Cable curmudgeon

@jhills Well Said

'Myself and most others here found no fault with his thread, profession or opinion. And hold in great regard those who have dedicated their lives to making and producing the music we claim to love and whether or not we always agree at least respect and value their opinion'.

The OP has shared on experiences encountered and their assessment of the  impression made, this is their unique evaluation as there has been no other individual on this forum present at any of the experiences referred to.

As equipment is fundamental to Music Replays, the experiencing equipment runs parallel with this, the more extended these experiences, through received demonstrations, will without doubt, train ones listening abilities, to the point where it able to distinguish changes in a presentation or SQ, as well as allow for a individual to decipher where there most satisfying listening experiences is to be found.

Being a HiFi enthusiast as a ' Lone, in room only participation', is an approach that is quite insular, and can prove to be a method that deprives an individual from expanding on their training to learn where improved presentation and SQ is able to be created through equipment or utilising ancillaries, it is certainly a method that can deprive one of achieving their highest levels of Satisfaction from a music replay. 

The OP might only be one or two new experiences away from an experience, that could encourage them to re-evaluate some of their prior assessments, for myself, to take part in new experiences, is where the 'pleasure' is on offer is to be found, it manifests from encountering and being demonstrated unfamiliar equipment.

If enthusiasm is part of the approach to such experiences, which I seem to have in abundance, then this is where the 'fun' begins. 

When such experiences being encountered, are able to influence and be an aspiration to achieve in ones own system, which is what I have been met with on occasion, then this is where the 'satisfaction' is to be found.

' Satisfaction' can be a variety of outcomes, for myself, the best is when a New Friendship is formed, as the result of the taking the time to meet with others and expose oneself to another's ideas for their Systems set up, it is extra special when be introduced to items that others have become 'wed to' and are rated as being the items that proved to be game changers.

Following this is the knowing something has occurred with an outcome that has has a meaningful and positive effect, a very good or even indelible impression has occurred, in relation to experiencing new items of equipment or ancillaries.

To occasionally encounter items that are impressive, and are able to compel one into placing it on the curiosity radar, creating an intention for it to be brought in for further evaluation in the home system, is how my experiences of encountering new equipment and ancillaries seems to be the fuel that keeps myself consistently involved. 

What I am sure of is that not all with an interest in HiFi attain a place where they have become experienced enthusiasts with a broad range of experiences and a  trained ear, but this does not matter, as enjoying musical replays are very achievable without developing knowledge through increased experiences.

Between all enthusiasts, there is not one assembled system that is alike, each user of a system will have produced a System that is either functioning or reliable, that fits into another's design for the home decor', or the the alternative to this method,   that is to produce a system that is unique to their preferences, how it looks aesthetically is not of a real concern, the goal is for it to be presenting in a manner that  is sympathetic the their sensitivities, without presenting to much of a gaze on the areas within a replay that they sense as being unattractive and not a match for their likes.

'It really is each to their own' and accept others descriptions in relation to the experiences that have been encountered.

Change of viewpoints is always going to be occurring, especially as a result of changes to experiences being encountered, and forums would not have hardly any OP's to respond to, if new making it known that new experiences are being considered, was not the main line of inquiries 

Sorry if what I said irritates you, but the best guitarist, flutist, cellist or any other musician on the planet could teach you nothing as long as you have the idea that he/she really doesn’t know what music should sound like.

@jhills It is apparent you’ve completely missed the point of what I, @newbee and several others here have been making. Of course the OP knows well what music sounds like and nobody is arguing with that. But that has little to do with being able to assess what an individual component is adding or subtracting in the context of a home audio system especially if the listener has limited experience with better quality equipment. Again, I’ve played in bands for many years and have also written professional audio reviews for 16 years and there’s very little playing live music has contributed to what I need to know to review audio components and systems. Put another way, a professional musician with little experience with audio equipment isn’t in a much better position to assess or write a review of an audio component than any ordinary Joe off the street because they simply lack the experience and perspective to be able to make those assessments not having heard what better components can provide. It’s like a new versus an experienced driver — yes the new driver can drive at a certain level, but they’ll become a much better driver with more actual driving experience. Same with the ability to assess audio components, which is at the heart of the discussion here

What I am sure of is that not all with an interest in HiFi attain a place where they have become experienced enthusiasts with a broad range of experiences and a trained ear, but this does not matter, as enjoying musical replays are very achievable without developing knowledge through increased experiences.

@pindac While I agree someone without a trained ear can put together what they perceive as an enjoyable system to them, with more experience or “training” by listening to better equipment and systems that person will find the flaws in their “enjoyable” system and be in a much better position to build an even more capable and enjoyable system. And this goes back to the OP who is relatively “untrained” in the realm of better cables but blindly dismisses more expensive cables as “hyped” by comparing only cheap cables. This alone makes no sense, and being a professional musician doesn’t help if there’s no perspective on what more expensive cables can offer. That’s the ultimate and fatal disconnect going on here. We mock what we don’t understand.

The Emperor's New Clothes is the applicable paradigm here! Plus those invested monetarily in boutique power cords must defend their choices.

Having a good ear and being a musician won’t get you very far in terms of being able to identify and discern differences between audio components, and that includes cables

This might be the single most inane thing ever written here.

The reviewer vs driver comparison is a red herring.

Whilst a reviewer may write more entertainingly, there is no training of one’s hearing to match the program. Learning to drive is matching one’s input to the desired vehicle behavior.

People claiming they played in rock bands and also review equipment should be required post a certified hearing test.