Do speaker wires matter

OP stated he has a 26wpc amp with 8 ohm output impedance. His speakers are 83dB, 6ohm. The speakers are not the best match for sure, as he will benefit from moving to a speaker presenting an easier load. A Tekton 4 ohm speaker wouldn't be my first choice (although it would "work") and I wouldn't want to pair that amp with a speaker designed by someone who claims 8 ohm designs are obsolete anyway.

There is a whole world of 8 ohm speakers with 90dB+ sensitivity to consider based on your sonic tastes.  Don't let anyone try to direct you into just one brand....that only means they have an agenda.  Way too many choices in the market for that ridiculousness.

+1 three_easy. And IME, there aren’t tons of 95dB+ speakers available.
OP... I think you’ll find many more speakers are in the 90dB+ sensitivity range. And 8ohm is preferable for your amp.

Had a pair of Mirage M-5si.  A Rotel 990 power amp drove those to good effect (into 4 ohms was putting out well over 300wpc)  Phenomenal room lock in the bass from two 6.5 inch woofers!  The mirage speakers were clearly voiced on the dark side so don't expect a lot of sparkle from the tweeter regardless of amp/cables.

Agree, mine are warm and a bit laid back. If you like bright forward speakers...there is no shortage of options.

Issues not discussed yet -- at what volume do you listen and how big is the room? 

The power needed by a speaker is logarithmic, not linear. At the sensitivity noted in earlier posts, 1 watt of amp power should give you 83 dB of volume at one meter from the speaker. Double that to 2 watts for 86 dB, double again to 4 watts for 89 dB, 8 watts for 92 dB and so on. That's for an average volume level, so you still need some extra power for dynamic peaks.   The sound level drops as you get further away from the speaker, but the room can add back some reinforcement.  Larger rooms need more power to achieve the same volume.  

So, back to the first question -- how loud do you listen? For me, 85 dB average at my sitting position is about as loud as I like it these days. I've actually measured the amp's output at this volume and, depending on the music, I use about 1.5 watts average to hit 85 dB at my listening position with 88 dB sensitivity speakers in a 15' X 23' room.  

With your speakers, that 1.5 watt output would need to be roughly 5 or 6 watts. Keep in mind you need more than that to handle the dynamic peaks.

Now, if I were a headbanger and  wanted 100 dB+ volume in the room, I'd need roughly 100 watts, plus more for peaks. 

Keep in mind all of these are just rough approximations. 

One of the takeaways is you need to get your hands on a sound level meter. That's the only way to get a solid idea of your volume needs. Besides a dedicated meter, there are also apps you can buy for your smart phone, though the calibration accuracy might be dicier. 

But, if you were happy with low to moderate volumes, 26 watts a channel might be more than enough. However, keep in mind that we haven't even scratched the surface. Placement of the speakers within the room is a critical issue. Also, the manner in which this amp interacts with your speakers is also important. Some speakers have very demanding impedance curves that can really tax an amp. Some amps just can't handle certain speakers.  You might see if you can temporarily borrow a different amp to see if that makes a difference.  I'd get everything else working better before I started worrying about cables. 

As you can see, there are a lot of factors to consider. But the more you know about your listening needs, the more likely you are to reach a solution that pleases you.