Kimber Kable 8TC vs Audio Art SC-5 dilema ?

Both are solid cables at the end of the day, they're not going to make or break your system. It's not a component, it's wire -- the cherry on top of a really synergistic system.

The only real way to answer your question is to get hold of both and try them in your system, single wired and bi-wired, because bi-wiring doesn't necessarily sound better and in some cases, no different at all than single wiring.

The Cable Company has a huge lending library of wire -- you might try them for a loan on the Kimber. Audio Art has a money-back guarantee.

I've used many cables from both companies and currently have Audio Art SC5 in my system. I've also tried Kimber 4PR, 8PR and 4TC. If I listen REALLY hard...I'd say the Kimber wire in general is slightly 'faster' sounding than the SC5 but again, it's wire, we're talking very slight differences. Without knowing the rest of your system, it's hard to say whether that particular quality would be desirable.

If you're planning to upgrade your system in the near future -- say, a year or two -- it makes sense to buy some decent wire. Cables generally have cruddy resale value, so better to spend a few bucks now on wire you can use in the years to come rather than spending, say, $100 on stuff that will have a resale value of $20.

Regarding Audio Art: I just checked their site and they have the IC1 interconnect on sale for $45. A 6-foot length of SC5 speaker wire is $115. For a total of $160, that's stuff you can use in a more expensive system with confidence.

If you have the patience, buy used and let someone else take the hit. You'll get better bang for your buck that way. Dealers are always taking cables in on trade -- mine has a whole room full of used wire.

Regarding Kimber, I would suggest 4PR speaker wire -- about $90 for an 8-foot run with bananas -- and a 1/2-meter Tonik interconnect for about $55.

But if you wanna go REALLY cheap, you have plenty of options. Regular old Monster Cable or any heavy gauge bulk speaker wire should be just fine for a starter system like yours, and there are many who would argue that it would be just fine for a much more expensive system as well. And sites like www.accessories4less.com have great deals on cables every day.