Looking for really fine cables at really low price

DIY "anti-cable", aka magnet wire.

I've assembled IC's as well as speaker cables. I purchased some surplus 12 awg, 18 awg, and 20 awg which were modest monetary investments and which yielded great results.
YMMV

What is the so-called “burning-in” of a cable ?

A: Any cable’s conductors consist of many groups of atoms, clustered in crystals or atom clusters. The borders between these crystals or clusters are critical zones where electron movements are hindered when the condition of these boundaries is getting worse. This worsening takes place e.g. when your loudspeaker cable is moved every day and/or chemical activity is around - latter amplified by higher humidity levels, elevated temperatures and air pollution. Also imperfections in the cable insulation can trigger conductivity changes.
Burning-in is the effect that, despite any affected crystal borders, the sound quality improves again thanks to electron movement through conducting zones like so-called electron tunnels. But... when you move a cable again, those tunnels are “broken” and you then have to start again by playing your music.

I just got my bulk Belden and should have a pair of IC's completed soon. I'm excited! I've been running a 12' pair of WE16ga for a few weeks, connected to either Sonus Faber Liuto Monitors or Magnepan MMG's. Preamp is upgraded MFA Luminescence, and amplification is provided either by MFA Tube amps or NAD C272, depending on my mood. The WE wire is not twisted but I do use small nylon ties every 16 inches or so to keep the wires tidy.

I am very pleased with these speaker cables. In my system, music sounds more "alive" - perhaps it's fair to say it's closer to "the absolute sound" on a modest scale, than any other speaker cables I've had in my various systems. The texture of most instruments is more "palpable" to me. Piano is especially enjoyable. Jazz combos are glorious. Is"palpable" is roughly analogous to "timbral"? If my semantics are not apt, kindly weigh in. :)

I've got high expectations for the Belden IC's.

Belden IC assembly help request. I recently saw some photos online of how the Belden 8402 is soldered to the RCA plugs but I cannot find them now that I'm ready to assemble mine. Can anyone kindly help? I recall that the shield was twisted but don't remember the place on the RCA to which it was soldered. Also, does it matter which wire goes to the center and which to the outside?
Thanks very much- I'm a relative newbie at this sort of thing.

Salectric:
Yes, THAT is where I read the comment! Thanks.
Earlier today I found a number of photos online showing how to position and solder shielding to RCA plugs. I will report back once I've got my Belden IC's assembled and installed in my system.

Best wishes,
Ps

Jet: Thanks very much for your helpful response. I recall that the shielding should be twisted on the ends to make it thin- similar to the other wires- so it can be readily soldered. I will need to be careful and patient when stripping the ends of the Belden to allow enough length for the shield.

Best wishes,
Ps

RE: Shun Mook. This from their website: "micro tuned by ear-listening"

Does anyone know WTF "micro tuning by ear listening" means? Can I somehow make my modest investment in old wire worth upwards of 50 or 60 times what I paid for it?

Full disclosure:

I recently purchased enough cloth-covered stranded and tinned WE 16 awg on eBay to make a pair of 12' speaker cables. I've got about 50 hours on the wires and so far they perform as described by grannyring and others. Great detail, depth, and "air." I run an excellent MFA tube preamp into a surprisingly good NAD C272 amp into a pair of Magnepan MMG's. My wife with golden ears says the WE are not as full as Grover's speaker cables. Her ability to hear high frequencies is better than mine.

I've been holding off on making some IC's using the Belden, because I first wanted to experiment with a few sets of old IC's, primarily Van den Hul 300S. I've been running Grover's IC's for the past number of years. Early impressions of the Van Den Hul/WE combo are quite favorable.

More later.

The following is a quote from a lengthy list of FAQ's on the Van Den Hul Website:

"3-8 Q: What is the so-called “burning-in” of a cable ?

A: Any cable’s conductors consist of many groups of atoms, clustered in crystals or atom clusters. The borders between these crystals or clusters are critical zones where electron movements are hindered when the condition of these boundaries is getting worse. This worsening takes place e.g. when your loudspeaker cable is moved every day and/or chemical activity is around - latter amplified by higher humidity levels, elevated temperatures and air pollution. Also imperfections in the cable insulation can trigger conductivity changes.
Burning-in is the effect that, despite any affected crystal borders, the sound quality improves again thanks to electron movement through conducting zones like so-called electron tunnels. But... when you move a cable again, those tunnels are “broken” and you then have to start again by playing your music. You may wonder why (especially) on Sunday evening the music sounds so good again, this after a week with plenty of sound problems. Your cables finally are burned-in. But as soon as the killing Hoover (vacuum cleaning) hour on Monday morning comes and the over-active cleaning lady messes about with your cables, the problem returns: your cables are “burned-out” again, remaining that way until the following Sunday..."

Further comments on IC's with my WE speaker wires. I tried a pair of ancient van den Hul D300S from my Luminescence preamp to the NAD C272 amp, into Magnepan MMGs.

Initial impression was one of detail and "lightness". After a few days, overall sound became a bit harsher. I liked the "airiness" but not the harshness. This morning I dug out another ancient IC, Monster Cable M1000 MKII, which yielded quite a different result. Fuller, better bass, but still good detail. More pleasant than the van den Hul. I'll give this combo a few days for break-in and to get a better sense of other qualities, such as sound stage. So far I like it.

Meanwhile I'll order some Belden wire and make a pair of IC's to compare. According to the rest of you guys, the Belden is THE one. :)

What a fun and inexpensive experiment/journey this little project is.