I've tried many power cords in my system, ranging in price from $100 to $500. Most cords did make some difference, some subtle and some not so subtle. The cords that made significant improvements in one area inevetibly compromised the sound in another area. Most often, I noticed increased dynamics at the expense of tonal balance, with the highs sounding etched or tipped-up. Which leads me to the LAT Power Cord. In my system, this cord attached to my power amp, a McCormack DNA.5 modified by Steve McCormack, improved practically everything at the expense of nothing. Midrange presence, bloom, palpability, timbral truth, and dynamics were increased significantly over the stock, Belden, cord. Soundstage width and depth were increased, but to a lesser degree than the above-referenced aspects.I have recently added another LAT Power Cord to my CDP, a Classe CDP-.5. The change was just as significant as it was with the amp, but in different ways. This time, soundstage depth improved the most dramatically, although palpability and midrange bloom were also increased. Again, there were no detrimental effects at all, and everything sounds natural and balanced.
Lastly, I have an anecdote which hopefully Steve McCormack won't mind my sharing. When Steve was modifying my amp, he told me that the modded amp would be more power-cord sensitive than the un-modded amp and suggested two cords he had had the most luck with. One of them was a $200 cord and the other a $600 cord. I ordered the $200 cord and the LAT cord. I preferred the LAT cord. The $200 cord was a very well-known, popular cord (hint:the same company is well-known for their power conditioners), and although dynamics were increased, it made the midrange sound thin and the highs etched and unnatural. I told Steve, who in turn told me that he had never heard of LAT (no surprise, they only run a smallish ad in the back of Stereophile) and said he would like to try one of their cords. Well, to make a long story shorter, Steve is now using the same cable for some of the internal wiring of his amps- I believe from the IEC terminal to the transformer.
There's one last thing-the LAT Power Cord sells for about $100 with a satisfaction guarantee/try-out period of 30 days(again, if I'm not mistaken). I think it is questionable for an "enthusiast" like me to give a product five "whatevers" out of five-who am I to say a product is the "best" or "perfect". Hell, I don't know jack-shit compared to a lot of people out there. So with that qualification, not to mention the subjectivity inherent in this hobby and the vagaries of my particular system versus others, I'm rating this based on it's apparent value in a field of much more expensive competitors.

I recently had the opportunity to audition 6 different power cords and I found Tek-Line PC-4 to be the most balanced performer. The LAT Int cord has the best transparency and it is also the most forward sounding, but in some systems it sounds too airy with no real definition (except for the highs that is). Because of its "liveliness", this is also the best cord to use with hardcore rock music. Analog junkies may want to try MAS or Tek-Line Quad-PC. Associated components listed in the Tek-Line review.

I bought the LAT Power Cord because I needed a shorter length than the standard five or six feet, and I never expected to hear that much improvement in my modestsystem. I was cautioned that it wouldn't sound very good until 100 hours of break-in time, but I noticed significant improvements right out of the box.
Bass was firmer, notes and voices had more bloom, high-end articulation was improved, and the sound stage was more realistic. Cecilia Bartoli's voice seemed to
emerge from a "blacker," background, Bill Evans' piano was revealed as a percussion instrument, and Shelly Mannes' brush work on drums sounded like brushes rather than hiss.
For $89, I don't see what there is to lose. As for the break-in question, everything sounds fine now, and I only expect things to get better. Wire is wire? Not!

This is a great product! I have installed 3 into my system (DNA .5 amp, Classe preamp and Theta DAC), and I notice a definite reduction in "noise" (as one other person commented, the music comes out of a blacker background). Less RFI or EMI? Hell, I don't know. I do know that soundstaging is somewhat more precise, and depth and low level detail are more apparent. The biggest difference for me is that I'm able to listen at lower volume levels. I do some late night listening and try keep it below 80db (so others can sleep!), and, with these power cords, I keep finding myself thinking that the volume is too high, but when I check my SPL meter, it's still at a low level. The dyamics in the music seem to "breathe" more easily at lower levels than with the stock cords.
This is MUCH more improvement than I would have expected from a power cord. I wish every $90 tweak was this effective!
I have not tried other aftermarket power cords, so I cannot comment on the relative merit of the LAT versus others. I do know that I would never sink 5 or 600 bucks or more into a power cord. The price of the LAT allowed me to try buy several and not go deeply in debt!
I would readily assign 5 stars, but I'll be conservative and go with 4.

