Oxygen free copper and a well insulated covering is all you (should) need. The real trick is getting the right TERMINATIONS for your particular component(s). Since 5-way binding posts are "too old fashioned" you need banana plugs sometimes, or flexible ends when using winged-input connectors on amplifiers (a real pain IMO). Spade lugs sometimes need to be angled 45 degrees instead of straight. RCA jacks can be too tight or too loose. Heavy cables can drag your component off the shelf. Of course you may need adapters to convert RCA's to XLR's or the other way around. AC plugs can be too heavy even for a good hospital-grade outlet, or too tight. Then there are "impedance" questions only the more educated amongst us really understand. I love my music system, but there are parts of the journey I could have done without, like getting the Bloody cables I bought to fit "nicely" between one box and the other box. More than once I had to get a cable re-terminated. Another time the Belden cable that came with the component worked better than the after-market power cord I purchased. Cables should not be a major problem for the most part when evaluating what your system is capable of. IMHO. And speaking of exotic materials for shelves, footers, etc.
GOOD MDF used properly is still an excellent material and is easy to work with for many projects and applications. Maple is nice too, but probably should be used to make guitars and the like.
GOOD MDF used properly is still an excellent material and is easy to work with for many projects and applications. Maple is nice too, but probably should be used to make guitars and the like.