I have heard 2ces and 3as, both of which sounded great with Alpha core MI 2s. IMO they sounded better than Audioquest Mont Blancs with Vandersteens. These cables should be well within your budget as new they are around $11 a foot plus terminations.
Cable angst and Vandersteen 2 ce signature
I've been lurking here quite a while. Informed folks on the analog forum helped me to select a Rega P5 turntable I'm very happy with. Listening to all the buzz about speaker cables makes me wonder if I'm missing something. I use a Yamaha 100 watt HT amp into the Vandersteens with usually the analog source. When digital, it's a Denon 2900. For those of you with experience with these specific speakers, can I do better, much better, or fantastically better than the Cardas cross link basic cables sold to me by my Vandersteen dealer 9 years ago (they're bi-wire with spades). Many thanks for your expertise. My budget is somewhere south of $800 for a 6' pair.