Who has tried all these power cords?

Many people here would probably choose the Whale Elite over the others for both price and performance. See the posts on the Black Mamba vs. Whale Elite thread.

Have you tried the FIM Gold, Slawney?

Virtual- Slawney may be correct if he meant cost VS performance. In that context, the Whale Elite is a very good cord. However, keep in mind that the Black Mamba isn't close to the performance of the discontinued Cobra or the King Cobra, IMO. I've not heard the latest NBS versions so I can't comment on them. The FIM Gold is the best in my system. All cords listed have their own strengths and weaknesses. You may prefer a particular tonal balance in your system, but the FIM Gold provides the most transparent and dynamic sound I've heard yet. Good luck in your search.

FIM Gold is stiff and unwieldy, but, yes, superb: increased focus, bass control, detail, dynamics, absolute focus, and very open. Nicely constructed. What do FIM Golds sell for used? Why are people selling them?

Slawney- You're absolutely correct about the FIM being stiff and unwieldy. They take me an average of 20 minutes to bend into shape! As for the reasons why someone would sell them, well I'm sure that the reasons number almost as many as the cords for sale. The main reason I'd suspect is the attempt to adjust system tonality through the exchange of power cords. Mixing and matching is fun, though it can be expensive. I used to do that too. I'm now more willing to adjust other things in my system (speaker positioning, room treatments, NOS tubes, coupling caps, power supply modifications, and finally interconnects and/or speaker cables)to facilitate improvements rather than the power cords. As for the price of used FIM power cords, their list price is not outrageous in comparison to other top level power cords. I'm not saying they're inexpensive, but most of the top competition is in the $2400 to $8000 range. In relative terms, their performance (in my system) vs price seems quite reasonable. Just my opinion.

I've had all the mentioned with the exception of the whale. The FIM Gold was the best sounding in my system. It is indeed, stiff and unwieldy, but if you've got the space and patience, well worth it. I have recently however gone to TG Audio PC's, which in my system bested anything I've yet tried. Loooong breakin, but worth it. And they're all of about $300, for those of you looking for the best bang for the buck. I outfitted my whole system for the price of 1 Cobra or FIM Gold. Price excluded, they sound better than anything I've yet had in my system.