Speaker wire... Diy?

I understand Williewonka...you enjoy the challenge.  The issue is that many high end cable companies have offerings that are exceptionally good these days at DIY prices.  My long history with extreme high end gear and cables has given me a bit of perspective regarding this crazy hobby.  You don’t have to spend a fortune to get great sound, but you do need certain items.  Transparent really does address the biggest problems associated with transferring a musical signal.  Their cable Geometry and Network technology actually improves signal transmission and reduces noise.  Most cables do not address these issues or do so ineffectively.  They are one of the few companies that were founded by music loving musicians that put their resources into equipment and research that improves the enjoyment of listening!  They support local symphonies and actually listen to their prototypes on extremely high end Reference equipment.  The best news is that the entry level tiers of Transparent cable outperform most other cables in terms of sheer musicality and naturalness.    

Where's @grannyring when you need him??

Cables interact with the system. There is no guaranteed better. All the various geometries are tone controls. They may sound well in one system/room, no different in another and terrible in a third.

A large reason for the lunacy of the audiophile world is ill educated consumers taking recommendations from ill educated sales persons. Many people have no idea how to assemble a system. That includes most dealers.

NEVER take any recommendation from anyone, anywhere that does not have an identical system, room and TASTE to yours. Only make cable purchases that have OHPNQAMBG - One Hundred Percent No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee.

For examples of how the same cable reacts with different loads and how different cable reacts with the same load see http://ielogical.com/Audio/CableSnakeOil.php. Be sure to read Garen Galeis papers.

That’s why you try before you buy...but start with something good!