Aloha,

I had an eye opening experience at the loca Guitar center one day while shopping for my kid.

They've got professional connections that are priced extremely well and might suit your needs for almost no money. The system they were in shocked me with how good it sounded. I even came back with my own discs and listened. The value seemed very good, I'm looking for the best way to start experimenting.

Probably any musician pro-shop would carry such things.

I'd start there and give a listen!

2006 is going to be my year of playing with guitar store products...

I have used some Monster bal cable for micing a recording gig that I thought sounded better than the general run of the mill Guitar Center cables. You might also check with www.underwoodhifi.com about some pricing on their bal cables. I have used their single ended DeMarzio's with locking rca's and really like them for the money.

Signal Cable's Silver Resolution Series. http://www.signalcable.com/

FWIW, my reference (2-channel) audio system includes Simaudio Moon's Andromeda CD player; P-8 preamplifier; W-8 power amplifier; Induction Dynamics ID1 speakers; as well as Shunyata power conditioners and power cords. My system is connected with Signal Cable's Silver Resolution XLR interconnects, and speaker cables.

In brief, I don't find these cables to sound the least bit over-analytical, brittle, or bright. Quite to the contrary, I've found these highly affordable cables to be remarkably neutral and fast. If you're looking for cables that sound "lush" rather than neutral, transparent, and revealing, then look elsewhere.

The Silver Resolution cables are very transparent and revealing, and I suspect that those who would find these cables to be overly "analytical" may actually be hearing how these cables can tend to expose any shortcomings in the electronic components they're associated with, particularly if those components are in need of warmly colored cables to serve as tone controls which help to roll off any mid- and high-frequency brightness, glare, brittleness, edginess, etc.

In summary, I can report that Signal Cable's amazingly affordable Silver Resolution Series cables have more than acquitted themselves in my reference system, which is rather formidable, to say the least.

Are the Silver Resolution cables the "last word" among such products? Certainly not. Am I interested in someday finding even better sounding cables for my system? Of course. In fact, I recently auditioned far more costly silver/copper hybrid cables, and found them to sound quite decidedly inferior to the Silver Resolutions. Thus, I remain deeply impressed by these modestly priced cables, and when I again choose to audition more costly cables, they'll have to far surpass the performance of the Silver Resolutions, and do so at a sane price point.