What's a good power cord for conrad-johnson CT5?

Richard,

I've never tried either of these cords but reviews indicate they're quite good. I'll start looking for some to audition. The Thiels are demanding but really reward good component selection.

Gwalt,

The longer I listen, the more I think you may be right abou the CT5's break in period. I'm just past 500 hours and, to my ears, it's still improving. So, your comment confirms what I'm hearing. It certainly was wretched out of the box and I think it's difficult to exaggerate what happens with teflon (though I have no technical understanding of the process). I would certainly NOT experiment with cords on this unit until at least 300 hours have passed.

Samhar, Seems silly that I've never tried the stock cord, so I'll give that a whirl just to be safe...no cost, no loss. ;-)

Mooglie, I'll keep my ears pealed abou the Kaplan line.

Samhar,

I put the stock cord in and was surprised it sounded as good as it did. There was a good balance in tone. However, when I inserted the Shunyata Taipain Helix, the sound stage width literally expanded by two feet in both directions. It was crazy. Apparently, the 100 hours of break-in on my CT5 since the last time I swapped cords was more significant than I thought because the PS Audio now sounds a bit harsh compared to the Taipan. Guess I'll live with the Taipan for a while.

I appreciate all of the responses! They're all instructive and helpful. My experience is that the effectiveness of power cords is very system dependent. That said, I think various pc manufacturers have a "house sound" whether they want to admit it or not. Shunyata's emphasis, according to my ears, seems to be on microdynamics and soundstage...whereas another company, like PS Audio seems to striving for warmth and balance. All of these worthy goals come with associated compromises which some systems will emphasize and others will downplay. As to the stock power cord for the CT5...in my system it doesn't compete well with the Shunyata cords because I LOVE a wide, spacious, cinematic soundstage...for others it's not so critical.

Sherod,

I have returned to the Shunyata Taipan Helix. I have not had a chance to try the many interesting suggestions on this forum. The PS Audio statement lacked the soundstage I was looking for. Virtually all of the "forward" and somewhat "harsh" sound I was getting has disappeared after more rigorous break-in of the preamp. I have a Python CX, but I can't really audition it on the preamp because, once I remove it from the DAC...all bets are off.

I wish more people locally in St. Louis stocked decent power cables for audition. The whole shipping thing is a hassle and I hate returning things that way. As I'm sure you know, some cable brands are more easily "flipped" than others.

Clabe,

I've never heard Virtual Dynamic cords but I've seen that they look like iron bars...if they won't pull by Hydra down, I'll check them out.

Onemug,

Yes, it does. I'll take this opportunity to comment that I've a/b'd the original PC with three different brands and non have matched the massive soundstage created by the Shunyata Taipan. That aspect of sound is not as important to everyone, but it is to me. I'll be auditioning a Moray James PC next week...his digital cable is simply OUT OF THIS WORLD...so I thought I'd try the power cords. I'll try anything anyone out there wants to send me with no obligation. ;-) Wouldn't that be nice.

Gwalt,

I'm already really enjoying my CT5 at only 550 hours. This is great news and information I wish I would've had about 2 months ago. I may start playing with powercords again in another few months. Thanks!

I thought I'd post a final update on my quest for the right power cord. Now that the CT5 has more than 1500 hours and I've updated the tubes, I decided to try a fully broken-in Python CX. It's a winner. It doesn't change the CT5's character;it just enhances what I love about it. There is a greater three-dimensionality to the presentation, deeper soundstage and greater control of the bass....and all of these things were great to begin with. I'd also like to note that through this quest I learned that power cords should ONLY be auditioned after equipment is fully broken in and that swapping a power cord from one piece of equipment to the other confuses matters. (I know..duh). With the Shunyata line I've noticed that the addition of each new power cord creates an experience that is greater than the sum of the system's parts. One PC is great, two are more than twice as good. Three is stunning. It's synergy, I guess. Of course, YMMV.