I just finished comparing the 8TCs to the 12TCs on our system (we also use Kimber ICs, speakers are Salk HT2-TLs). To my ears, there was no comparison. The 8TCs lost much of the richness I heard with the 12TCs and sound etched and less integrated by comparison. If you can afford the price difference, I'd definitely recommend the 12TCs (which to me sound almost as good as the Monocle-Xs that I also compared on our system, and for less than 1/2 the cost). Admittedly, I haven't auditioned many speaker cables, but for a cheaper alternative to the 12s, I can recommend Crimson Audio cables (which list for about the same price as the 8TCs). But there are only a handful of Crimson dealers in the US and I think it would be hard to find a used pair for sale.