The LAT power cables came two days ago, 4 of them. They were to replace the stock cords of my Taddeo Digital Antedote bought and modifyed by JENA LABS (highly recommended), Joulle Electra pre-amp, and each of MY monoblock Atma-Sphere MA1's. The Transparent ULTRA on my Meridian 508.24 does just fine. Since I have tried cords from other companys that cosat more for one than all four of these I tried not to expect much, but since these cables were recommended by Marrianne at Joule I knew in some way they would be special. Special is not the word. It has been said above--These cable are unbelievable! Greater soundstage depth, LESS forward and more relaxed presentation. Precise pinpoint location of instruments on the stage, now this is great but let me explain this last statement-on Laura St. John's - Gypsy - she plays violin with a piano, she is not a big woman by any measure, a violin almost looks like a viola in her hands. The recording has the violin coming from just in front of the piano and about two feet above, considering her hieght this is about right. I know what you a thinking--power corks did not put her there and you are probably right--but--this level of detail was not present before. There seems to be no drawback I have found--quieter-more relaxed-powerfull--greater extension on the top end. GIVE THESE A TRY. PS-I WONT SAY WHOSE CABLES I SENT BACK--BUT THESE ARE STAYING.

Enhances everything about the sound - simply more musical. Great value compared to the competition. Robust construction and high quality terminations included in the price.

Soundstage could be a touch wider

Russ Andrews Accessories was responsible for bringing the importance of mains quality to my attention. I've always been sceptical about how this could influence the sound quality of my Hi-Fi, and it's not something that's talked about often in the UK Hi-fi press. However, with the 3 cables I tested having money back guarantee trial periods, I thought I'd give them a go.

Mains cables need up to 500 hours of running in (LAT recommend at least 80 hours for the AC-2), although improvements tend to be obvious much quicker than with interconnects or speaker cable. The YellO Power, which was the cheapest cable ($45 for 5ft) showed the least improvement. The Kimber High Current PowerKord ($200 for 4ft) had the largest soundstage and marginally better resolution than the LAT AC-2, but had a grainy, poorly defined image wih inaccurate timbre and a hint of sibilance with vocals. The overall effect was slightly vague and unsatisfying in my system, and the lack of impact meant it only really worked OK with classical music. I've read that this could be because the cable is so good that it's highlighting deficiencies in my system. I'd say that I want a cable that makes my current system sound better rather than me having to spend hundreds on buying a new system to suit a cable!

Now on to the star of the show. The LAT AC-2 cable I tried was 4ft in length, terminated at one end with an MK Toughplug and the other with a nickel-plated Otto Heil IEC. The conductors used are PTFE Teflon-coated 10 gauge Silverfuse (for more info about construction go to www.latinternational.com). This cable also revealed a more expansive soundstage over the standard starter cable, although it seemed much deeper than wide. This was my only real criticism of this cable, but it was something that wasn't too much of a concern given that there was still a significant improvement. The enhancement of dynamics and bass response was substantial and great for any high-energy music. These qualities were noticeably better than the PowerKord which was dry in comparison. It was no slouch with classical music either, since the background was the quietest of all, the definition the most precise and the tone and timbre superbly realistic. Vocals in particular were spot on and very well projected. All this in addition to an ablility for resolving fine detail and ambience, made the whole listeneing experince so much more musical and enjoyable; it's that simple. The improvements were most apparent with my amp and CD player, while my MD didn't open up it's soundstage quite as much, probably because of the compressed nature of the format rather than a fault of the AC-2. For $100 it made a more positive difference to my system than any other type of cable I've tried, interconnect OR speaker cable - that's what I call value.

I appreciate that people have strong opinions about the efficacy of specialist mains cables (nearly always negative in the UK!), and that the effect may vary between systems and possibly different regions depending on local mains quality and interference. I'm no electrical expert as I'm sure you can tell, but I can see how a simple unshielded copper starter cable might act as an FM antenna and feed RF into a system, which then distorts the signals in sources and amps. As I mentioned earlier, these cables all had no-strings-attached trials available, so if you're feeling sceptical as I was , just give them a go! I was so impressed by the LAT that I bought 3 AC-2s and a 6-way distribution block externally and internally wired with AC-2 cable (also recommended!). I hope this will provide a decent foundation for assessing a new pair of speakers in the near future. Buying these cables has saved me a lot of money because now I don't feel the need to replace all my five year-old kit. It's been given a new lease of life and I'm able to hear more of it's potential and see what I really paid all that money for! After all, the cables can simply be transferred to my next component when I eventually choose to upgrade. I thought the LAT AC-2 was the best value mains cable I'd listened to, being half the price of the Kimber and out-performing it in the majority of key areas. It is without doubt the most cost-effective upgrade I've made so far. Go ahead and trial one today - what have you got to lose?!

