Speaker Cable Upgrade... Advice Please

These guys are right.  IMO you need to get some tubes back into the equation.  You sold your separates...both tube components.  Don’t feel bad, we’ve all done it at one time or another!  It seems you’re used to tubes with your Wilsons.  You can either break in the Devialet and get acclimated to the new sound or try an entirely new integrated.  My recommendation with your Sophia 2; a BAT vk3000se.  Bat has great synergy with Wilson’s.  You get your tubes back in the preamp portion.  I’ve had this integrated.  It’s excellent.  Then address your cabling.  Just my $0.02 worth.  Keep us posted.

its true, I am accustomed to the tube sound, and it’s true, the Devialet is a bit brighter than the ARC gear I had.  There are a few reasons for the switch.  I am moving to Europe so I will be in the land of 240v power, and will be down sizing homes by a factor of 35%!

I wasn’t interested in having all the voltage requirements changed on my gear, and I was ready for a smaller system.  I listened to the Devialet in my home and I was pleasantly surprised... it sounded different but fantastic.  Perhaps mine needs more burn in. Perhaps I can utilize the internal tone controls, or the DSP in Roon (for the digital source anyway).

so, lastly, if I’m looking for the benefits of better speaker cables, perhaps sticking with Cardas is the way to go? I certainly don’t want to brighten up the system! What other speaker cables are also warm and laid back?

I can only speak to the Cardas model lines Clear, Clear Beyond and Clear Beyond XL (PCs only). As I moved up this chain the sound has not gotten "warmer". Resolution has increased without sacrificing neutrality or pushing the sound toward "brightness".

From working in high end audio some years ago, I remember that Wilson Audio used Transparent Audio cables for the design, voicing, and internal wiring of their speakers. Also, they always used Transparent Audio cables in the displays at shows. I would contact them to verify this is still true. It just makes common sense to use Transparent Audio.

I use Acoustic Zen Hollogram lls with my Wilson Sophias, amps used with these are VTL MB125s, Quicksilver M120s and a Pass Labs XA30.5. I have used the Cardas Cross, my back up cables, with all these combinations so am familiar with their sound. Please note that the AZ Holograms are designed for biwire configurations and the AZ Satorie are designed for single wire applications but have not heard them.