As far as cables...I've used radio shack specials and I've used the higher dollar name brands and I have used home made cables.... I really don't see much difference in the quality of them as long as they are made properly...... the home made and higher cost name brands seemed to last longer but sonically, no difference.

Speaker cables..... yeah, larger gauge is better, as is shorter lengths. Lamp cord works just fine. No you don't want the amps back at the sound board, put them behind the speakers on the stage or somewhere close. Ohms laws apply and are non-negotiable.

With speaker cables, we always tried to avoid the 1/4 jacks soldered on since it is too easy to short them out. Binding posts were our preferred method of connection at that time.... now I believe that they have a newer style connection called a "Speakon" which is designed for power connections to speakers.

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www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.