Xindak cables: how good are they?

I agree, not great. I would place the speaker cables in a class with Monsters. Not a big fan of supporting China either.

Thanks for all the input. Do you have personal favorites for the best performance cables for the money?

Baranyi
I think the Xindaks are pretty good for the prices they actually sell for. Their retail listing is artificial/inflated, but the street price makes it a contender IMO. I bought some FS-2 to try out in a second system, and haven't been disappointed.
I also tried them in my main system, up against some well-regarded cables---HMS, Silversmith, Concierto Violins--and they weren't embarassed.

Mids are a little smoother and the midbass has a bit more drive with the HMS. There's a touch more immediacy, and a greater sense of ease with the Silversmith. The Violins provide more life and emotion (they're my present fave of the group).
Otherwise, pretty close. at a quarter/third the cost. Decent detail in the mids, reasonably neutral tonally, tight bass, coherence, a good, layered soundstage, and extended highs without zip.

See if your friend will let you borrow his. Every system and person has their own preferences. IMS, they beat out my Tice, Zu and Analysis Plus.

Richards,
I just looked up the price for the concierto violins and almost fell out of my chair. They must make them in Cremona!

Yeah, it's a crazy hobby, and diminishing returns are always at play. You pay a lot for that last little bit. I could never defend it rationally, but when you hear something you like better it's hard to go back. For me, the Conciertos are worth it (at least at used prices).

It all depends on your budget, and how much you value incremental improvements. Women spend money on jewelry, and I'm sure most of them couldn't distinguish between a real diamond and a fake. but to those who can....

I hear meaningful enough differences in cables (even digitals) to keep trying different ones. Some people don't. You have to figure out if you're one of them and what it's worth to you.

And as I said about the Xindaks, other cables are better, but the FS2s get you a significant amount of the way there at a resonable price. If you buy your cables used, they're mostly broken-in already, and you'll save a lot--and you can resell if you don't like them. Once you're settled on the components you want, you can fine-tune with cables. Some would say you'd get a lot more by trying different speakers, and I agree--I'd love to try dozens of different speakers in my room, but the logistics are prohibitive.

No cable works for everyone, or every system. I lent my Xindaks to a friend, and he preferred his Acoustic Zens in his ribbon system (less extended but smoother on top).
Good luck with your search.