Power cords at ridiculous prices?

I, too was afraid of laying down big money on a power cord. I laughed at a guy who told me he was using $3000 power cords. Then when I was in the market for a tube amp, I went to Audioreview.com. I read the reviews on one amp. It was very reasonable, but one person said the unit was world class when changing to tube x and powercord z. Never heard of such a claim. So, I then read the reviews on powercord z in disbelief. What the heck, I'd give it a try. So, I picked up a silver powercord here cheap, in an auction. I played my amp for 1 hour, listened intently, then hooked the new cord up. INSTANTLY better sound. And I didn't have to strain a bit to hear it. All that stuff about focus, imaging, bass, midrange, treble, etc. was all true. Dirt that I never even realized was there was removed. Yep, all these people were right. And, from what they say, the effects on an amp are much less than on a source component. I'm a believer.

Carl, consider yourself lucky to have "only 12 gauge wire" in your wall. I have no idea as to the construction of your house. Standard household wiring since the '70s(which is better than it was previous to that) would be 14 ga for most applications. That would include the wiring to your living room, bedroom, den, etc. 12 ga is used in higher demand areas(probably a kitchen, laundry room, etc.). Personally, I would love to be in your shoes, my house has 14 ga to my listening room, and that wire goes to many other places. I researched this subject quite a bit, my father is an electrician. I found out that when wire is run, the same line often goes to opposite ends of the house. This sounds crazy to me, but is the norm. I'd love to install a low gauge dedicated line one day, but it isn't feasible right now. Even so, my power cord has made a believer of me. Currently, the standards have even regressed, the average new "suburban mansion" is featuring sub - 200 amp service(glad I don't in one of them). Thank you for your very insightful opinions, and keep the debates progressing.