Cable confusion and questions.

What do you want your cables to do? Pass a signal cleanly from one component to the next? Not really a difficult task, is it?
Find a well constructed cable and relax.

Markw1 - I share your frustration with selecting cables. I have found that, more than any other part of the audio chain, choosing the right cables requires experimentation. Admittedly, that can get expensive, which is why so many folks, myself included, recommend buying used cables here on A'gon, so that if and when you discover that a cable isn't right for your system, you can sell it to someone for whom it may be a better match.

Having said that, I am familiar with the sound of both Integra and Paradigm, and I believe that the Kimber 8TC you mentioned is a good, safe choice. I previously owned the 8TC's and found them dynamic, open, and reasonably coherent. But there I go, using the cable vernacular that drives you crazy. Which brings me back to experimentation...

Timrhu hits the nail on the head! PNF Audio does that for me. There are other good ones out there that don't cost an arm & a leg as well. I've tried LOTS of them but PNF has been the best, long term value for me. That doesn't mean Kimber or AQ or Morrow might not be the right thing for you. Trouble with cables is that they are a VERY expensive proposition to try one at a time.

One suggestion I would make in buyng cables, think of them like another component and buy everything from one manufacturer if you can. Usually, they were designed together and will usually work together. PNF ICON and Symphony are a good case in point. they are really a synergistic match for each other.

It is maddening trying to find that right cable mix, took me years to settle on PNF. So as Timrhu says, buy a good cable that makes you happy, realx and enjoy your music!

Those who make their living selling I/C would have you believe that moving a signal is problematic. This just simply is not true. Any cable you try will a) not make any difference that you hear (most likely), b) sound worst that what you had before or c) make some improvement. If I were buying new, I would not buy unless I could first hear the cable in my system. If I were buying on A'gon I would only buy if I could purchase at Blue Book or less and would only buy a cable that had active sales activity. "not enough data to graph" would be not an option. IOW - if I could likely not sell for whatever I had in it, I would likely not take the plunge.

I second Byroncunningham Kimber suggestion; I used Kimber with an Onkyo TX-NR 905 and thought they worked well together.