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Since I have succumbed to the magic of Naim components, I must use Naim or Naim-approved cabling throughout my system . . . which is easy to do since it is cheap and it sounds great!
An audio system is not a system unless you hook it all together. How do you do it?
Couldn't be happier with my Yamaha 2095. Digital is where it's at. I've got an old Harmon Kardon FL8450 with a digital optical output which runs through my Klipsch KLF20's. My Toshiba DVD player enables my entire Klipsch family of home theatre speakers to speak for themselves ...truly incredible. Analog is for those who either can't afford digital yet or those who still swear by their type writer.
For the sources, Cable Talk Monitor 2 Interconnect, Monster Interlink 400 Intercomnnect, Custom made nickel plated 5 pin din to gold plated RCA interconnect (UK Origin) and for the speakers, Studio Power Line Monitor speaker cable (German Origin).
I use various grades of Monster Cable for digital and analog interconnects. For speakers I use 12-gauge wire because I haven't found that any more exotic cables offer any improvement in sound. Since my listening area is also a den (in real life) I believe that the room affects the sound more than any cable might. i.e., I need to focus on treating the room before any changes in speaker cable would be noticeable.
I have found that cables (like tubes, isolation feet, etc.) DO make a difference, and that certain cables match better with certain systems. I teach English, so I'll leave the why to someone else. One thing for sure, if you have a good retailer whom you are able to trust, listen to him (or her). Keeping cables homogeneous is a good thing. My friends at Audio Connection in NJ turned me on to Kimber Kable when I first started assembling my collection of what is a mostly tube system. I have found the Silver Streak to be a great cable for the money inf that it helps balance out the otherwise laid-back quality of MY system. I have been using a modified 8TC biwire combo on my Vandersteen 2Ce signatures (call John at Audio Connection...this is a cool mod), but have just ordered a bi-wire run of Monacle XL.. I anticpate more of the qualities I already enjoy. As for power cords, I'm sure they make a diffence too, but since I have one Electra Glide in the garage already, I can't really justify 700. for a power cord of the same name. Listen, compare, and GO WITH WHAT SOUNDS BEST TO YOU. Happy listening!
On my main system I used Audioquest Emerald interconnects and Powerline 2 speaker wire for the main speakers(Thiele CS2) and Fulton brown(Rogers LS34/5A) for easy listening in the dining room. For the secondary system I use monster cable interconnects and Fulton gold speaker cable(Met 7). To me this is the most difficult part of the process. Hearing different wires is almost impossible and I live in the NYC area. A one year visit to the midwest would make this selection impossible.
Since John Dunlavy wrote several pieces on the (un)importance of cabling, I have saved hundreds of dollars by not worrying about upgrading cables. I have 15 foot runs of Audioquest Crystal into my PSB Stratus Gold i's, purchased before I heard about the placebo effect. They sounded no better than Radio Shack hookup wire (a Stereophile recommended component for nearly a decade) but look a lot neater. I use a home-made interconnect based on Art Dudley's design -- $7 worth of 36 gauge Radio Shack magnet wire and RCA plugs. I won't swear I could hear any differences blind, but they sounded better than the $85 1/2-meter Audioquest Ruby I had used previously.