what is the best speaker cable?

The best speaker cable is like picking your favorite food or flavor. I have numerous "favorites" depending on the speaker and amplifier(s) used. There is no cable which will work very good in all situations. That is why we audiophiles keep chasing the "holy grail" of sound reproduction. Try both solid core and stranded speaker cables. These both sound very different. My personal favorites as a general rule is the Cardas line. There are other good ones also, but the Cardas sound like music to me. The best advice is from someone who has components similar to yours and a room similar to yours and similar musical tastes. Happy listening, Jeff

Hello, and a Happy New Year. I have tried many different high end cables, Nordost, JPS, AudioQuest(Truth), Kimber, Straightwire, Cardas, Transparent, etc,etc,etc in at least 25 different amp,pre,dac combinations and have found many good qualities in each setup.

I am now driving Aerial 10T's with an Aragon 8008BB x 5 using a Meridian 565 as my processor/pre. I recently tried Virtual Dynamics Signature Cables with WBT spades and will not go back to anything else, unless of course Rick comes up with a new product to try. I am now waiting for my true shotgun biwired cables to arrive and then I can update this.

The missing ingredient that Virtual Dynamics solved for me was the seamless interface between a wonderful bass and the high end. Aerials are notorious for being punchy, almost boomy in the lower ranges, but with these new cables, I find the 10T's to be everything Aerial said and more.....I am extremely happy and recommend these cables to anyone who will listen........14 day guarentee...unconditional..can't beat it...

I know this isn't what you wanted to hear.--- But your speakers are only running in first gear with your intergrated amp.You could spend thousands on wires--and that won't overcome how the speakers are being short-changed by the electronics.Same for Sogvet. If this were "Component-Story"--as in-- "Toy-Story" your speakers--3.8's or 10T's would be saying to the rest of the components--" Hey,I'm so much better than the rest of you guys"-- "Na,Na,Na" Keep whatever wires you have--The new wires may not mate well with the electronics you need to move up to.

agreed. the int amp is where your $$ should go. but fwiw, best cables (there is no "best"---too dependent on upstream / downstream):

cardas golden cross / neutral refernce
JPS Superconductor
Jena Labs
Nordost Valhalla
TG Audio (all silver--and best bang for buck)
Kharma (@$15k i think).

rhyno

Nordost spm has beaten everything else I've used by a fair margin. Simply a higher level or resolution and detail. I haven't tried valhalla in my personal system.

At the prices people charge for used cables, I've actually found them to have a very good price/performance ratio. My system goes downhill FAST whenever I put a lower performing cable in it.