I recently upgraded my power conditioner and my music server AC cables to Audioquest Hurricane (High Current and Source versions respectively), being the DAVE fed by a Shunyata Alpha HC.
In this process I evaluated several cables from Cardas, Shunyata, Audioquest, Transparent, MIT.
I know expensive cables are a touchy subject, but in my system and to my ears they did make a difference.
However, in my experience the difference has not always been easy to hear and/or for the better, so I would advise trying by oneself as the last thing after the rig is well defined and consolidated. By the way, the most expensive cable has not necessarily been the one l liked more.
In the end, the kind of improvement I have got has been mainly in the area of contrast and naturalness. By 'contrast' I mean that music seem to emerge / float from a blacker background, thus making small details, imaging and dynamics easier to follow, but not in a distracting or hyper realistic way, rather in a more natural fashion.
To put things in perspective, I am not implying
major effects or tonal signature shifts in the music presentation, so I consider investing in high end power cables a bold move in the diminishing return territory in most cases. It may still be worth once you are perfecting your system, though, or if you just enjoy looking at those big snakes on the back of your rack
