snip snip from OP's first post.... 1) be safer moving one up the line, and 2) spending that kind of money on cables I'll have less doubt and worry that I didn't get good enough cables.
Please express your thoughts!
My thoughts... to be perfectly honest... is you wasted your money. That coin would of been better spent on upgrading your audio equipment.
Also there is no difference plugging your system into a power board or wall socket, unless you have something that is connected to the power board that can cause massive loads or momentary drop outs, such as an air conditioner, and also good to keep high powered AC motors away from the power board. All power boards and power cables are designed under safety standards so they can take the maximum current without frying.
The wiring in your house is basic plain power wire. Nothing special and the sparky wouldn't have cabled up the electrical power in your house with audio purity as a design goal.
Audio equipment is designed to run on normal mains power, and if they don't have a basic power lead there will be a socket for a generic lead to connect. Nothing specialised is required. So, pointless purchasing a special power lead as it will not offer anything in improving the audio quality of the amp. Of course, the longer the lead the more voltage is dropped, so I wouldn't be connecting an amp to a 100ft lead.
Interconnects can make a difference, but only if you compare the nastiest and cheapest interconnect to a good quality one, and even then it depends on your system and the synergy of your system (amp, speakers, turntable, CD, and room acoustics) if you would notice a difference in sound.
Most Hi Fi dealers sell quality interconnects and they will work as well as the outrageously expensive ones. Interconnects carry a smaller voltage and therefore the shorter the better, plus shorter will result in less capacitance. Interconnects should be shielded to protect them from interference of nearby power cables. If anything, the interconnects between the amp and turntable is the one where you can splurge, if you desire.
At the end of the day it is your money and if you think it makes a difference then good for you. However, I would of not bothered with any specialised power lead, and purchase normal good quality interconnects.
Speaker wire is the same. Normal dual speaker cable is more than adequate. The more power your amp can deliver into the speakers may dictate thicker cables, but again you don't need anything fancy or oxygen free, or any other fancy marketing hype type of cable. As per other cables, the longer the cable the more affect it can have. So, for long cable runs to the speaker it is best to get one with the lowest resistance per metre.
The money you spent could of gone into a better cartridge for your turntable or as a part payment on a better amp or speakers. These will make a much greater difference to your system than some snake oil hocus-pocus fancy pants cable.
Sure, use quality cables, but extravagant ones won't offer any improvement for your average home system.
