Need recommendations on cables?

I have Swans M1 Speakers, which are not too distant from what you own. My Power amp is a Proton, which falls on the bright side. I am using Tice interconnects and it has smoothed the sound of my DAC-Pre connection---soudstage is wide, tall and deep. Just as I had read in a review. Tice is selling them direct for $137.50 a 1.5 m pair. It's a great bargain. Speaker cable is on clearance, too.

You don't mention line conditioning--I would get a De Zorel filter with two modules for your integrated amp and CDP, a couple of Absolute Power Cords and start listening to them Mariachi's.

The two brands/models of speaker cables I recommend to someone looking for good performance at moderate price are:
1. Alpha-Core Goertz MI1 or MI2 cables. You can order terminated or unterminated cables directly from the factory. These cables feature a flat, solid rectangular core that can be terminated with spades, bananas, pins, or a "hybrid" wire pigtail. For more info, or to order, see their Web site: www.alphacore.com/
2. Kimber Kable 4TC or 8TC. These cables are braided, with either 4 pairs (13 gauge) or 8 pairs (10 gauge) of braided, variable strand copper wire that is Teflon coated. Choose 4TC if you have fairly short runs, or 8TC if runs are longer. You can also combine the two sizes for bi-wiring, with the 4TC driving the mid-range and tweeter, with the 8TC driving the bass. Kimber Kable 4TC and 8TC are tried-and-true choices which have proven themself in many audio systems. If your budget is tight, you could also use Kimber 4VS or 8VS, which are identical to the 4TC/8TC product in their construction, except the individual wires are not covered with Teflon. For more info about Kimber Kable, see their Web site: www.kimberkable.com

www.stage3concepts.com These are one of the finest cables available at this time. All hand drawn and solderless terminations.

Good Luck!
Chris

I have tried alot of cables... while I don't like all the hype around Nordost cables, their interconnects are hard to beat. The Red Dawn is an excellent cable for the price. The Valhalla is about the best you can buy... but the price is ridiculous. Red Dawn speaker cable is also very good sounding. I ended up with Transparent Ultra for speaker cable... just a better match for my Watt Puppys. Find a good shop... test cables, then buy them from that shop. M

I sold my SPM Reference in favor of the Monument interconnect by Stage3 Concepts. I would not say that either one was way better than the other but I will say the virtues of the Stage3 were better sounding to me, in my system. Both are great cables though......

Chris