Joperfi: As i mentioned, most amplifiers have a very low output impedance and most speakers have a relatively low ( several ohms ) input impedance. Using a cable that is somewhere between these two figures will typically provide the best results. If one is trying to alter the sonics of a poorly matched system, introducing some type of colouration via series resistance ( makes the cable sound leaner due to less current flow / reduced bass output ) and / or high inductance ( makes the cable sound warmer and smoother due to high frequency roll-off ) can do that. Using a cable that offers both high series resistance and is inductive would act somewhat like a band-pass filter i.e. reduced bass and soft highs with "reasonable" mids. This might be okay for a system or speaker that was very boomy and bright. Having said that, it would be better t fix the system than to have to band-aid it though.
As far as interconnects go, the source output impedance may be anywhere from a very low impedance ( 20 - 50 ohms ) up to several hundred ohms. The input impedance of most preamps or amps is quite high i.e. several thousand ohms up to 100 - 200 thousand ohms. You have to remember though that we are talking about complex impedances here, not just straight resistance. This complex impedance can consist of XXX ohms of resistane combined with XXX values of capacitance and / or inductance. As such, it is possible to find a cable that "cancels" or minimizes the reactive part of the complex impedance found on the input of the device, allowing the source component to see what effectively looks like "pure" resistance. Since reactance is equivalent to "active resistance" or the load "fighting back" against the source, minimizing this encourages power transfer and can improve linearity via reduced ringing / improved phase & transient response. Obviously, this can get phenomenally tricky and for most folks, becomes a matter of trial and error. As such, due to the differences in voltage to current ratios and the impedances that we are dealing with, the electrical characteristics for a speaker cable and an interconnect are different. As a side note, something that works well as a low impedance speaker cable will typically work pretty well as a power cord too. That is, so long as it can pass enough voltage / current without potential safety hazards coming into play. Sean
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