I never disputed the difference a power cord could make, but recently a new friend was nice enough to lend me a couple different ones, and no doubt there was a difference. The cords with my pre created a fuller sound which was particularly good for the vocals. No surprise, however, that my Classe 70 hated them both (it is very picky about outlets and the power grid). With the 70, both cords bloated the midbass and thickened the sound too much. One pair of cords were Tiffanys, I think. I do not know what the others were, but I remembering him telling me they were higher quality.
wow, a newbie power cord convert
When I got my Cary sli80 integrated last month, I just plugged my old power cord into it- the one that came with my cheap s.s. previous amp. I noticed that it used bigger wire, so I figured it would be better. Then a couple days ago I decided to try the new stock Cary cord. I put it in, and didn't really think about it. Yesterday I moved my speakers around a few inches here & there over the course of the day, and did some serious listening. I was amazed at the difference I was hearing. I had forgotten about the cord switch. I put the speakers back in their original spots, and still was hearing way more detail, and more solid placement of instruments. It was then I remembered the new cord, I guess it had been breaking in over a day & a half, (about 15-20 hrs of music). Anyway, I was a skeptic, and now I'm a believer. All this with just a stock cord from a good amp company. Makes me wonder if I can get even more good results if I spend a few more bucks...