Are these cables a good buy?


I am a real fan of buying used items in general, and I understand that in audio in particular this is a great way to maximize vale. However, I see that Audio Advisor has a big sale on MIT speaker cables: MH-750 Series II Bi-Wire (12-feet) for $575 and Terminator 2 bi-wire (12-feet) for $225. Are these deals worth pursuing? What is the relative value differential between the cables? I am just getting into this habit and want a decent set of speaker cables for $500 or less that are versatile enough that I can use them with different amps and speakers in the future.

Thanks, Matt
mattya
I would try something else since you want to experiment with different components. Keep in mind too that equipment is tuned by the 'right' cables. Once you have the equipment that floats your boat, you can then look to the 'big bucks' cables. MIT cables tend to be very specific in their application. I've heard the same $2000 MIT 750 reference speaker cables sound stellar in one system (spectral/audio physic), and terrible in two others (audio research/vandersteen 5 & pass labs/audio physic). I tried 4 ohm and 8 ohm amplifier settings with the vandersteens.

My humble recommendation is to try a set of analysis plus oval 9's. You can buy a used set for $300-400 on audiogon. Audio Advisor sometimes has a few on special too. Those are flat out excellent cables & if you don't like them, you can resell for what you paid. It would be a good starting, and possibly ending point. I've also had great results with Nordost red dawn's. I've heard good things about the LAT cables and discovery's. I've seen quite a few MIT cables heavily discounted by dealers. MIT's are also an ergonomic nightmare because of their size and those huge network boxes. The network boxes are an additional problem with speakers like audio physic which have their terminals so high off the ground that you need to put the boxes on a chair/shelf to keep them from hanging from the speaker terminals.

Don't mean to be so hard on MIT cables. I've just had poor experiences with the equipment I've tried them with.
If you are interested in some speaker cables I would try the Coincident CST I speaker cables, they are outstanding cables in the price range you mention. I took a chance and was amazed at the sound these cables produced, such a width and depth to the soundstage, have seen some for sale on audiogon classifieds.
You should also check the prices at USEDCABLE.COM. They are very reliable. I have bought several pairs of interconnects and speaker cables from them in the past. They usually have a large amount of MIT in their inventory.
Kimber 8TC is a pretty universally good cable that works in many systems and components.