Quality Interconnects for recording

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Entry level AQ or Kimber may not be enough. For $500, if you buy used, there are many. It's impossible to say which one will be the best overall.
If I wanted to do something like that, I would compare Mogami, Nirvana and the best Purist for up to $500 and see if it makes a difference. Probably will, the question is how much. New cables usually need 100-200 hours of burn-in time to fully open up.

Yeah, I dislike Cardas let alone micro twin. If you want to stay with Cardas, try to go much higher in line before you are ready to record.