So I've spent a great deal of time swapping back and forth between the Markertek and the relatively inexpensive Monster M1000D. (After a thorough cleaning and treatment with Caig Detox and Gold treatment for both cables, thanks Steve) The Monster cable was best described in an old review on What Hifi, :"There's a sense of occasion to the M1000D – it brings scale to low frequencies, and the upfront midrange contributes to the excitement. The top end is clean, offering separation even in complex passages. Slight lack of detail makes for an airbrushed sound, though." I couldn't have described it better. The Markertek cable was detailed, cold, and lacking in both bass energy and musical textures in comparison. So the detail battle goes to Markertek, in all other areas the Monster was superior. However, I would note that without comparison, I liked the presentation of the Markertek product and thought it was a good value for the price. Next I'm going to replace a Radio Shack cable (I think it's called Avio or something like that) in the home theater with the Markertek product and see if there's improvement over a more plebeian competitor.
