market for new IC cables.AQ,Cardas,Nordost&Kimber

I’m in agreement with much of the preceding...
Preference for one brand/model of wire over another will depend on gear it’s used with and your ears/tastes. Generalizations about sonic characteristics are, I think, of limited value - though the Cardas wire I’ve had does seem to be weightier in the midrange and slightly rolled off in the high end (300B micro twin SE ICs; Golden Reference XLRs; Parsec speaker cable). The AQ wire I’ve tried or owned, by contrast has seemed a little thin (Rocket 33 speaker cable; Columbia XLR). Borrow from The Cable Co. and try any of those Big 4 at home. Decide for yourself.

I also second JayC’s Clear Day suggestion. I own his Double Shotgun Speaker Cables. Great presence and "meat on the bones" yet neutral with great clarity and nice high end extension. Maybe not quite as much low end extension as the Cardas Parsec speaker cable I have. Depending on speakers and amp used, one or the other (or both in bi-wire) sounds best to my ears. I have a pair of Morrow Audio SP-4 but prefer the Clear Day or Cardas to them. My experience might have exactly no predictive value towards what you or anyone else experiences.

mancub -
Apologies for not reading carefully. I missed your IC focus in the title though I think the general traits comments I made still apply.

Missing your interest in ICs, I neglected to mention Mogami. Certainly a well-established mftr. Might be one to consider (though maybe not high priced enough). I just purchased a pair of Mogami Gold Neglex Studio XLRs and am very pleased with the sound with them installed...especially given the price of <$100 for 1 meter delivered.

Other XLR cables at hand that the Mogami were compared to are: Harmonic Tech Pro Silway II, Cardas Gold Ref., Cabledyne Copper Ref., and AQ Columbia. Will the Mogami trounce any of the wire you are considering from the Big 4? No idea.

Ha! Two with the same opinion...must be a valid characterization ;-)

Maybe you will like some of the newer Cardas wire....Parsec or possibly Cygnus (though I’ve not heard the latter). Parsec definitely has more "heft" than the AQ stuff did in my system but not nearly as heavy as the old-school Cardas. Good luck. The Cable Co. will help take the guesswork out of your decision.