Like so many voices here I am not taking any side exept what my ears tell me. Your situation might be different then X or Y. It comes down to practicality, shielding/isolation, quality and interference. My cables are top of the line Vampire ( custom made biwire ) 12f long which I will be getting out of my system soon. These will be replaced with 4f biwire Morrow Audio. In my case, shorter runs are preferable since the very close placement of my mono-blocks. It is also recommended my Mike from Morrow but that is not the reason or rule that one should go by. It is prefer by some and cursed by others. Opinions about that matter goes block by block, dealer to dealer. You will have to make that decision yourself - unfortunately .......or not.
is there a consensus on too short speaker cables?
I normally use 6 ft cables - which are in abundance used. 8 ft seems to be more common. I'm going to get new cables and intend to go with 5 foot length - since this is as long as I need. My only reservation is given the fact that selling them is inevitable next time I upgrade - would 5 ft be less saleable than 6 ft? Is this nit-picking?