Looking for really fine cables at really low price

Mitch2, I am an avid DIY builder with gear and wire. I know you want to use the better connectors, I get it, but please use the same Switchcraft connectors that usually come with these Use the same exact build, connecting the shield on both ends etc...

This stuff is magic as is and proven. "Better" connectors will not necessarily equal better sound. We have a proven recipe here that is so special.

The WE wire sounds better without spades....just bare wire. I tried both. If you must use connectors, then I fully understand. They still sound wonderful with them as you know.

The Belden cable with the Switchcraft connectors just plain works. Major Mojo stuff here! Like tomato and bacon! Like bacon and eggs! Like bacon and anything really....

I may be mistaken but the reason for terminating untinned copper wires is because it is susceptible to oxidation which does affect the sound. If they're tinned just use the bare wire with no worries

Mitch2,
Seriously, take Grannyring's advice. Shirokazu Yazaki-san, the superb Japanese designer and builder who alerted us all to this WE and Belden spent years experimenting with different combinations of of wires, connectors, solder and so forth; just keep it simple, save the $$$$ and apply the $$$$ elsewhere. This combo is the magic bullet. Jetrexpro was merely talking about burning in time, more for him than me. Jeff Day and about 99.33% of the folks swear by this combo. Don't over complicate something that is really simple and inexpensive. Give it a chance to work for you. Best, Rob.

Well an update on the mighty Belden cable with Switchcraft connectors used as a digital cable. The cable only has 10 hours on it thus far. It replaced an outstanding Sablon Audio Panatela pure silver twisted wire digital cable in natural fibers. I purchased it used from a Six Moons reviewer. He used it as his reference for several years. This Sablon cable is outstanding and made my Yamamoto dac really sing compared to other digital cables.

With only 10 hours the $30 Belden is no slouch already. The stage grew wider and taller. The sound is more full bodied and meaty. The music sounds more natural and flowing. The detail retrieval is not quite as good just yet, but we will see after some 50-100 hours. If it continues to open up like my last two sets of BeldenICs, then the mighty Sablon will find a new home.

I find the Belden cable so beautiful sounding. They make the music flow with a musical ease and smoothness that escapes most big dollar cables. They do sound a little muddy at first in the mid to lower bass, but that also resolves itself after full burn in.

Glare. I hate it. Glare is something the Belden cable seems to hate more than I. It is not there....smooooooth!

Grannyring and Mikirob, the 6-foot long SCs are already constructed using Cardas GRS spades. They were burned in for over 2 days on the Audiodharma cooker and then for another full day in my system with Ayre's Full Glide Tone. They sound very good and I doubt the spades made much difference one way or another since the signal also routes through two sets of Cardas binding posts, at the amp and speakers. I do believe that running the cables as an external bi-wired pair, doubling both the MF/HF and LF runs (4 wires to each) for less resistance, using the larger 14awg wire for LF while keeping the 16awg for the MF/HF, and the closely spaced/twisted quad geometry (which reduces inductance), all probably played a positive role, particularly since I am driving moderately efficient (but known to be power hungry) speakers using a powerful high current amplifier. I suspect the aggregate 13 awg for MF/HF and 11 awg for LF is more than adequate for a 6-foot run but I would be interested in hearing even larger versions of this wire.

Regarding the ICs, I cannot use the same connectors as everyone else here because my system is fully balanced - so I need XLR connectors. The two I mentioned, Furutech 601/602 and Vampire XLR, are connectors I have on-hand for cable projects, so would not cost me anything. I looked up Switchcraft XLR connectors and the pins are listed as being a "copper alloy." The Vampire connectors are also listed as having copper alloy pins. The Furutech connectors have beryllium copper and phosphor bronze pins that have been treated with Furutech's proprietary Alpha process, which includes demagnetization and cryogenic treatments.

I would have no problem ordering Switchcraft XLR connectors from Parts Express since they would only cost me about $35 for all 8 connectors (I am making two pairs of cables) but I am skeptical there would be a sonic difference between those and the Vampire connectors, since the signal will be traveling through high quality Cardas XLR connectors at the amp and preamp. OTOH, the Furutech connectors have improved the sound of every cable I have used them on.

I appreciate that Mr. Shirokazu Yazaki and Jeff Day brought these good sounding wires to our attention (and that you guys have shared your findings so prompting me to give them a try), but I am not of the belief that the configuration and connectors they use are the only ones that will result in good sound. The laws of physics still apply. I don't mind being the Guinea pig for trying things differently and I will report back on what I hear.