I have just finished auditioning several ac power cords, having discovered, despite what you may read from idiots on the Rec.Audio.Opinion
network, that after-market power cords can make a bigger overall improvement
in the sound of a music system than component upgrades. (There is an extremely well informed article on this subject in the current issue of POSITIVE
FEEDBACK, by the estimable Clark Johnsen of Boston's The Listening Studio.)
I compared the Nordost El Dorado ($600), the standard Electraglide ($600),
and the Electraglide Reference, now in its third (Mk III) interation ($1200).
I found all three cords a GREAT improvement over all factory cords, in the ability to retrieve low level information. A vastly quieter background made it possible to hear more information, to hear harpsichords in the midst of orchestras, for example. I was also aware of a greater sense of ambience and space. In my comparison of the three cords, I found the Nordost cord slightly better than the standard Electraglide in achieving these results, the Reference Glide superior to both, mainly in it ability to generate a sense of immediacy, palpability, and glow to music. This became more apparent when I attached
Reference cords to both my cd player (Naim CDX/XPS) and pream (Blue Circle BC 3). I did not have a third Reference cord availabale to try on the amplifier, thank god! My conclusion and recommendation is that you weigh the expense of two
Reference III cords ($2400 retail -- generally available at 20-25% off) against
the cost of a new component, higher grade external power supplies, and other
seemingly more concrete improvements. At a net investment of around $1800+,
I myself cannot imagine a more cost-effective upgrade. I also cannot imagine
why manufacturers of cd players, preamps, and amplifiers make is necessary
for us to do this, in effect, finish their job for them. It should not be
necessary to buy after-market power cords to enable components to sound as
good as they are capable of sounding!