Please tutor me on some integrated amp basics.

There are so many cable brands because it's easy to make money out of it

Bingo!

Reading some of the FAQ, one has to wonder. Claims are made for unaltered transmission, but anyone can calculate the EQ effect of the sundry designs into various loads.

Speaking of Bingo, many manufacturers play Buzz Word Bingo.

e.g. products are Cryomag'd, but no specifics as to how that improves audio performance. Cryogenic rolling decreases electrical conductivity.

Beryllium Copper is touted. It's harder but only conducts about 15-30% as well as copper. Its hardness may be a detriment when mating connectors as any high points will reduce contact area, further reducing current carrying capacity.

Gold plating is referenced, but no mention is made of the process. Is it nickel plated or acid washed? Each has different sonics. Semi-conductors are made from metal to metal junctions.

Beryllium Copper is used as a spring material, e.g. fuse clips, but can suffer deplating when flexed. Not a great idea on a banana plug.

Look at Wireworld and Audio Sensibility.

Duckworp, my apologies, but somehow when re-reading this thread this morning, I noticed, and think I missed replying to your long and thoughtful post.

I will be setting up my new system first with some more basic cable as you suggest. Your outline of how to proceed seems quite sensible to me. I will be concentrating on speaker cable first as you also suggest. The only exception will be acquiring the relatively inexpensive VPI manufactured turntable interconnect as my turntable is a VPI Classic similarly wired. I’ll look into the Townsend brand you recommend as well.

I appreciate you thinking and saying the Luxman will match well with the Magico’s. I surely hope so. The Luxman rep that told me they use Magico A3’s to demo their amps at shows encouraged me to think they may be well matched too.

Austinbob, sorry, I think I missed replying to your post too, which followed directly after Duckworp’s. I wish I had that room correction program you have with your Lyngdorf, especially if it works as well as the reviewers say. I seriously considered the Lyngdorf and a couple others for that alone.

Mike

Twoleftears. I've added Wireworld  and Audio Sensibility to my long list. 

Ieales, thanks for pointing out a few touted, but questionable cable construction attributes. Helps sort out the wheat from the chaff.

Mike. 

skyscraper,

You might have noticed that, when it comes to cables, there are two large groups.

One considers cables as a Heaven's answer to, more or less, everything although, once you read their reports, they are really using them as tone controls. It may not be that bad of an idea for those who do not own your amplifier. Your set-up is simpler to manage, though.

Second group does not believe in absolutely anything that has anything to do with cables. They barely accept that cables transmit signal, it seems, and stop short of claiming that wire hangers are just fine.

These two groups are two parallel worlds that, on occasions, throw all the verbal ammunition they have at each other. Not much to learn there. You will read some of the statements in disbelief.

You seem to be the kind that will end up in the third, probably the smallest, group which believes there may be something to cables but does not believe they are all that matters and leaves mind open that either group may actually have some point. We will see where you settle.

I am in that third group, probably because I do not have particular enjoyment constantly chasing some sound, etc. My balanced (XLR)interconnects are Shunyata Venom. They are the cheapest that Shunyata makes. The main reason for choosing them was that they look like they mean business while being the least expensive out there. They replaced some much cheaper ($15-20) cables. I have had them for months so, if the burn-in actually exists, it should be settled. The difference in sound is about none. If Spanish Inquisition knocked on my door and I really had to pick one, I would probably have to admit that cheaper ones are slightly better. Someone might say that it depends on matching, but someone else may say it is not the case.

My speaker cables are Monster from 1994 ($30 for more length than I have ever needed). I have never directly compared them to anything else so I cannot comment much. Still, they must be transmitting the signal as I have noticed differences when changing any other component. I am following these threads to get some idea and google whatever people mention until I get to some cable that fulfills my criteria (pleasing to the eye, available in the length I need, and works/transmits signal). No luck so far although Zavfino cables came close. They even say they offer different lengths but it is not that clear how to order it.

It may not matter to you, but it is worth mentioning that some of the more expensive cables are not that flexible. It may become a bit of a practical issue, in case you have some angles or tighter places to navigate them through. Luckily, many seem to be so thin that I wonder where the wire actually is.