Cables 101 for a beginner

In my opinion, the speaker cables are most important. In your case, since you only need speaker cables and one interconnect, you can easily buy quality stuff, like Cardas Neutral Reference.

As far as power cords, conditioners, etc. go, I'd forget all of them and spend the money on two dedicated 20 AMP circuits. One to plug your speakers into, and one to plug your components into. You can even have voltage regulation and surge suppression built into these circuits for a nominal cost. This will make WAY more difference than expensive power cords and conditioners.

Off the top of my head...
01. If you live in-or-near a large urban area, use shielded cable. RF (radio frequencies) make music hard and bright.
02. Use shortest length possible (1 meter or less).
03. Silver is a better conductor of electricity than copper and remains so even after it oxidizes.
04. If using copper wire, use single crystal (like harmonic Technology) or, at least, use the most "nines" pure you can afford (i.e. .999999 pure, etc.).
05. Stay in a wire "family". I.E., don't mix same-purpose interconnects from different makers.
Welcome aboard!

There is a plethora of opinions on the subject of cables so we can't cover them all quickly. My 2 rules of thumb that I try and go by are:

1."Try before you buy" if you can. If you can't then buy used - helps if you have to or want to re-sell.

2."What is lost at the beginning cannot be recovered." I always try my best cable at my source to preamp link to ensure I've maximized the signal at the outset. This doesn't mean that your "most expensive" cable has to be the one that goes there but its always a good place to start.

You can always audition cables via an outfit called the Cable Co. or maybe its www.fatwyre.com where for a fee they will loan you a number of cables and the fee can be applied against the purchase price if you decide to buy.

First thing you do is forget about the terminator 4's. I've owned a lot of MIT and the bare minimum IMO would be MH-750 CVT's which can be had for around $250.00 per pair right here at a-gon. Try to find some 330 interconnects too ($150.00 per pair used) and you'll be set up for awhile. Later we can upgrade you to their reference line or even Oracles.

look into making your own. audio asylum and other sites. you will be able to match most everything in the 500 to 1k price range for very little money; time and expertise.

jim