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Actually I began by having an electrictian install a dedicated 20 amp circuit for my system. My thought at the time was to prevent a possible overloading of the existing circuit shared by my video cabinet. That night I was listening to a favorite CD and I suddenly realized that I was hearing background vocals and instruments I had not noticed before. And I also realized a greater detail in the balance of the music. It took a few minutes before I came to the conclusion the dedicated circuit made a difference. So I have purchased Harmonic Technology ProAC11s for the Pre/Pro and front channel amp. I have purchased AudioQuest 8-strand AC cable in bulk and have made my own cables for the balance of my equipment using commercial grade plugs available at electrical supply houses. I really don't feel that a $200 cable is going to be much better than my home made since the "skin effect" of the wire is increased with the AudioQuest 8-strand. But yes, I do believe now that providing a dedicated circuit is in place. I believe it has to be available at the wall outlet first, before it can be passed on to the equipment.

PS Audio lab cables, dedicated 20 Amp. outlets. Dedicated ground

Went from two-prong to three-prong. What a difference!!

Stock power cords, but a monster cable power strip improved audio and video in my 2 systems though.

I have tried half a dozen different ones. I ended up with an aftermarket power cord on my (main system) VPI SDS turntable current regenerator and on a Jolida integrated tube amp in the bedroom. Strangely enough the one on the SDS made the most difference—a dramatic lowering of midrange and treble distortion on both LPs and CDs! Go figure. The effects of such cords on my other components has been mainly negative. I don't know if this is the fault of the cords or the components. I feel the strange inconsistent effects or lack thereof of these cords to be the most puzzling phenomenon of modern audophilia.

I cut my permanently attached power cord down to 2 ft. and added a spec. grade Leviton 2 wire plug to the end on my Sunfire power amp. The power from our utility, PNM, fluctuates a lot so if there is a voltage drop or spike, it isn't due to a 2 ft. cord. Everything is plugged into 2 Wiremold surge strips which are plugged into an Intermatic industrial surge and emf/rfi outlet box. No spikes have gotten through yet.

I did indeed upgrade my power amplifier with a cord as rigid as a piece of pipe, which requires a two foot clearance between the wall and the component. The instructions in the packaging clarified to use the power cord in conjunction with an SACD source, limited improvement could possibly be noticed with vinyl!

The power line between the power station and the outlet is miles long and can not be modified. So why should I modify the last meter??

Amazing difference in sound from a $700 after market power cord to the new DiMarzio (at $225).

Better yet, I modified the entire AC supply circuit to my equipment. I ripped out the old 14 guage romex line and replaced it with a new, dedicated, transformer- and capacitor-isolated 10 gauge BX run direct from the power box and replaced the circuit breaker with an industrial cartridge fuse! The 10 gauge wire nearly doubles the current capacity of the circuit, the transformer isolates the circuit from the regular grunge-filled household supply, the huge electric motor starter caps eliminate DC, the BX metal jacket shields the wire from RF noise over the length of the run, and the fuse eliminates circuit breaker contact "chatter" on current surges during my power amp's peak output and also eliminates magnetically induced hum from the breaker itself. The whole mod cost me less than $200. I can now use reasonably-priced power cords with 1000X the improvement that any one audiophile power cord can provide. I designed this mod myself but y'all should get an EE who knows power circuits before you tamper with your mains supply. BTW, one of the most essential and easy mods is to replace your old circuit breaker that services the line to your equipment. With age, circuit breakers start humming or chattering on peak loads and cause all sorts of RF noise problems. See http://www.eng.iastate.edu/explorer/topics/2001/squared/how_does_a_circuit_breaker_work.htm

Not really the power cords. I use a PS 300 for my digital rig, that's all. I'm not really a tweaker, but found that in my own rig, power cables did not change the sound enormously... Did not yet tried $1000 power cords, however.

I've upgraded all my AC power cords and noticed a definite sonic improvement. However, the cost vs benefit decision is one that each audiophile must make for himself. Prices can be both ludicrous and exorbitant and it's a shame that manufacturers can so openly rip people off given the cost of the materials involved.