Similar Products Used:

Russ Andrews Accessories YellO Power, Kimber High Current PowerKord

Better then stock cord, nice construction, warm and robust sound

Not as clear, tranparent, or detailed as some other less expensive PCs, and to close in price to PCs that offer a lot more performance for another ~100$

I bought 3 LAT AC-2s. The LAT PC out performed my Transparent PCs that I had been using. My initial impression was that it was a good value. Its strengths are a fairly quiet background, a robust and warm bass, and smooth mids and highs. Negatives; somewhat heavy and loose in the bass, mids and highs are not well integrated with the bass, and tend to sound more recessed/subdued then the lower octaves. Not unlike the sound of LAT's speaker cables (which I did return). Enter the Absolute PC. I bought three Absolute PCs for 49$ each. Ok, the LAT has a fuller bodied sound, but that is it. The Absolute PCs are much more open, more evenly balanced, and are more resolving. The bass is not subterranian, but is much more articulate and well integrated. And, for a 49$ PC the Absolute PC is very transparent, quite detailed, and smooth. The difference is not subtle. I have also made up some PCs that cost no more then 40$ in parts, and these to have performed better then the LAT. And, if you can swing it, for another 100$ TG Audio's HSRi is much better. Overall an average PC at this price point, and not quite the value it appears to be.

My system: Meridian 508.24, SF Line 3, Classe Omicron, and Thiel CS7.2s.

Similar Products Used:

Coincident CST PC, TG Audio HSRi, Transparent Plus and Super, Absolute, DIY

Dynamics, soundstage enhancement, bass, liveliness

It's slightly forward and airy sound might make this cord taste and system dependent (if you call that a weakness)

I bought the AC-2 last fall to use with my integrated amp, at the time a Jolida JD-1701 hybrid integrated. The improvement was dramatic right out of the box. Just as everyone says (despite to the uneducated and immature one star review) this cord brings forth greater dynamics, resolution, more dimension and liveliness to the sound. Compared to my all copper DIY Belden cord, the AC-2 with its silver clad conductors, is livlier, more airy and more forward. I now use this cord with my Audio Refinement Complete integrated, which is a rather neutral to warm integrated inherently, the LAT cord simply brings it to life in a magical way. For the money its a heck of a deal, great build quality too. I don't know how it stacks up against the more expensive cords but I do know it made a large improvement in my system. Highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

Belden DIY cord

Ordered this AC cord after having read all the reviews here, as well as the fcat that LAT offers a 30-day money back should the cable did not perform up to expectation.
Well, suffice to say, the 2 AC-2 I ordered are staying. I've tried just one cord out on the following rig, which clearly showed that not all AC cords are alike :

Sony DVP-9000 player
Musical Fidelity X-DAC
Tube preamp (which the LAT cord replaced the generic one)
Zen tube amps (mono-block)
NHT 2.5i
Cabling includes Silver Audio Silver Bullet 4.0 interconnect and Symphony 32 speaker cables.

The first thing that hits you is the background noise, or rather the lack of it. Just one AC-2 cord made that much of a difference and, with the reduced noise, the music just seemed more effortless in its presentation, as well as the fact that the system can play louder than with the stock power cord.

I totally agree with all the posted reviews. This cord, on a price vs performance basis, is good value for money and it does produce what it is supposed to. No brainer for anyone on a budget and yet would like to have a good power cord to replace the stock ones.

Oh, by the way, the AC-2 cords I have are not burnt-in yet (recommended 100 hours).

What kind of a moron would spend this much cash for so little improvement in their system? I'm returning these and renting 30 DVDs instead. Think about it! What kind of cable runs from your breaker panel to your outlet? Probably 50 feet of .10/ft 14 gauge copper romex. And beyond that 100ft or more of 8 gauge stuff out to a transformer to another transformer ... high frequency noise can't get past a 100,000 microfarad capacitor in a power supply anyway. Buy this product if need to waste money but I think I can find a better place for it. Yeesh!