Best Cables for around $500

I have received some excellent ideas from your comments and those who have sent me emails directly. This has been very helpful. As it stands now, I have narrowed the list to the following:

1. AudioQuest either Columbia or Colorado XLR
2. MIT AVT1 XLR - need to get a fix on pricing
3. Morrow MA4 or MA5 XLR (I can trade in my existing Morrow Cables for what I paid for them off of list/discounted price of the new cables)

The Morrow MA1.1's XLRs that I have now with fully broken in W4S STI500 and DAC2 do sound very very good with maybe just a little emphasis on the mid to high frequencies. These are great bargain cables.

Ronwill

I had Morrow MA4 XLR's not even close to Crimson Music Link XLR's. Upon trial of Crimson's in my system for a few days I sold my Morrow MA4's here on Agon. Exceptionally clear, detailed, with pinpoint imaging and big soundstage. I always had some sibilance in my sytem with the Morrow's and with other quality cables... but not anymore. You can also try them risk free.

Siblance is not a problem here with the MA3- XLR in my SS setup, I actually found the highs revealing, airy and the right amount of detail, but never bright are harsh!Like all things cables system dependant.

I too have never had harsh highs with the MA1.1's. My system is a little tipped up at whatever frequency violins play but this doesn't mean it is the Morrow's. It could be the Magnepan 1.7s, W4S STI500 or DAC2.

Last night changed the Digital cable from Better Cables Silver Serpent to a Xindak digital cable. Minor difference but liked the Xindak better. Will listen more today.

Working behind the scenes on pricing of the cables I identified previiously (AudioQuest, Morrow and MIT). Also tracking down the possibility of trying the Crimson Music Link XLRs to demo. I know that I will need 30-60 days to really get an idea of how they sound and don't know their "demo" terms.

MIT Cables. I also looking at pricing of the MIT Shotgun 3.3 cables along with the CVT's but to be honest, their two overlapping cable systems is very confusing and their website is not much help. Never seen a cable company where you have the option to click on cables available in their retail stores and cables available online. Very confusing.

However, all the reviews I have read about the MIT Cables have been very good. Didn't find any reviews on the AudioQuest Columbia or Colorado.

Ronwills, Crimson cables sounds great right out of the box. Within 10 hours you will be hearing most of its potential. Some of my friends who use it tell me that there are subtler improvements to soundstage width and focus till 200 hours. But let me tell you that if you do not like the cable in the first 10 hours you will not like it after wards as well. There is a rightness to this cable which shows up within the first hour itself.

The trial policy is simple, it is 30 days money back guarantee.