I was curious so I looked up the specification sheet on Belden 83803 "Multi-Conductor - Power-Limited Fire Protective, Control & Instrumentation Cable".
This is 12 gauge TEFLON insulated wire... and, for what it is, the price is actually quite reasonable.
And, if I was planing on running some heavy duty wiring inside my nuclear reactor, or perhaps my new submarine, especially if noise was a consideration, I would seriously consider using it.
But, in all honesty, it's not a very good choice for a power cable.
Teflon has excellent high temperature performance.
(Do you normally keep your listening room over 200 degrees Fahrenheit?)
Teflon is very good at tolerating certain corrosive chemicals.
(Do you routinely wash your amplifiers down with sulfuric acid or submerge them in hot oil? Had any corrosive gas leaks in your listening room lately?)
Teflon has good abrasion resistance.
(If you drag your cables back and forth across rough surfaces a lot...and, while it is slippery, Teflon is also soft.)
But Teflon insulation does tend to be somewhat stiff.
(Usually much stiffer than rubber or even PVC.)
And Teflon doesn't tolerate repeated flexing as well as natural or synthetic rubber.
(It doesn't tolerate sharp bends as well as rubber and tends to kink.)
And Teflon has relatively poor resistance to penetration and "creep".
(If you sit something with an edge on on it, or tie something like a zip-tie tightly around it, you may find that it "creeps" through the Teflon over time.)
Also, while Teflon insulated wire is really nice to solder (because the Teflon won't melt)...
It is somewhat difficult to strip properly without nicking the metal inside (unless you have a proper thermal stripper.)
And, of course, Teflon has some excellent electrical properties...
Especially at very high frequencies...
None of which help in the least for a line cord carrying 60 Hz power...
In fact, for a power cord, it's sort of like making bathroom faucets out of solid 24 kt gold.
(They might be pretty, if you like that sort of thing, but they won't work or wear very well.)
The Belden 19364 looks far more reasonable... and appropriate for a power cord on audio gear.
(Although, to be honest, its still overkill, and it isn't going to SOUND any different than what you get from Home Depot.)
And, no, the plating on the AC plug WILL NOT have any effect on the sound.
(That fantasy ship has sailed long ago.)
Since plating is only a few microns thick the resistance doesn't matter much (at least in the range of normal metals)...
Rhodium is much harder than gold... but, since rhodium also costs more, rhodium plating also tends to be much thinner...
So your guess is as good as mine which would last longer under what sorts of wear.
And, by the way, you might want to watch our accessory page for some new cables... (hint)...
Just to revive this, since I'm heading this way now.
First? Huge brouhaha about RHODIUM plating for plugs and such. Many HATE it. I'd have to hear the demo.
Second? One (two, actually) of the best DIY cables are both BELDEN
83803 is 12x3 shielded and expensive. Ask about group buy? discount starts at 100 feet......ANY TAKERS?
19364 (I think) is the number for 14x3 and most useful.
I'd connect shield ONLY at one end. Where it plugs into the wall....
I suspect mating with the Marinco plugs would be 'golden'......And lifetime.....so that makes the expense easier to 'take'.....
The 12ga Belden? about 20$ per foot with a ridiculous 1 dollar off at 100 feet.....so 100 feet would go 1900$. OUCH!
Best for the XP-1 high power amps. I'd consider 12 ga power as Mandatory.
14ga for nearly anything else, even my 125x2 Parasound amps. Simply don't need larger cables......
