BEST INTERCONNECT FOR $25 EACH?

There are no $25 best interconnect cables. As a rule of thumb, if your components are under $1000, Decent cables such as from Monoprice work fine, and you don't need more expensive cables, or even a $3000 cable doesn't make any difference. If you components are between $1000 and $10,000, Blue Jean cables work fine. BJC uses Belden and Canare cables, Neutrik and Switchcraft connectors, and a few others. If your components are more than $10,000, then look for better cables. The total cost of your cable is no more than 5% of your system. I make my own cables for a $50K McIntosh-Focal system.

"While any premium microphone cable will serve, I would stick with Mogami 2534. If you are terminating with RCA connectors, connect both the blue wires to the centre pins, both white wires to the outer rings (or vice versa). Connect the shield to the outer ring at the amplifier end only."

terry9

It's always been my understanding that the shield/drain is only connected to the sending end of the cable, so with a preamp/power amp connection, that would be preamp end only.

The mogami 2549 sound really good, you won’t be disappointed, just put on nice connectors and your set. 

I’m still up in the air and starting to watch videos to build my own. If I buy some Duelund wire and make it unshielded, how do I add a drain line?

Are the Duelund makers in this post not using a drain wire?  

Years ago I purchased cables from Innersound $50 per meter pair.  If you can find some used I'd go for it.

The manufacturer explained that all that is needed for them to sound good is a have good wire (he used Belden) and a solid connection to the plug.

Innersound was a high end electrostatic speaker manufacturer.

You can probably get pretty good cables if you check your local vendors and find someone who will build them for you.