when you have top end equipment…leaving your power equipment as the weakest link isn’t a good idea. however, it’s better to get proper power filters and such before you start fiddling with actual power cables.
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There are thousands of miles of electric grid connected to your house acting as an antenna. And somehow the last 10 meters make a difference?
Get one that is certified by the known agencies (VDE, GS, TÜV, etc.) and has the standard conformities (FCC, CE, etc.) declared. That way insurance pays if it burns your house down.
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Maze has a point there.
These cables are usually not certified.
Even Audioquest does not sell certified kanel with Ce test marks and the same that were regulated in different countries.
You can use such cables no question but under observation.
That means when you’re done unplugging or turn off the switch on the power strip.
Then you also avoid worse.
Who buys such cables should set its own limit.
And what he thinks is right.
I personally do not want to say that cable X is better or horny.
I bought mine because I was of the opinion that it tames Emf and Rf and meets the requirements of what the apartment gives.
I have once ordered on Amazon a supposedly top cable with Occ and supposedly super plug.
Well the opposite was the case it came from China and was richtkg bad and habs it sent back.
Soundwise I must say that it was so bad that the hardware store stuff was better.
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Through all my testing over the years, I’ve noticed no difference whatsoever. So for me, unless you have an issue with bad shielding, interference or otherwise then I don’t see the point at all. Unless of course you have everything else done in a super high end system, then I wouldn’t be able to justify it personally.
All my issues in regards to noise have been caused by other things, like my PSU or my GPU in the PC. Even low quality power adapter bricks or faulty USB hubs. 90% of my issues went away now that I rebuilt my PC and replaced the old EVGA PSU with a new Corsair (with Seasonic internals). The only remaining noise it picks up now (via my Yamaha AG03, no issues on other equipment) is from the GPU at very high framerates, which I can probably remove with some shielding or a separate USB slot card with better shielding just for my DAC.
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Sound wise? Nope i have never been able to reproduce any differences with any measurable or acoustic consistency. BUT, coming from old school car audio installation background where we made loud, high wattage systems oversized wire is an absolute must and safety necessity so I like thick cable. They look good and let me sleep comfortably at night knowing they are sitting there looking all beefy and such plugged into my walls behind the racks and furniture where i have to go out of my way and shine a flashlight to see them 
Heck if you have the funds it’s perfectly acceptable to spend 2-4% of the total cost of a unit on a cable if you are so inclined. Go ahead and spend more if you desire but at some point decide if you need nice clean power regeneration too. Have fun with it, it’s your hard earned money. Expensive for one man is cheap for another…it’s all relative.
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Thanks to all of you guys!
Really clear and detailed answers. This allows me to move forward and understand that I need to be interested in power conditioners before thinking of buying new AC power cables. Especially since for my two installations at home I did not notice any interference.
So I ask you the following question: do you have any recommendations with a limited budget for power conditioning (best value for money)?
@Nick_Mimi @Polygonhell @Marzipan @db_Cooper @MazeFrame @Deleeh @Ahobaka
But since this is a new question, I think I should post-it in a new discussion. So I invite you to continue the discussion if you are interested here: About Power conditioner : recommandation?
Power conditioners aren’t always considered to be a plus, power regenerators are, but they are very expensive.
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My understanding is this;
A well shielded A/C cable isn’t about “cleaning up” what’s being passed through the transmission lines and into your home - well built equipment will have power supplies that filter out the “junk” - it’s about keeping the “junk” in the A/C cable so it doesn’t affect the low voltage signal cables and open unused terminals.
The question is, will $50 do the job or do you need a $1000 cable (not!)?
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Meh, $1000 cables are for sprucing up the looks Of the rack…the “good” stuff costs a tiny bit more 
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Thank you ! this is what I was looking for !!
Do they accept PayPal?
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X15,999
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On the flip side of the coin, if my equipment costs enough, a $15k cable made to maximize it’s performance is not necessarily a crazy thing…
and probably a wise investment.
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When your unused connections pick up noise, then the equipment was designed by a filthier hobbyist than I am 
Concerning other cables picking up noise: Then organize your cables so the power and signal cables cross at a 90° angle.
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Agreed, the SINGLE best piece of advice… be neat about your wiring and follow best practice. No need for $1,000 AC cable.
There’s a show me your back side thread round here somewhere. 
That’s the only good reasoning I have heard for how shielded power cables could improve sound. They keep the noise in the power cables away from the signal cables.
To me, the fat power cables look better so I bought some moderately priced audiophile looking cables purely for aesthetics.
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To put this into perspective how well a simple braided shield cable does this, I use to work on battery packs for higher powered EVs and our 3 phase 600V inverter output didnt even put out enough noise to mess with our 32awg balance wires laid directly across them into an unshielded balance board 12" away. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t know much about DAC and AMP internals, but I would imagine that any decent unit would be able to remain isolated with even just vaguely clean power and a simple shielded power given the standard design practices in automation (where signal noise can be an issue as well)
Most (high end) audio devices I got pcb shots off, are surprisingly mediocre in regards to power filtering.
If I am being dead honest, from browsing hifi forums and watching reviews for the past 2 weeks or so, I had a sneaking fear there is a lot of price for the sake of prestige and not for the sake of quality in hifi products. Sad to see that fear seems to be true.
that, alas, is an issue when you go TOTL; you have to be vigilant to avoid being suckered by snake oil.
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For sure. I’ve spoken a couple of times with Mattias Stridbeck at Harmony Design and he seems to be one of the few that takes this seriously. At least when you ask one of the manufacturers themselves, he’s been one of those that doesn’t sound like a PR statement that goes automatic copy-paste 
Granted he’s not unique in that regards. There’s plenty good equipment out there. But much of it is presented as if a cable was weaved with golden hairs from the vaults of Xerxes. I know these companies want to sell their stuff, but at least make it sound genuine and not like you’re peddling a proprietary garden hose.
I’ve come to respect properly built PSU’s and power filtering a lot more since I’ve gotten issues with that becoming apparent with bad combinations of gear. You truly notice when someone has thought of how to eliminate this, without going overboard of course, since there are a lot of brands out there that like to take exorbitant amounts of money for anything that even mentions filtering.
But hey, at least I’d rather pay 500€ for a power filter than 500€ for some magic crystals sitting on top of my DAC.