Nope, plug and play for me.

Besides running two dedicated power lines to my stereo room, I replaced the wall outlets with Power Ports and every replaceable power cord with The Essence cords from ESP.

I have made upgrades on the other side of the outlet. Most of the recepticles in my house are true 20A hospital grade recepticles—GFCIs where required by code as well. I can plug my vacuum cleaner, a true power hog, anywhere in my house, and no lights dim. If you can't do the same with your vacuum, don't waste your money on a high-grade power cord. Most of your power issues can be solved in the Romex, so to speak. Upgrade your outlets and use bigger Romex thoughout the house than nessesary. This reduces resistance in the household wire, and makes things more constant, even when the garbage disposal is turned on.

Good God, man. Have you no self-respect?

I simply installed two dedicated outlets from their dedicated 20 amp circuit breaker and BINGO that made a huge difference by itself.

I have used power cables in the price range up to

Yes, As I will be saying in this weeks soapbox "You get what you pay for" in any high end hardware. I have upgraded all detachable couplers in my system and upgraded recepticles to take my Richard Gray into them.

I have made PCs for my preamp, power amp, CD, and DVD players. The CD and DVD players benefit from shielded PCs while the power and pre amps use non-shielded large gauge PCs. The preamp uses 12-ga solid-core braided. Power amp is 14-ga. stranded. Players are 14-ga. stranded. All have IEC connectors. Ground is connected at source only. I experimented with various gauges and topologies before settling on the ones I am using. I have tried PCs with gauges as large as 6 and as small as 22.

I was always curious to see if power cords made any noticable difference in my system. When PS Audio came out with cords for $99 and $149 I decided to give them a shot. The difference was noticable and worth the cost for me. The bass was cleaner more defined and vocals sounded more natural. The amp just seemed to produce sound with more ease. I was surprised that the power cords made such a nice difference. Would I pay $1000 for the Kimber Palladiums that have been raved about? No way. I'd upgrade components before I did that. For me the difference was worth the cost.

I use the standard power cords. The CD player came with an "audiophile grade" cable. I have just added an APC "red" surge protector.

A properly constructed power cord is a properly constructed power cord. There will be no audible difference any way you look at (or hear) it. However, a good line conditioner will make a difference, especially if the power coming into the house has substantial noise or line hash.

I replaced all the cables going to and out of my Chang Lightspeed with Wireworld Stratus III. Very worthwhile improvement. See my response to this week's soapbox.

When I had a few extra bucks to spend on helping my basic electricity situation, I spent it on a P300 Power Plant for my preamp and source components, not on AC cables. First things first, maybe a mid-priced AC cable upgrade or two later.

I am a DIY enthusiast. I built my horn speakers using top-notch drivers, Litz wire throughout, and lots of TLC. When it came to power cables for my system, I tested lots of premium brands. An experiment led me to a home improvement store, double shielded 10-gauge outdoor grade extension cable and heavy-duty gold plated plugs. After a bit of testing I decided that for under $30 per 10' cable I would build all my own. How do they change the sound? Dynamics are increased, low-level hiss decreased by 3dB, and the imaging widened a bit. Not bad, and comparable to the "high dollar" power cables I tested.

They are as is. I have a hard time with a tweek not in the signal path.

Once I installed dedicated lines and a dedicated ground, power cords make no difference in my system.

I added audiophile power cords to my amp, preamp, and CD player. I added one to my power amp first and the difference in noise-floor, soundstage, and clarity were more than just subtle. Once I proved to myself that it was no fluke, I added them to my preamp and CD player. I even installed an audiophile outlet in the my wall. The added sonic benefits are very real. I recommend that anyone change your powere cord with a respectable audiophile cord.

Borrowed a friend's old Transparent Cable Power Link until I can afford to upgrade all of the power cables on my system. Although I may have to purchase a power conditioner first.