Thanks for the clarification, Carl! I haven't followed the whole corporate relationship as closely as I should have. My interest was always on the hobbyist end of their business, not the finished speakers. In the past, I have built speakers using Solen, SCR, Axon, and Focal components. I found some of the Focal drivers not the best to my ears(generally the tweeters). I am not saying they are not first quality, or the equal to anyone else's, just not right for me/my tastes. SCR caps were the best when a high capacitor value was needed. I preferred the sound of SCR to Solen in direct comparison. SCR used a 7 micron film, Solen used a 5 micron film(not that that is the reason I preferred SCR). For lower value capacitors( < 20 microfarad), as well as inductors and resistors, I preferred products from other companies. Back to the topic at hand, I adamantly feel we can equal the big guys' cables. The finest materials must be used, not Home Depot "electrical grade" copper. At least as important as the materials is the geometry of the wire - all of which is easy to reproduce, in most cases. Wire geometry is often what distinguishes one company's wire from another. And the determining factor in why a cable sounds great in one system, poor in another. The markup(from raw material acquisition all the way to customer purchase) is as obscene as anything in this field. If this was in a typical industry(i.e. one driven by economics, rather than status and emotions - or even mass or mid grade electronics), first grade copper interconnect would be less than $30/m, silver less than $100/m(both with typical generous industrial markup). We have even heard manufacturers claim their $1000 cable could be easily marketed for $100, but it would never be able to viewed of having the same "sound" as the other $1000 cables by the "audiophile community". Good Luck to all of us DIYers!!!
