Cable advice


My system is as follows: I am looking for advice on interconnect and speaker cables for my system. Marantz PM-84D Integrated amplifier, Denon 1650AR CD player, Vandersteen 2Ce speakers. The CD/Amp interconnect is Kimber PBJ. Speaker cables are inexpensive Monster cable which I bought at United Audio (about $40 for a 15ft run). The speakers are bi-wired. I would appreciate any advice I can get on cables, both interconnect and speaker.
chander
Why isn't everybody recommending megabucks cables? How are these cable guys gonna buy their new Porches if you guys keep recommending $65 interconnect, and discontinued speaker wire that somebody can buy for $50 used? Surely, if it costs more it has to be better, forget about your ears saying that PBJ is the equal of many $300-500 wire. This is gonna lead us down the road of ruin, we can't have reasonable cable can we? Next thing you know, I'll be reading that amplifiers don't all sound the same. Hey, they measure the same.
IMHO the lowest priced Cardas, Crosslink is superior to Kimber PBJ. The cost is similar to PBJ, but the Cardas is richer with a more solid 3-D image.
Monster speaker cables must go immediately, for your price range get Analysis Plus Oval 12, $150 new for 8ft pair or go up to Oval 9 for $299. Used look for AQ Midnights. I do not share enthusiasm for PBJ others have here. It is very detailed, but has lean, forward sound which will become more apparant when your remove Monster cables. This may be the sound you are looking for, but for richer, fuller, more natural sound try used HT Truthlink or AQ Opal for $100-125, Sam
PJB is easy to beat even for the price: you can get pure silver Stealths--www.interlinkhouse.com--for about the same. With the Stealth 30-day money-back guarantee, you'd be doing yourself a favor, IMHO, to give these a try, as far up the models list as you can afford (frequent promotions to check out). I made my own cables for a decade or so, including KCAG clones, and PJB clones (but with a fatter braid, which sounded better) for noncritical use (cassette tape, FM tuner), and when I first heard Stealth cables, I gave up my homemade ones completely. Homegrownaudio are cheap but use wire that's WAY too thick to sound good. That's true of a lot of name brand cables, alas. Poor designs but wonderful marketing skills: that characterizes a number of well-known companies, which I'll not go so far as to name.