I have learned to be very cautious about differences that I "think" I hear. Spending an extra $10, $100, $1000 on a power cable might very well skew my thinking so that I can justify spending the extra money.
There have been listening tests that I have read about where people were told that the superior cable XYZ or superior amp XYZ was being used, however, the very same previous cable or amp was actually being used again. Nonetheless, because they were told the superior XYZ cable or amp was being used, they perceived a difference. If I were a betting man (I am not), I would be willing to bet that 100% of those people claiming they hear a difference in power cords are merely perceiving a difference, unless there was somehow something mysteriously flawed with their original power cord.
I remember contacting Velodyne shortly after I purchased my HGS-15 many moons ago. I was connected with the techs who actually design the units. I was discussing a few things with the guy and mentioned changing out the power cord to a heavy duty cord. He asked why I would want to change out the power cord, explaining that if there were any improvement by adding a different power cord, they would have done so. Those guys up there are scientists... they have thoroughly studied this stuff.
If someone wants to spend money on something that makes them think they hear a difference or they perceive to hear a difference, then I suppose that is their option. As for me, I'll stick to spending my money on things I know for a fact can make a difference. :T
