Interconnect recommendations

@bigtwin “Sounds like ChatGPT scanned the internet and found some of your older postings.”

👍😂…. Great one! 

Components first! Then interconnects.

Chatgpt can be astonishingly good. As the submission above shows. But you have to validate the particulars. Just when you trust it and ask for the best amps… it’ll throw a TV in the list… or something like that. 

they were my weakest link until I changed to locking connectors and other methods to assure system balance.

now when I mess with any cable, nothing inadvertently moves which can cause a slight imbalance of a single source, or the whole system.

I bought 2 sets of component video cables with 3 rcas with both ends locking, peeled them apart, and ended up with 3 pairs, color coded which is also helpful.

I bought locking connectors from parts express and converted my existing

https://www.parts-express.com/Locking-RCA-Plug-Solder-Type-2-Pair-091-1270?quantity=1

the XLR’s I use have locking connectors (not all do).

not always, but often XLR gives a slightly stronger signal strength than RCA, which, for the same volume, will use a lower position on your preamp’s volume control, many think the 12 o’clock position is best. just another factor when choosing xlr or rca for home systems with short runs when xlr is not truly needed.

and, the jacks on my vintage McIntosh mx110z tube preamp were corroded and undersized, audio-classics replaced them all with new gold plated rca jacks, I sleep better!

@signaforce not sure what you mean by budget is open but TMR has a used Mola Mola Tambaqui and there’s a used dCS Lina on USAM. Both satisfy the small footprint requirement. Here’s the good news…both DACs may eliminate the need for your streamer with Lina’s ability to be controlled via dCS Mosaic and Roon for Tambaqui. So that’s the price of the dac minus aurender and usb cable which will help pay for portion of the DAC. Potentially…after you compare and evaluate. 

You should be aware (and maybe already are) that the May DACs are not currently available new. I consider that a shame because I have a May KTE and I'm very pleased with it.

As far as interconnects, my go-to's in the past have been the Zavfino Fusions, and I still consider them to be excellent. They were, however and in my opinion, outdone by a bit of a sleeper cable, the Xangsane 4N pure silver. I also bought quite a few various knockoff AQ Dragon cables. I like all of them except for the connection between the May and the Bliss headphone amp (I'm an all-XLR guy). The knockoff Dragon's sounded smeared and a bit sloppy here so I went back to the Xangsanes and the clarity was immediately restored. I still use a knockoff Dragon XLR between my pre and power amps and it sounds much better there but I'm tempted to try a Xangsane there, too. I also really like all the other Dragons I bought (mainly power cords plus speaker cables and some HDMIs). 

The suggestion to avoid silver may indeed be a valid one but the Xangsane's would allow you to see for yourself without breaking the bank ($250/1M). The reason I tried them in the first place was because of a glowing report here at AG about one of their power cables.