Even with non-coax, say if you're talking about twisted pair, shields are still important. If you're looking at the digital side of things, there's a reason why Category 7 ethernet cables include a shield as part of the spec, and why they're rated for transmission of 600 MHz signals over 100 meters, as opposed to 500 MHz for Category 6a unshielded cables. For any sort of mission-critical data center use with 10 Gbps ethernet, they almost always use shielded cables these days, at any length. While our audio signals are not extending into that frequency range (hopefully), that need and spec arose out of measurable data loss with unshielded cables. It can be random and unpredictable. The recording industry has been using shielded XLR cables for microphones for the better part of a century. So I don't see why you wouldn't for audio interconnects.
The Kimber issue is a multi-layered thing. In addition to not being surrounded by a shield (as I understand it, their drain wire is only connected at one end of the interconnect), the geometry of their cables can make them capacitive. When I bought my first Naim amp, I was coming from a system with Kimber 8TC speaker cable, and it sounded absolutely dreadful. I didn't understand, because the cable sounded wonderful on all previous amps I had used it with. But that braid made it capacitive, which was an undesirable electrical quality in the context of Naim design. I switched it for some Chord Rumour-2, and immediate recovered the qualities that Naim is known for. I would imagine that similarly, Kimber interconnects are not a synergistic match for all systems, as much as I enjoy their sonic signature when they are a good match. PBJ was one of the great audio deals of the late-'90s, and I had their Silver Streak on my wish list until going Naim.
The Kimber issue is a multi-layered thing. In addition to not being surrounded by a shield (as I understand it, their drain wire is only connected at one end of the interconnect), the geometry of their cables can make them capacitive. When I bought my first Naim amp, I was coming from a system with Kimber 8TC speaker cable, and it sounded absolutely dreadful. I didn't understand, because the cable sounded wonderful on all previous amps I had used it with. But that braid made it capacitive, which was an undesirable electrical quality in the context of Naim design. I switched it for some Chord Rumour-2, and immediate recovered the qualities that Naim is known for. I would imagine that similarly, Kimber interconnects are not a synergistic match for all systems, as much as I enjoy their sonic signature when they are a good match. PBJ was one of the great audio deals of the late-'90s, and I had their Silver Streak on my wish list until going Naim.
