Need speaker cable

I used to have Blue Jeans cable and interconnects and for the price I was generally satisfied.  I then I bought some fairly basic QED cables for not that much more than what I paid for Blue Jeans, and there was a marked improvement in transparency and bass response.

I think for affordable mid-fi, Canare or Blue Jean may be OK, but for proper hi-fi, I think you probably have to look for something else better.  OP specifies a budget of $500, so I guess his system probably closer to hi-fi than mid-fi.

I'll give you the benefit of my journey over the last 12 months.  
Note that I am using low power SET power amps and high efficiency horn speakers.  Here was my journey:
- Bluejeans Cable 
- Wireworld Mini Eclipse 8
- Wireworld Equinox 8
- Audioquest Rocket 44
- Cardas Clear Cygnus
- Audience Ohno III
- Nordost Red Dawn
- Blackcat Coppertone
- Blackcat 3232
- Grover Cable SX
- Tempo Electric Pure Silver

So here are my thoughts.  (1) at the <$600 price level there isn't much difference in sound between the different companies / technologies / materials... with a couple exceptions.  (2) at <$1000 there are definite differences that are easy to tell.  (3) The cables that worked best in my system and were head and shoulders above the others were in order:
1) Grover Cable SX
2) Audience Ohno III
3) Tempo Electric Pure Silver

I ended up keeping both the Grover SX and Tempo Pure Silvers.  Hope this helps in some way. 

There’s a pair of Acoustic Zen Hologram II speaker cables in classifieds now. Within your price range. These should work great and you can continue growing your system around these cables.

@suhari:
Please let me know how your premium cables compare to your standard 12 gauge wire.  BTW-is your 12 gauge stranded, or solid core?

Steve

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