wnat to downgrade my cables

Excellent responses. Sugarbrie- I'm not downgrading too far but want to free up some cash for a great deal on a SET amp and I'm thinking of replacing the speaker cables with Sonoran cables so they should still be good enough for my system. S23Chang- Your last suggestion is exactly what I am planning to do. I am planning to try out an integrated 15Watt 300B set that a friend of mine is selling. It's not so much that anything is "missing" but to do this I need to free up some money and like I said, I think the cables can be replaced with a less expensive cable and still keep the strengths alive. My room is truly the weak link but there's nothing I can do about that right now. Maybe I'm wrong to switch cables but I figure there's really only one way to find out.

If I understand your question, try replacing the expensive interconnects with the direct marketed interconnect design for tube components sold by greggstraley@yahoo.com. For $120 (less, if you beg,) expect an audible interconnect upgrade, even though you just saved money. Gregg offers a home trial, so there is no risk. After you hear the audible upgrade of your entire system, then you can decide whether to spend more money on your amp, or just enjoy your improved sound for a while. His interconnects revealed the capabilities of a system of mine with its vintage Cary SLA-70Sig amplifier.

Listener57- I wrote to gregg for more info.
I replaced my yam5000 with sonoran desert cables and eeks! not even close. Any ideas?

YES. Not all cheap cable can do top job.
Congrads Stuartbranson! You have a decent enough system that you can tell the difference.
There is a certain limitation with what money can buy. If you're looking for something that is same level as the YAM5000 then I would expect you to pay $250 to $300 regardless used or new. The other alternative is to build the cable yourself with quality materials and the right method.
Don't even bother with home grown audio because it is not the same class.
Therefore, how much can you really save by switching to the cheaper alternatives?
Same price range apply to speaker cablest too.

S23...liked your first post a lot...but not the knee-jerk assessment of tight correlation between price and quality of reproduction of the cable market your second supports. Have you ever tried the cheap Canare starquad cables all the pro recording engineers use? I suggest Stuart spend $20 for a pair of these while rescaling his system. Remember, he wants a slightly warmish cable...probably not the Nordost SPM I use nor another $$$ rare-metal snakeset....