I have tried HFC cables in a few systems now. Their strengths are they just let the signal come through with the least distortion and coloration compared to other cables.
So keeping this in mind, my experience has been to start upstream at the source - as once the signal information is lost here you cannot get it back down the chain. As a digital cable the HFC is just awesome, as well as phono or DAC to pre.
I would get the speaker cables last. This is not to say the speaker cables do not have a big effect, in fact once the rest of the system is HFC wired the speaker cables can have the most dramatic impact on the sound, but this is due to the upstream signal finally coming through with such clarity.
I would also suggest to start with the CT-1E series for interconnects and phono cables. With a good systems it is a very large jump over the CT-1. Considering the retail price increase of only $1600 to $2800 it is worth making the jump. Many cable companies would price such a jump in performance at 5-10k.
But to truly appreciate the range above CT-1 you need a decent system. For example a cheap source and integrated amplifier will barely see a performance leap from CT-1 to CT-1E but in a good system it can be huge.
The negatives of the HFC line in general is they do not color/tailor the sound and for some systems this is actually needed and preferred.
So keeping this in mind, my experience has been to start upstream at the source - as once the signal information is lost here you cannot get it back down the chain. As a digital cable the HFC is just awesome, as well as phono or DAC to pre.
I would get the speaker cables last. This is not to say the speaker cables do not have a big effect, in fact once the rest of the system is HFC wired the speaker cables can have the most dramatic impact on the sound, but this is due to the upstream signal finally coming through with such clarity.
I would also suggest to start with the CT-1E series for interconnects and phono cables. With a good systems it is a very large jump over the CT-1. Considering the retail price increase of only $1600 to $2800 it is worth making the jump. Many cable companies would price such a jump in performance at 5-10k.
But to truly appreciate the range above CT-1 you need a decent system. For example a cheap source and integrated amplifier will barely see a performance leap from CT-1 to CT-1E but in a good system it can be huge.
The negatives of the HFC line in general is they do not color/tailor the sound and for some systems this is actually needed and preferred.