Neutral-ish Speaker Cable

Hi @jaybe and @soix !

I agree the lower lines of K-S are a bit dark and less resolving on the high end.  I initially tried a full loom of Emotion power cables and did not like them as much as the Au24SX.  But not true at all of the Elation and Realization lines.  These are very resolving and balanced, full spectrum and natural.  No bloat on the lows and now glare on the highs.

And I agree the Acoustic Zen cables are nice and a value.  I recently purchased a used pair of Hologram 2 speaker cables for my vacation home.  They are really nice, and a really good deal used.  but they are not K-S Realization or Elation, to me.  Same with their interconnects.

My system is very resolving.  I have so far not liked cables with silver, as they can be a bit tilted towards the top.  But, I have not tried high end cables with silver.

Hi, Jaybe. My first thought for any type of cable purchase is to always buy used: let someone else burn them in for you (my MIT cables all took 250-300 hours to fully burn in). Also, replace your current wall outlet feeding your equipment with a CuzeFirst Maestro - simple, easy, and under $100 - I was honestly shocked by the amount of detail it opened up for so little money.

I got hooked on MIT cable and interconnect looms years ago, beginning with used Terminator 2s, then Terminator 1s, and now the Magnum M line. Great bass, midrange, and treble. They don’t emphasize any part of the audible range, great control and separation with everything, which is great for me because I’ve never liked bright speakers or cables. MITs deliver definition and detail without pain.

Their current higher-end product lines are apparently made from pure unobtainium (hugely expensive and well out of my price range), but you’ll never regret spending the money on MIT products. They’re actually as good as their product literature says they are.

PS, no matter where you end up with the cables, buy and install the Maestro outlets :)

Cables don't matter except up here (points to expectation biased brain).

@roadcykler Everything matters and cables and interconnects can matter significantly depending upon design and brand.  
@jaybe I recommend you add WyWires Platinum to your list in your price range.  Moving to WyWires after auditioning a number of brands in their price range made a significant improvement in achieving natural timbre, staging, imaging, dynamic and balance.  Balance was the key.  Nothing exaggerated at any point in the frequency spectrum with vivid detail across the spectrum.  Read professional reviews which confirms my opinion.  Contact Alex Sventitsky, designer and President.  He is a sincere and down to earth person … always helpful.  They are currently running a 35% off sale on the Platinum series.  
https://wywires.com

Audition and see if your ears confirm my opinion and the pro reviews.  Good luck.  

PS  No vested interest. Just a very satisfied customer.  

I would let the new preamp run in and then roll a few tubes before changing anything else (assuming that you are using the Rogue RP-7 recently posted about).

A couple pairs of Amperex 12au7 short plates will cost $300-$400 and long plates around $600, or so.

I would not tube roll until you have @ least 200 hours on the preamp.

DeKay