Power cables of your choice, and why?

@adasdad 

And he’s right, to an extent.

Although, using a good power conditioner can certainly improve fidelity in high-end components that are sensitive to even minute changes... 

For power cords, if they are in-built and connected directly to the power transformer; there is no need to replace them by rewiring everything with inlets. Contact resistance and all other parameters will be within spec to such an extent that improvements won’t be possible.

This is true for source components and amplifiers. 

Understanding the interactions they play (power cords) can be quite important: WHY POWER CABLES MAKE A DIFFERENCE | Galen Carol Audio | Galen Carol Audio

Here’s what I use for power conditioning: Bantam Revolutionary Technology | Bantam Clean Power 

Helps Class A amplifiers and Class A/B amplifiers run cooler. Less strain on the power transformers to do the job they’d do anyway. This, in theory and in practice can positively impact the lifespan of audio components. This product and others like it have merits and benefits which extend far beyond what a layperson or hardcore objectivist may suggest - wiring their entire chicken-scratch systems with coat hanger and lamp cord. Yet in practice, they wouldn’t dare do this... they just like to talk a lot...

And... bash high-end gear, or even top-notch vintage gear that they couldn’t afford if they got a 20 percent raise at work. It helps to soothe the egos of those who are broke and miserable... 

Woo Audio is an excellent brand. Good you called them out.

They thoughtfully design their products. And their products perform well.

Imagine the power cord to be some extension of the transformer's primary in a power amp, and read up a bit on how tranformers are spec'd. If you don't have such a thing inside your amp (some class d, smps), don’t worry about it. 

The line items you list are indeed good to have for a power cable.

Four things matter in a power cable:

 

Proper shielding to control EMI/RFI.

 

A grounded shield, typically at the source end (outlet).

 

Adequate gauge — 12 AWG or larger for high current power / integrated amps, and at least 14 AWG for other components.

 

Conductors made from materials with good conductivity.

 

Please let me know if I’ve missed anything, especially something that could affect sound quality. Power cables that meet these requirements can be found at very reasonable prices in the $50–$80 range. I’ve used WAudio 10 AWG, Pangea AC-14 (14 AWG), and Emotiva XIEC 12 AWG — all solid options that won’t break the bank.

Imagine the power cord to be some extension of the transformer's primary in a power amp, and read up a bit on how tranformers are spec'd. 

@deep_333 

Brilliant! You've got it right! Thanks for posting. 

Imagine the power cord to be some extension of the transformer’s primary in a power amp, and read up a bit on how tranformers are spec’d. 

@deep_333 

Brilliant! You’ve got it right! Thanks for posting. 

Seems brilliant, but let’s scrutinize this analogy a bit. A 12 AWG power cable has about 0.00159 Ω/ft of DC resistance. Over 2 m, that works out to roughly 0.01 Ω. A typical 400 WPC high-current Class AB amplifier (60% efficiency) draws about 5.6 A, so the voltage drop across this resistance is V = IR = 0.056 V.

On the transformer side, a typical single-phase transformer has about 5% regulation, meaning the voltage drop at full load is around 120 V × 0.05 = 6 V. In comparison, the voltage drop due to the power cable resistance is only about 1% of the transformer’s own regulation.

This shows that the analogy does not hold up in practice—the cable’s effect is trivial relative to the transformer’s design limitations.

Still, I like the analogy.