Better to think about what makes a “good” cable and why in terms of the physics. That is a thorny set of questions because it depends upon the nature of the output of the driver and the input of the driven component. In my opinion it’s a bit less critical for interconnects, except for phono and SUT, than it is for speakers.
Where to start upgrading?
I've got the itch to start a gradual process to upgrade my setup, but analysis paralysis is setting in...
The receiver and speakers are less important to me as 90% of my listening is through headphones in a finished attic space with less than ideal acoustics. My gut reaction was to upgrade the turntable and cartridge first and build around that "base". I've been looking in the price range of ~$5-6,000 for the turntable and cartridge, but would a turntable upgrade have a low ceiling for performance improvement based on the other components?
My current setup is:
Turntable: Pioneer PL-560
Cart: Denon DL-110
Phono stage: iFi Zen phono 3
Headphone amp: Schitt Magni
Headphones: Sennheiser HD650