I have a pair of VSM MMe with the most recent lead free upgrade, and I'm still waiting in the queue for the BAM upgrade. I too have known and admired Bobby's speakers since I first heard the Excaliburs in the 80's, but this has nothing to do with the cable question.
When I first purchased the VSMs I did as Bobby suggested: Cardas Golden Ref. bi-wire and Golden Ref. ICs. This worked for a long time, until I purchased the Ars and got the lead out. Either my hearing has changed, which is quite possible, or the "highly linear sound" (as Bobby refers to it) was both too high and linear for my musical taste. I sold the Ars, went back to the Berning, bought the Cardas Golden Ref. single wire and use Bobby's jumpers. Still I was having some issues. Recently I auditioned the AU24 "e" which was a joy to work with compared to the Cardas garden hoses, but yet they didn't improve the sound any, and if anything I felt that the micro dynamics of the AU24 exacerbated the issue. Finally, and as a surprise to the naysayers, I've settled on the Cardas Neutral Ref. single wire. These cables give me a little more warmth and mid-range at the expense of highly resolved top and bottom details. I've also had a parade of amps coming through the door and I love the laid back 300b sound over the OTL or the EL34. I have a huge room to fill, so a low powered 300b amp isn't enough oomph for symphonic or rock. I use the Berning instead for that type of music.
Bottom line: go with what your ears tell you. Not everyone hears or listens for the same sound that you do. For example I'm personally not as sensitive to coloration as I am to bright and edgy sound; thus I've never met a ribbon tweeter that didn't give me tinnitus.
Stay tune I could have two Golden Ref. speaker cables, as well as a pair of TG Audio HSR with jumpers listed on Audiogon soon.
When I first purchased the VSMs I did as Bobby suggested: Cardas Golden Ref. bi-wire and Golden Ref. ICs. This worked for a long time, until I purchased the Ars and got the lead out. Either my hearing has changed, which is quite possible, or the "highly linear sound" (as Bobby refers to it) was both too high and linear for my musical taste. I sold the Ars, went back to the Berning, bought the Cardas Golden Ref. single wire and use Bobby's jumpers. Still I was having some issues. Recently I auditioned the AU24 "e" which was a joy to work with compared to the Cardas garden hoses, but yet they didn't improve the sound any, and if anything I felt that the micro dynamics of the AU24 exacerbated the issue. Finally, and as a surprise to the naysayers, I've settled on the Cardas Neutral Ref. single wire. These cables give me a little more warmth and mid-range at the expense of highly resolved top and bottom details. I've also had a parade of amps coming through the door and I love the laid back 300b sound over the OTL or the EL34. I have a huge room to fill, so a low powered 300b amp isn't enough oomph for symphonic or rock. I use the Berning instead for that type of music.
Bottom line: go with what your ears tell you. Not everyone hears or listens for the same sound that you do. For example I'm personally not as sensitive to coloration as I am to bright and edgy sound; thus I've never met a ribbon tweeter that didn't give me tinnitus.
Stay tune I could have two Golden Ref. speaker cables, as well as a pair of TG Audio HSR with jumpers listed on Audiogon soon.