I'd like some recommendations for speaker cables

@cleeds Really? Where would you connect the shield?

I apologize for taking so long but I wanted to fact check my memory with some electrical engineers from the electromechanical medical device company where I was a regulatory affaires, quality systems, and quality engineering professional.  My memory was correct.  The shield on cables with lug, RCA connector and banana connectors is connected to the housing of the connector to create a ground at only the end that is the reference for the signal to prevent ground loops that would be created by potential difference if both ends are grounded.  For cables with XLR connections, the shield is connected to Pin 1 ground at both ends to prevent ground loops.  So there is a ground path for EMI to prevent it from entering the signal. The benefit of shielding is inversely proportional to the voltage carried by the cable.  There is more benefit for low voltage cables like for servers and DACs than for high voltage speaker cables, but all cables benefit SQ by shielding from EMI.  

@rmdvp NBS cables are way expensive, you must have a million dollar system. Can you really hear a big difference?..

@dothebluecolts 

I have ARC with Wilson speakers and have had Transparent Ultra G5 for a couple years and had not issue but tried some Shunyata Alpha V1 just to experiment and they really brought my system to life with greater detail and imaging without any brightness(which I am extremely sensitive to).

A point I was not clear on.  A the shield on shielded lug connector wire must be connected physically to the housing or ground of a component at preferably the reference or signal source end as opposed to an RCA connector where the shield can be grounded to the reference signal end the of connector housing.  
 

Many high end cables use internal conductor design such as Litz wire or other twisted conductor configurations, or thin flat conductor configurations, as a shield by electromagnetic field theory and creating a Faraday cage that does not permit EMI from entering the core signal path.  There is no requirement for a physical ground yet the cable is shielded.  Read more is if you desire on Faraday’s law and a Faraday Cage.  Conclusion, not all shielded cable designs need a physical ground. Some companies combine physical shielding with wire configurations, using both electromagnetic field theory and physical shields to ground. 

I believe that speaker cables are the most important ones in "the loom." I've owned Nordost, Siltech and Skogrand, all of which were very nice. But my end state cables are the SilverSmith Fidelium. These are also the least expensive; can it get any better?

Take a peek at "The Super Cables Cook Book" which is a classic that makes the case for foil cables. The idea of electromagnetic waves traveling over the surface of the cable is powerful, because it's true. Hear it for yourself. These are now the only cable in all of my components.