Help selecting a power cord.

Furutech or Purist do everything be a sport.

What is your budget?  Also, many powercords are stiff and bulky and you may not have room for them behind your equipment.  If you are looking in the lower price ranges, say $300 and down and need something flexible, I think Cullen Cables make some very nice cords.  Where should it go?  Good question.  I think most people would say the DAC, but many would say the power amplifier. Personally, I would look into a good power conditioner like the Audience AR6.  They are very good buys on the used market and upgrade everything that you plug into them.  Maybe not for massive power amps, but everything else IMO.

So if you could only do 1 upgrade, would you do cords, or power conditioning??

Big difference.  A good power conditioner costs a few thousand dollars.  Decent power cords go from a few hundred up.  If you have the dough, I would personally buy a good power conditioner.  IMO the cheap ones do more harm than good. If you don't have the money, just buy a nice cord from a good manufacturer and try it out. 

You ask good questions. I have had some form of upgraded power cord for so long i forget which is most sensitive but I have recently been doing some upgrades. What is your equipment? You want to be investing in cords that raise the performance level enough that it would not have been better to invest in better components. Yes, power conditioner is probably the first step.

Shunyata, PSAudio, and Hydra are some to check out. These are not products to go cheap on. You should either try a couple from a dealer or get with return privileges. It should make a significant improvement. If you get a really good one, it can outlast many component upgrades.

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Then comes power cords, they are like interconnects, which cord sounds best is dependent on your equipment and tastes. It is imperative to try them. I would get at least 4 different brands... rent or borrow. Shunyata, WireWorld, DHLabs. Since you have tube equipment I am guessing you are not looking to warm up your system... that leaves out Cardas I think. Although the new Cardas Clear Beyond seems to through off the typical warm and lacking in details stereotype.
I would get two pair of each and put on preamp and amp. Typically the low power digital components would have a different type (noise reduction... and they don’t have massive current). I have used DH Labs silver as inexpensive cords as standard until I have time to evaluate. I think they are among the most cost effective. But they need lots of breakin time.

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The decision of if the power cord is worth it should be easy. The performance increase should make you say, “wow, this is a good deal!” I have said that about $1,500 power cords and $2,500 interconnects. If it doesn’t then keep looking or just wait until after your next system upgrade.