Power cable


I’m going to start replacing my power cords. Any recommendations where to start? I’m on a budget so I’ll need to purchase one at a time. I just purchased a Transparent Premium Powerlink as a start. Thoughts on the most critical area to put it. Should it be placed powering my Levinson amp? Initially I thought either it could per the amp or preamp or dac etc. This when I started thinking and realized i have a Furman Elite 15 power conditioner. My Proceed AVP 2 preamp, Ayre Codex DAC and Bluesound Vault are all plugged into it. The only thing, it has an attached power cord. If that cord was replaced with a quality cord, does this eliminate purchasing separate higher end cords for each piece? Is there a way to do this?  Looking to be as economical as possible without sacrificing sound quality.
128x128luvrockin
So much of what you will discover will be system dependent.
Though I know that cables can make a difference, I am loathe to spend inordinate amounts of money on them.
Some of my favorites are:
Zu Audio, AQ, and PS audio. 
Yes, upgrading the Furman power cord will make a difference- As upgrading the other power cords, as well.
Only you can determine whether it is worth the money.
Sorry if I can't be more specific...
Bob
Bob, how would I go about upgrading the Furman power cord? I am extremely mechanical and electrical so I guess the question is not so much how to physically the work. It's more of where would I get a high quality cable if such to cut in or, does anyone know if they make a high quality cord with a female end that I could just plug the Furman into then go to the wall outlet? The other question is if I replaced the Furman power cable, is it necessary to replace and cords coming out of the Furman? Thoughts???
Sfall, just curious what your thoughts are to keep the stock cord on the Ayre and change the Bluesound rather then changing them both?
In my opinion, I would upgrade the Furman power cord first. . If you should decide to upgrade that power cord, I would suggest purchasing some Furutech Nano-Ag-Au power cord, either 10 or 12 gauge and then attach the male and female ends you desire. Or you could purchase an already built power cord.
Yes, I believe upgrading your other power cords when you can afford to do so will improve those components. I'd start with the Dac and then move onto the preamp and amp. Somewhere in there try the Bluesound Vault with an upgrade power cord to see how much improvement you will hear.
Feel free to PM me and I could make some specific recommendations to you regarding power cords to purchase and/or make.
Best luck with your upgrads.

Luvrockin...RE:
The other question is if I replaced the Furman power cable, is it necessary to replace and cords coming out of the Furman? Thoughts???
The answer is - replace all of your power cords, but the cable into the Furman can be the last one to replace.

Quality power cables between the conditioner and the various components tend to provide the most noticeable improvements.

So, what makes a good power cable?...

I have experimented over the last 4-5 years and found that companies that invest in a different cable geometry/architecture often provide the most noticeable improvements over those power cables that simply opt for implementing higher quality conductors.

What is geometry/architecture? - it is how the live, neutral and ground conductors are positioned in relation to each other within the outer sleeve.

Most commercial products simply use high grade conductors and insulation, but still employ a conventional geometry of placing the conductors side by side inside the sleeve with a slight twist.

Others employ a braided geometry/architecture such as that used by Anticables and Less Loss DFPC. I found this geometry to be superior to the conventional geometry above

Less Loss C-Marc series now employs a very complicated geometry of woven conductors, but I have not tried these - yet :-)

KLE Innovations takes a little different approach with their power products, which I believe uses different gauge conductors and their own proprietary geometry (not known), and based on their other products, which I have extensive hands on experience with, I believe their cables would be competitive with the very best cables on the market from companies such as Nordost

And there are a host of other complicated geometries from many other companies, some of which are no more effective than the conventional bulk products from DH Labs, which is very good and reasonable priced, compared to similar products from Furutech.

My own DIY power cables (see link) employ a helix geometry, which I found to be superior to anything else I have tried to date in either DIY or commercially available power cables.

http://image99.net/blog/files/be8de0c383c5434907610d6b55049e69-75.html

So when looking into which power cable to buy - look for the more advanced geometry/architecture.

Is a Screen layer required?
- only if you are criss-crossing power cables, e.g. in a recording studio - for home audio it is not as important
- I believe that companies that promote screens in home audio applications are simply playing on peoples paranoia.
- A little known fact: Braided and Helix geometries actually reject RFI and EMI so a screen is not necessary.

My own personal power related preferences...

I have a standard Romex dedicated line with MRI grade outlets

I connect my power amp directly to the outlet and plug the sources into my distribution panel.

I have the Blusound Node 2 and replacing the power cord provided very noticeable improvements.

By comparison, replacing the power cables on my NAIM amp did not result in the same jaw dropping improvements, but did result in some very subtle improvements in the reproduction of venue acoustics and imaging.

Replacing the power cable to the distribution panel provided the least noticeable improvements - but it’s there now - so I keep it more for "comfort" :-)

Hope that answers some of your question

Regards, Steve