As anyone having spent time in our music rooms knows, we are fans of short speaker cables and long interconnects for hooking up the preamp to the amplifier.
Of course, opinions on this subject vary (wait! Audiophiles having differing opinions?)
Some of these decisions are no brainers based on real estate and circumstances. You haven't the room to separate sources from speakers.
For the lucky few with enough space to have their source and control on the sidewall—amps and regenerator on the floor (or another rack) between the speakers—the choices get a little interesting: how much to invest in the long interconnect vs. the short speaker cables.
For me, I would focus what resources I had available on a great sounding balanced interconnect. The speaker cables are short enough to matter less, and typically, the interconnects are lower cost.
However you're able to arrange the equipment and speakers, it's important to make a few carefully thought out judgment calls on where best to invest your cable budget.
Getting these details right can make a big difference in performance and ease of use.
