I too, bought Ernie's recipe because I have a similar approach and attitude about power cords. I'm fairly objective when it comes to sound changes. Usually, there's a minor difference when I change something.
My listening area is a good acid test of sonic improvements. I rarely get to hear the hifi alone, with no other sounds. (I'm next to my kitchen) My wife likes TV, and my A/C system/(white noise generator) is in my left ear. Not to mention I have a wall right behind my head, speakers are way too close to the back wall, no sound deadening material, huge entertainment center between the speakers, only 8 feet from my head to the speakers and 30 feet left and right with a huge opening behind the right speaker for the stairs. Oh, and the vents in the ceiling rattle on certain mid bass sounds.
For me to hear a difference in cables means they make a difference. I figure that when I've got all the best possible sound quality changes, when I move to a real sound room when I build a house... with proper room treatment, it's going to be stellar. A good room can make a system sound incredible. I've witnessed it many times.... and compared the same systems in not-so-good rooms.
So, back to Ernie's cables. Compared to the stock cables I noted:
Primary system:
Amp: no difference
Preamp: big difference: better, richer sound
DAC: big difference: more natural, more accurate
Transport: no difference
Second system (not overly resolving):
Arcam integrated amp: no difference
Arcam CD player: no difference
My stock cables were ones I've salvaged from installing numerous computers. So, they're the normal, 18guage, 3 wire cheap stuff... other than the preamp which was a vacuum cleaner wire.
I too enjoyed building these. I built a 'pobox' before it was a kit because I needed 4 outlets and only had 2 available. Between the box and the pre-amp, I was getting very frustrated with how inflexible the wire is. If you need to direct wire this to something delicate, you will need to be very careful and patient. This cable does not bend easily... you have to 'shape it'...
The only thing I've changed about the kits is that I am replacing the Leviton plugs with Marinco's.... I like them better and I think they sound slightly better. Also, I don't always use the PVC clear plastic tubing. It makes a nice skinny cable into a fat one. Also, the schurter IEC's are loose inside the female IEC on the equipment... so, I added a couple of turns of electric tape to snug them up. I have not experimented with different grounding effects. I have no hum or other isssues, though.
It's a good kit and costs many times less than most PC's out there. Plus, you know what you've got when you're done.
-Carl
