It never ceases to fascinate me at the ultimate degeneration of virtually all audio forums into a widespread bitch session about 'cables'. With almost religious fervor the two camps bellow and dispute & very rarely do the twains meet, even for a cup of tea. I am quite frankly amazed that people can really care THAT much about what other folks beliefs are with regards to the topic. I have personally concluded, through my modest experimentation in the audiophile realms, that we are dealing with a very abstract notion here. I think components and systems do ultimately rely on an intricate synergy of wire, transformers, capacitors, plugs, etc. which all combine and interact in a unique fashion that certainly creates a particular sonic character. Is this character 'better' than another system? Maybe...maybe not. One system's technical specs may measure out in a most immaculate fashion, but sound good to no-one. I will say, and this is not simply my notion, that we cannot conclusively measure everything we hear with empirical scientific data. Just as you cannot measure everything you taste, feel, and smell with your other senses and how they are thus interpreted by your mental faculties. Specs could probably measure out equally on two different units but exhibit entirely different characters. Why? I don't really know. It is a very complex issue. The audiophile hobby often approaches a passion akin to that of the alchemists from days long past. It may have been their ultimate quest to "turn lead into gold" as it were but the ultimate result was a transformation of themselves in the process. I leave you with one notion to ponder. It is a field of scientific thought that enters the realm of abstraction inherent in fields such as quantum physics but is certainly food for thought. A gentleman by the name of Heisenberg established the principle of Indeterminism which, recognized the discovery that the act of measuring always alters that which is being measured. This, of course, turns our everyday experiences into a continuous and unrepeatable evolutionary process. On that note, I've just gotta say happy listening to all and Merry Christmas.
