Nordost Red Down or Zu Wax

I had experience with the Zu WAX speaker cables. First phsyically they are quite thick and may be hard to situate in tight spaces. Sound wise they can be very revealing. I heard lots of details in music that I hadn't heard before. Mid-range and bass were really good. They do require over 200 hours of break-in so buying them used will be good. You won't have to do all the break-in on your own. Sometimes with the detail it provides I found the treble to be a bit thick and harsh with the Zu WAX. Sometimes when my Dad would listen to my system @ loud levels after a song or 2 I could see him try to rub his ears. It could have been my DAC @ the time as it was an older DAC from the early 90s so the Zu WAX was just revealing what was playing whether I wanted it or not. I wish I could speak on the Nordost Red Dawn SCs but I have no experience with them. If you like the Zu WAX SCs you would really like the Zu Mission SCs. Similar sound to the WAX minus the harsh treble. It is a lot easier to manipulate as well.

Good luck with you search. You have some nice stuff.

I have had zu julian in my system when they were selling them at ebay auctions. I took them apart to see what they were made of and there are nothing more than 4 common electrical wires of different gauges for plus and minus, braided. To me, zu is 100% marketing / 0 science like many in this industry.
At least with nordost, you get something very well made and distinctively different.
I would prefer Canare over zu.

I have Zu Libtec, which I also got from an eBay auction via Zu's promotional arm.

I never cut my cables open, but I like what they do. They are a very balanced design with excellent bass clarity and extension (I was thinking of getting a subwoofer until I got these cables), while also have lots of speed, midrange transparency, clarity, and treble air. They take awhile to break in, but when they do they are smooth and natural sounding.

Since I bought them new, I had the 60-day return period. I didn't return them; I'm very happy with them and they are competitive with my $1500/pair PS Audio XStream Reference Bi-Wire cables.