Cables:Harmonic/Nordost/Cardas

I feel compelled to throw my two cents in on this subject. Cardas cables are as much tone controls as many of the other cables offered by manufacturers who make claims based upon geometry, grain structure, specific burn-in times and so on. Lets not forget that cables are simply designed to "connect" your hardware, not impart any sonic signature or other artifacts which could alter the speed, pitch and timbre of your system. Speaking of science, not voodoo, have you gone to Nordost's site and read the specs on their wire? Pure science with published specs and reviews which support the test data. I have heard too much about "burn-in"...have you thought that possibly you are achieving positive or negative results after a lengthy burn-in which is nothing more than becoming accustomed to the "sound" of the cables? Have you noticed that more than a few of the writers for Stereophile start their reviews with "At first I thought component XYZ sounded harsh and overly agressive, but after six weeks of continuous playing, it finally got broken in enough to reveal its true sound?" this is just another way of saying "I finally got used to its sound, and now I like it fine". Cables are not supposed to have attributes which you can identify, quantitfy or use to "balance" a systems sound. The Nordost Red Dawn is an excellent choice, as is SPM and several other wires in their lineup. The only way to fully understand the proper role of cables is to experiment with different wire to hear for yourself what they do in your system. If you know what you want, the used market offers excellent deals on quality wire, if you do not know what you want, nothing beats a local understanding dealer who will loan you different wire to try in your system. If Nordost is too expensive, the Goertz wire is also excellent value for the money. You have a very promising system, the right cables can allow the true voice of your rig shine through.