I own a set of Vandersteen 3A's, and am using my tried and true Kimber Kable 8TC in bi-wired configuration from my Bryston 4B-ST to the speakers. In the price range you mention, I don't think there is a better choice than Kimber 8TC or 4TC (if you want to save some money). You will be very satisfied with the 4TC if you have short runs to your speakers (6-7 feet or less). The current issue of Absolute Sound is devoted to systems costing from $3K to $300K, and on several of the inexpensive systems the reviewers recommend 8TC or 4TC. Of course, the best solution is to find a cooperative audio dealer that will let you try several brands before you buy.
Cables 4 Vandy 3's & preamp 4 Ayre V-3
I have a pair of Vandersteen plain 3's, not A's, not Signatures powered by an Ayre V-3. Need a recommendation on a 10' biwired cable (used) circa $500 or under. Current contenders: Transparent Music Wave Supers, Cardas Quadlink, MIT T2. Please feel free to recommend others. Here's the hard part...I need a musical preamp (used) under $2000, with at least 1 bal out, 2 or more bal in, REMOTE control, tape (line) out (bal would be nice here, but very rare). If tube, must be quiet (low noise floor) but punchy (in the bass freqs). If SS, must be musical and non-harsh, like a Krell or Levinson, sans their upper eschelon price tags. A nice phono stage would be icing on the cake, but I could always buy a standalone unit (phono recommedations under $1000??). Preamp contenders: BAT VK-3i or VK-20???, ARC LS2B, Atma-sphere, YBA, Ayre K-3, others??? Musical tastes range from Gabrielli & Bach, to Billie, Ella, Thelonius, to Krall, to U2 and remixed contemporary dance music. Your comments are VERY much appreciated. Thanks for your time, Michael