It was about 2 years ago that I decided to upgrade my system, (which ultimatley led to a 990) I did a tremendous amoutn of research trying to find what I wanted and needed o produce quality sound and picture without breaking the bank. In that research I read more than a few articles about "power conditioners" and aftermarket IEC power cords. Ultimatley I needed to replace a power cord for my Rotel 1066 Amp. I bought it on e-bay and the seller and forgotten to pack the cord. I ended up buying a rather heavy duty IEC cord for about $10.00. It works as best as I can tell perfectly well. When I was trying to find a replacement I called the local Rotel reseller and discussed the power cord issue with him. He said that it can make a difference, but really what we would be talking about is an extremely cheap cord vs. one made of decent quality. So the moral was as long as it is reasonably well made, or reasonable materials it'll work just fine. It's amazing during my research I litterly found a 3 foot IEC power cord that cost $7,500. That's no misprint, $7,500 for a power cord. I have some problems with the post that the cord made that much of a difference. I supposed your Outlaw cord could have been compromised to a certain extent or damaged and that would explain the difference. Other than that all my research and I did a lot makes me very skeptical of claims regarding vastly improved performance from a power cord.