Best interconnects 2m for less than 200/pr used

Last months Stereophile referred to the Goertz Micro-Purl Cu's as being quite good. I think that they would have liked them even better if they would have burned them in using a Mobie instead of the Duo-Tech. My opinion of the Duo-Tech is not very high after using the Mobie on interconnects.

To quote the text:

"Bottom line? The Micro Purl Cu is a very good cable, a great budget cable and, at $78/m, a spectacular value."

At the end of the article, they state:

"Alpha-Core has packed a tremendous amount of value into these cables - their performance, ease of use, and build quality are well above the industry norm."

I've been using these in my HT system for a while now and see no need to change them. I needed 5 runs at 5' each (25 ft total) and started looking for cables. Luckily, I found an 8 meter pair (almost 27 ft) of the MP Cu's for $175 !!! I simply cut them to length and reterminated myself with gold plated, teflon insulated locking RCA's. While this was kind of a pain to deal with even with having the right tools to do the job, there is NO WAY that i could have ever gotten anything remotely close to the quality of these cables for anywhere near that price.

I suggest checking them out or at least reading the Stereophile review to see if you think that they might interest you. You could start of by buying a stereo pair of cables to run your mains and seeing if they are worth pursuing. Goertz offers a pretty lengthy trial period if you buy direct. Keep in mind that you will be paying list price if you do that though. Otherwise, try finding a local dealer and see if they'll work with you. They might also be a little more willing to "negotiate" on the price.

Keep in mind that system synergy and personal taste is what matters, so take all of these recommendations with a grain of salt until you can find out for yourself what works best. This includes my comments also. Sean
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I second the recommendation of AQ Lapis, but don't think you can find them for under $200 a pair. You should be able to get Emeralds (one step down) pretty easily for that price. Email me if you are interested in Emeralds, I may be able to help you out.

Brady

I think the Discovery Signature cables are fantastic.

Okay.. Looks like you have an integrated AV/2 channel system. I presume the Krell KAV 250a powers your front two channels and the EAD the center and rear channels. Since the two amps will sound differently, I think you "might" need different brands of cable for each but of course that depends upon your goals for the system.

If you want the amps to sound similar, use a run of Cardas Golden Reference between the Lexicon and the Krell. Use runs of Audioquest Lapis x3 for between the Lexicon and the EAD. If this doesn't float your boat and you want higher resolution, sell the Cardas, move the Lapis to your Lex/Krell and buy Audioquest Diamond x3 for the Lex/EAD.

Believe it or not, the Lapis and Diamond x3 will lend a character to the EAD giving it more of the "Krell" sound.
Cardas GR sounds very close to the Lapis on Krell KAV gear it has a bit more midrange than the Audioquest.

I've owned all the equipment you have now - I spent a great deal of time (and money) figuring out this recipe.

Both the Cardas and the Diamond are beyond the 200 price range and therefore if cost is really an issue and you cannot save or wait, go with the Lapis x3 all the way around and I think you'll be rather happy.

hi - a question about balancing...
my krell can handle balanced inputs, but my lexicon only has rca outputs. do 'balanced' or 'xlr' cables have rca on one side and balanced on the other? silly question, but thanks!
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