Just picked up a used pair of AudioQuest Copperheads for my CDP interconnects. These sounded noticeably worse than my cheapo Python ($5.00 on ebay) RCA's.
The Copperheads had a very thin, flat sound and lacked bass depth. I don't think I'm imagining this....
When I was learning audio one of the things I was taught was to buy what impresses you the least. You want to listen to music and not to your hifi. The trick is to learn what "impresses you least" actually means.
Bummer, are they setup correctly. If so then you may want to talk to someone who sells the AQ's and other brands and discuss what it is that you don't like about the AQ's and see if they can help.
The Kimber Timbre is very different from the AQ's and cheap...just another idea.
David, the arrows should point from the source (or pre) to the amp. Arrows on speaker cable should point towards the speakers. Google directional audio cables for more info. There's been a lot of argument on the forums whether or not the direction makes a difference. It think it really depends on the cable design and materials.
Most directional cables simply imply the ground has been lifted at one end. This is typically connected at the source and minimizes RFI pickup in the cable.