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Revisiting DIY IC, what gauge then? (Using Venhaus wire)

Posted by Japesgalore on June 7, 2012 at 03:33:52:
Currently have a twisted pair IC from 31AWG GOLD, cotton tubing, terminated with Furutech 106Rs. They do sound great and were a massive step up from all the iterations I tried before and even when tested against big buck cables. They're only 40cm long.
In recent discussions about what wire to use for my sub, Alan Maher told me that 16awg was the right gauge to use for IC, no matter what the application. I asked him why, but he basically said 'everybody who's anybody knows this' and didn't see fit to explain why (which usually he does). I remember researching this when building the ICs in the first place and there were a lot of people saying how thinner wire is better, but I can't fault Alan's advice so would like to experiment with other another thickness of wire.
But will it be worth the trade-off? The pure gold I use really makes a nice sounding cable, especially that it doesn't need to be insulated in anything, just held in place by cotton. Chris Venhaus sells a range of OCC wires, copper and silver, using his proprietary insulation, from 24AWG to 18AWG. What would you guys use when making a simple two-wire twist? Different materials, silver for signal or return, or all silver? Different gauges - thicker for return? Chris if you are reading what would you advise?
Thanks