Kimber Monocle X

" I had been using 8TC and tried the Monocle X and was a bit surprised at how similar they were--The Monocle X was better but I was expecting a wider margin. (Rowland Model 10 driving Maggie 1.7i's). "

That's probably the perfect amp to use for driving the 1.7's. I still have my 112. If I remember correctly, its the stereo version of your 10's. Those amps get the timbre exactly right in the high frequencies. At first, you may think its rolled off, but all of the information is there.

Appearance wise, the Monocle looks more like the Select series than the 8 or 12 TC. Its just an observation on my part. They may very well sound closer to the 8's.

I had been using 8TC and tried the Monocle X and was a bit surprised at how similar they were--The Monocle X was better but I was expecting a wider margin. (Rowland Model 10 driving Maggie 1.7i's).

Yeah , The Monacle costs more , Is bigger in diameter , Looks fancier . Of course you expected your speakers to produce magical tunes ! We all do .

I had been using 8TC and tried the Monocle X and was a bit surprised at how similar they were--The Monocle X was better but I was expecting a wider margin. (Rowland Model 10 driving Maggie 1.7i's). 

Pops my experience is always good to try them in my system, agoners here all have different system, We all have different taste of sound, For the most part, you read what kind a speakers and components they have, cables sounds different on every system,if my system is dark sounding, I will look for Nordost, kimbers, silver cable, it does not always work though, auditioning cables is fun, and stressful,and it can get very enpensive too .At audiogon there is so much information that can either help or confuse you.Keep on asking until you can understand what they mean.Trust me agoners are helpful, I learned a lot here.

I did a comparison with Monocle X, Nirvana SL, and Straightwire Maestro II with Thiel 3.6 and Mcintosh mono's courtesy of the Cable Company a few years back.  The SW was the best, the other two were close.  The Monocle was on the warm side, slightly more refined than 8TC but not as open and transparent.  I will always have a run of 8TC around, they are classic solid performers.  I thought Kimber Select 3035 was on the warm side also.  I bought the 3035's w/o an audition and lived with them for a couple of years before selling.

The Monocles are probably not the best match for Thiels because they are so transparent but the warmer mid bass was nice.  As Jayctoy says the only way to know is to try in your system and your room.

Really the only way to know is to try them

Appreciate the input all - I'm pretty set w my system right now and don't envision adding any new components in the near future other than maybe an sut to my vinyl rig (vpi classic/dv20x2/black cube se ii). And I like the sound I get from my 8vs on the whole. But monocle x is a considerable jump up the kimber chain and when I saw their local avail it definitely made me think. I need a fairly long run for my set up and he has a 10ft pair of monocle x that I think I could get for 600. Less than half off retail. 

As a former owner of the XL, you can do much better at retail prices.  They are not bad cables but it all comes down to "what is a great price"

If you plan on upgrading any of your other components, do that first. Active components and speakers should make a much bigger difference than a pair of speaker cables. Especially since both cables are made by the same company. Also, cables don't always sound the same with different equipment. In one system, a cable may sound bright, and in another system, dull. 

The secret to making the right cable choice, is to properly match your components first. If you get that right, cable selection becomes much easier. Most people demand way too much from cables, and are usually disappointed because they don't do as much as they thought they would.

..depends on the deal you got....   I think they're quite good, but like Wireworld top of the line better.

Davelarz i auditioned them before with my Martin Logan, for me they are dry sounding,