DO CABLES REALLY MATTER?

50% of the time is no better than guesswork.

If we experienced listeners need just the right conditions, at the perfect time of the calendar moon, when all our faculties are working optimally to strain to distinguish better than 50% between a $1 and a $1000 cable in an unsighted test, wouldn't we be better off spending our money elsewhere?

Like say loudspeakers, where the difference between a $300 and $3000 pair could be easily identified by almost anyone >90% of the time unsighted.

Bear in mind also that a $1000 pair of speakers with a $1 cable will be far superior to a $100 speakers paired with a $1000 cable to everyone except cable manufacturers and dealers maybe. 

How about putting your money where it counts? In real sonic gains and not in dealer's pockets. A good dealer is an enthusiast, not a pickpocket and deserves our full support. But they are hard to find so if anyone mentions costly cables, then that's the time to leave.

Thanks, but no thanks.

I like the solid core concept for reasons I can’t remember, so for years speaker and ICs have all beed solid...now it’s AQ speaker wire (for many years Type 8 and recently Rocket biwire), and inexpensive Morrow ICs replacing all but the sp/dif digital signal cables (some used but very cool solid silver AQs from streamer and CD player to the DAC). I like Morrow cables as they seem to be relatively transparent, as they say. The do say that don’t they?

cd318,

It’s always struck me as telling that audiophiles/reviewers/cable manufacturers will describe these awesome so-obvious-you-are-deaf-if-you-can’t-hear-it changes made by a given cable.

But when you ask people to identify the cable when they aren’t personally swapping the cables so they don’t know which is which, suddenly you get "but you need such a Highly Resolving System to pick up these differences...otherwise they are too subtle to hear....and how in the world do you expect me to pick out these subtle difference reliably under SUCH STRESSFUL conditions as a blind test???!!!

Seems a sort of wanting things both ways: obvious differences that skeptics must be deaf not to discern; differences then become so subtle that the mere addition of blind controls make the differences impossible to reliably discern.



*(That’s in regards to many typical replies to skeptics suggesting blind tests for cables, where such cable-loving audiophiles reject blind testing. That’s not to say that blind testing automatically invalidates all claims of cable differences. Although one can find numerous examples of blind tests that did not support cable differences, there are also some that suggest people heard differences).

I think it’s all relative. In my situation putting about 5 to 7k in cabling is ok because it allows my system to open up in ways that I like as opposed to the cheaper generic cabling. For example the clarity cable gives me great lower midrange and extended highs and I like those qualities. High fidelity reveal gives a big sound with great bass and good detail. Kubala sosna gives a great transparent sound with a smooth openness but they are out my systems price range. I started this thread to not down any non believers. But some people don’t have resolving systems.  Some people have not heard the best systems out there.  I’ve heard the majority of the uber expensive brands and as a reference point I’ve come to the conclusion that cables matter! 

I am writing a novel right now: working title - Cable Pornography! My motivation is the sheer amount of descriptive terms aficionados have thought up for listening to nothing but wire! Me, I'd rather just listen to MUSIC!