Looking for really fine cables at really low price

No conclusions on WE yet. Even though my initial reactions were not all that favorable, I bought some more WE 16g "just in case" and those are the wires I am breaking in right now on my video setup. These are older WE cables supposedly from the 1950s with terminations on each end. They certainly look like they were used so perhaps they won't need as much breakin as the NOS wire.

Did you happen to see the comments on AA recently by Victor Khomenko (designer of Lamm electronics) regarding breakin generally? His posts were later deleted but they essentially said that the whole notion of breakin is just psychological; it's a matter of the listener getting used to the new sound. He also said something along these lines---people who claim that parts change with breakin never say the sound gets worse, it only gets better, which was evidently to support his view that the changes are all in the listener's mind. I was seriously tempted to call him on this since I can think of a number of things that change for the worse when they breakin fully. Anyway, in my experience, breakin is very real and I can't understand how someone like Victor who is obviously very talented and able to design good sounding amplifiers does not hear the changes in breakin.

Salectric, No I have not seen that post in AA. Glad you bought some extra just-in-case. If you end up not liking it you'll be able to sell it. Given the way you described your rig yesterday I think you will end up liking it.

I have heard good and bad break in several times. Including WIMA caps which I did not like at all in my amp. Several resistors brands as well didnt sound good. These WE16ga IC's...have had several peaks and valleys which were very audible. I found that once the WE16ga speaker wire hit 125 hours they remained pretty consistent, although I confess to never hearing them from the beginning since they were burning in the back room for 125 hours before I stalled them my 300b rig.

My "new" WE 16g wires (the ones from the 1980s or so) started out as bright and thin, but after a few hours, maybe 5 or 6, became very warm in the lower mids and bass and rather dark and closed in on top. I haven't used them since.

The older WE 16g wires that I am breaking in right now will have a lot more hours on them before I try them in the hifi system. As I said before, I am hoping I can use them as internal wiring for my speakers. Right now I have 12g silver-coated copper stranded Mil-Spec wire for the internal wiring, and it sounds very good in that application. However, I would prefer a less massive, more flexible wire, and the WE wires certainly meet that requirement. Sonically we will have to see.

Salectric you mention they became "very warm in the lower mids and bass and rather dark and closed in on top" This is pretty much how I heard the WE16ga Interconnects sound during the 2 or 3 times they shut down. Finally yesterday afternoon I heard them open up a bit and last night I heard a significant change so I put them in the back room burning over night. Early this morning I put them in my 300b rig and they are singing!

Saletric mentions the WE wire as "bright and thin".

My first impression of the WE wire was vintage Vishay ERO FOL capacitors.

I had mentioned in the Cap thread that vintage Vishay had a incredible midrange. (one could say better than Duelund)

The problem is the vintage caps are high resonant parts.

Resonance makes sound come incredibly alive but only the the freq. of the resonant part.

I have moved the WE wire to compare to Duelund Silver 2.0..

I did not know what to think of the vintage Vishay caps and this wire is along the same lines.

I suspect the wire is a high resonant part. Not saying this is bad. If a system has a dull midrange this can elevate bring life to the system.

My copper thin stranded wire is tightly interwoven fine strands. The WE wire does not appear to have tight winding?

The interesting thing is I left one vintage amp which was the best sounding of the lot all vintage until the modded amps were past in all ways.