Prices: $125 per 2m cord

Website: www.silversonic.com

Hans said: These entry-level offerings from a company already known for its rather humble pricing policies are as unassuming in performance as they are in appearance. Doing nothing wrong and a good deal right, they offer value in the form of affordable performance, a quality sure to be appreciated by any listener.

Read the GoodSound! review.

The gist: Sanely priced, good audio cables. Imagine that.

Prices: $8995; $10,545 with 6’ AU24 e powerChord AC cord

Website: www.audience-av.com

Ryan said: The Audience aR12-TS is a good power conditioner. A damn good power conditioner. I could live happily with it, so little editorializing does it do. I wouldn’t hesitate to plug an entire rig -- up to a dozen components -- into it, confident that I’d be feeding each of them quality power. If you’re in the market for a single product to provide excellent power for a large system, the Audience aR12-TS is an easy recommendation.

Read the SoundStage! Hi-Fi review.

The gist: Expensive but very high-performing power conditioner.

Prices: $2750 per 1.5m cord (Siltech Ruby Hill II); $1250 per 1.5m cord (Siltech SPX-800); $3300 (Siltech Octopus Signature Eight)

Website: www.siltechcables.com

Garrett said: No, they’re not inexpensive, but they are ultra-high-quality items that added refinement, tonal weight, timbral complexity, and an overall naturalness in the flow of the music to the qualities my system already had. Like paints, brushes, chalk, pencils, charcoals, paper, clay, and canvas for a Raphael, and as much as any other components in your chain of audio amplification, power cords and power distributors are materials that can ease the transfer of recorded sound and bring you closer to the artistic conception of the music. They can make a dimension’s worth of difference.

Read the SoundStage! Hi-Fi review.

The gist: Garrett's reference power products.

Price: $399.99 per 2m cord

Website: www.essentialsound.com

Aron said: I find it difficult to imagine a better-sounding or better-built cord for the price. They may be designed for the professional market, but they’re an excellent way to improve power delivery to a high-quality audio system and enhance its performance at a sensible price.

Read the GoodSound! review.

The gist: The cord to buy at the price.