were should best cable go - CD or Preamp?

What constitutes the "better" cable ? Does it depend on:

A) what the cable is made out of ?

B) the geometry of the cable design ?

C) the brand that the cable is is marketed under ?

D) how much the cable costs ?

E) all of the above

OR

F) how it reacts between specific components and the rest of the system ?

Wire IS wire. It is just a matter of WHICH wire works best where. Taking things for granted (i.e. "cable A is better than cable B and should go here" ) and not experimenting may be giving you a LOT less performance and musicality out of your system than it is truly capable of.

Try experimenting with the cables that you already have, paying attention to directionality, and see what happens. You might gain and you might not. Either way, you can always go back to what you had so long as you take notes before starting.

The cost of seeing if there are any differences: no money, only time. It could turn out to be a very worthwhile tweak. At the least, you will have at least gained experience and know for sure what you like best within the confines of your specific system. Sean
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As you can read, all opinions differ, so as I said above, trust your own ears. I will add that I have a duplicate cable as good as the one between my preamp and amp, but it does not sound right with the CD player, a lesser one does.
The best cables is the one that sounds best to you. Ignore how much they cost.

Hi Id determine which is the better cable Id use one to the pre amp and one to the cd on the same side .Then on the other side in reverse ,put on your favorite cd and determine if you like one side more than the other .
I prefer to have all the same type of cable thru my system.

Determine which cable is better. Sell the inferior one, and use the funds to buy another one of the better cable.

Cable synergy and less headaches this way. Well, one out of two ain't bad.

In my experience,
when I used cheaper cables, it was better to have the more expensive cable between the amp and preamp. As I got into expensive cables,( MIT Shotgun... ), I found that it was better to put the best cable on the source.

As has been stated above, try it both ways and see which you like better. Personal taste will also dictate your choice.

Tim