Quote Originally Posted by Feanor View Post
On a certain budget deluxe cables might be worth looking into. As I mentioned, some brands are designed to sound "different" and so plausibly will sound different. If you have, say, a $3000+ preamp connecting to a $3000+ amp, spending a few hundred for hundred on I/Cs to get even a subtle change could be worth it -- the big problem that remains is finding the exactly right I/C: the great advice is to make sure you can return them or resell them without too much loss.

My advice remains the same: if you have low to upper mid-range equipment, it's wisest to invest your money in improving other components rather than spending it on expensive cables. The 4 foot XLR Cardas Parec that I would need are $450 at Audio Advisor; to be blunt, I have better uses for $450, whether on hi-fi equipment or many other things.
Feanor....most mid fi gear wont pass the greater detail that a hi end cable will. The best way to listen to cables is to call "The Cable Company" and borrow cables to try in your system. All they charge is 5% and you can apply that to any purchase any time. And they have new as well as used cables. They have just about every cable...if they are not listed, do a search or just call them up. High End audio, Video & speaker cables from The Cable company