2 of the ground lugs in my panel were not tight.

Just my 2 cents worth.

mrlowry - Good point about the 8 track. I was just trying to allude to the "broken record" without saying it. But, with almost everyone here being an audiophile, a skipping record probably isn't all that common.

GFCI does not need a ground to function properly. GFCI monitors current between hot and nuetral, difference trips internal relay and turns off outlet or breaker depending on which one you have. If you where to study the NEC, you would see that in situations where older bldgs do not have a 3rd wire available, as in Leviit homes both in N.J., Long Island and Pa..he ran only 2 friggin wires, hot/nuetral...(you can replace the 2 prong outlets with three prong as long as it's on a GFCI source, or aGFCI outlet device, AND it is labled at the outlet, no earth ground GFCI..trust me, it's true. Now of course in audio world, NEC, electical design doesn't always matter....but in reality, real design and engineering do come into play. Do you think a Mapingo disc could ever geta UL listing? Is your Mapingo disc RoHS compliant?