Thanks guys!

I might grab them, I know aesthetics shouldn't be important, but even if I find there is no difference at all, the AR cables are snazzier looking and definitely thicker than the Monos. Plus I don't really need 12ft, so there is a lot of excess cable length between my receiver and amp currently.

Also when I was checking them out the cable has directional "SIGNAL PATH" markings and "BALANCED LINE AUDIO" written on the actual cables. Are these just fancy terms?