While I would agree that power cords seem ridiculously expensive for what you get, I would also suggest that you don't really need to have a megabuck system to get a major improvement out of power cords. I've purchased used/demo cords throught this site in the $200 range that have really changed the character of my system for the better and I'm not really using super high end equipment. I use a cord that I'm extremely happy with on both my Audiolab 8000A (purchased 12 years ago for about $275 U.S.) with phenomenal results and the same cord on a budget, very non-audiophile DVD player (I had an Arcam Alpha 8SE which I sold because I felt the DVD player to actually sound better) with excellent results. I also experimented with a number of less expensive cords and always felt that something was not right. You can also buy just one cord at a time for about $200 and it's pretty difficult to upgrade a major component for that kind of money. I guess my point is that, IMO, power cords are a very effective upgrade if chosen carefully, even with decent budget equipment.
