My experience with TCC was a very positive one. Trying new cables is a crap shoot at best. The only way you can do it reliably at all, in your sytem, is with back-to-back comparisons. The Cable Company's lending library offers the largest selection I've seen. They give you enough time to help you do this. They give you audition credit towards any purchases.
I was able to test and compare 5 different $3K plus IC cables, plus 3 other pairs from dealers over a period of 3 months to pick the right ones. The advice I got from TCC was great. They even included a really expensive $9K pair of ICs at no charge so I could see if they were worth the extra cost. Also, most of their demo cables have seen a fair amount of use already so there's less issues with "burn in" (You still have settling time constraints so you can't do quick substitutions). Of course you could always just "wing-it", but that's a total waste of money.
The Cable Company advice?
Anyone have experience (good/bad/meh) with consultation advice from The Cable Company?
I asked for a recommendation for 8’ speaker cables from a $20k integrated to $35k speakers. Their reply was a long pitch about their lending library. When I asked for a specific recommendation they suggested a $750 pair of cables. When I replied that my budget was $2,500 to $5k with some specifics about air, soundstage, bass clarity, etc. they suggested one step up the line to a $1,500 pair.
Considering all the high priced cables they offer I was surprised and a little skeptical.
Does anyone have experience with them to share?