First, I like the Quad stuff, but it sounds to me like a lot of British gear: VERY laid back and neutral. If you like that sound, Quad is great. Anyone ever play with ESL 63's or 57's? Those are SWEET with the right amps! I heard a stacked quad of them with a Marantz 8b for each pair once, and a Mac C22 pre. Blissful.

As for cables, I have used lamp cord, but then went to 14/2 house wiring for its better shielding. The solid core stuff just sounds a little "faster" to me, in my experience... hence my desire to try the CAT-5 project. Heck, if I can get 10 feet or so for free, it'll cost me only my time. I already have spades, heatshrink, and such in the parts bin at home.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)