Ok ptss, "reasons" might include validation (of owning the best), fear (of not owning the best), affirmation (of belonging to the exclusive club), and the afterglow (bias confirmation).
I have no problem with companies making money, and if people want to pay for the wire upgrade, then fine, but IMO this has nothing to do with “value”…sort of like paying for a ticket to a movie and then paying 1,000 percent of the actual cost for a bag of popcorn. You already paid for the movie so for the full experience buy the popcorn.
One thing that does bug me is the stupid marketing ads that try and make buyers believe they are about to own unobtainable, space-age technology the likes of which have not been seen since Roswell.
Read the ad (linked in an earlier post by acebritpilot);
“the most significant acoustical advancement in signal path technology”– really, “the” most significant?
“Designed by leading Aerospace engineers and manufactuered in the U.S.A.”-who decides which Aerospace engineers are “leading?” ….also notice “manufactuered” – for $39K you shouldn’t get spelling errors.
“utilizes the world's most cutting edge signal transmission technology which results in the greatest signal purity”- again, really? - “the world’s most cutting edge” - how many superlatives does it take to sell hook-up wire?
“deservedly holds its spot in the top 1% of all high-end audio cables.”- Certainly the top 1% based on selling price.
“This line is exclusively manufactured utilizing proprietary technics with rare and precious alloys.”- I really like the word “proprietary” since all it means is that nobody else is doing something the same way. Doesn’t mean it is “better” in any way but again, it goes back to that “unobtainable” thing.
“MasterBuilt ULTRA wire belongs in only the world’s finest audio systems.”Well of course….if you buy the $39K upgrade, you wouldn't want to think you have anything less than one of “the world’s finest audio systems.”
“Each lead is individually shielded and damped to eliminate ambient signal interaction.”"Individually shielded" is the first interesting thing in the ad - not everybody does that with speaker wire connectors. The benefit, or not, may depend on where they ground the shield. However, just because it is good for the space shuttle doesn’t mean it improves the sound of your speakers. The part about being “damped” might mean there is a cotton string inside the casing.
“This combined with the purity of the signal path results in the lowest distortion possible with present U.S. Aerospace state-of-the-art technology.”- Good to know….especially if you plan to take your stereo system with you on a trip to the moon with SpaceX.
If you dig deeper and go to the MasterBuilt website, you learn a whole lot more, such as;
"These products were developed over several decades of research in metallurgy, electrical field effects, and the chemistry of dielectric materials. In addition, we utilize comparison-based listening tests against other top-quality brands of cables. Based on our years of research and A/B/X blind testing, we’re confident MasterBuilt Audio Cables have less distortion and coloration than any other competing cable, at any price!"So, they have been working for decades just to make this hook-up wire upgrade a reality. What else......holy crap you audiophile purists! MasterBuilt uses "A/B/X blind testing" to compare their cables! Everyone knows blind testing is a scam! How can you possibly expect to evaluate the quality of a cable by listening to it?!
"Cable companies using a shotgun approach to engineering typifies the average small company. They try different materials and designs haphazardly in the hope of creating good sound."-Ok, so if you are an "average small company" just give up. You have already lost with your "haphazard" design efforts!
"MB’s solution is to use the purest, Laboratory-grade cast copper, with 99.9999% of the impurities removed.....our listening panel rejected all other metals in the blind ABX tests, including silver, silver plated copper, aluminum, gold, and platinum conductors."Finally, common ground. I like copper best too.
And, the closer;
"One last thing: to have the best performance possible, we strongly recommend using the same brand of cable; if not the same line, throughout the entire system. Introducing a different type of cable can add resistance, distortion and coloration to the signal path that will only degrade the performance of the MB cables. Therefore, having a full loom of MasterBuilt Audio cables will result in their optimum performance."Amazing that cables costing tens of thousands of dollars can "degrade" when in the mere presence of a "different" (i.e., inferior) cable. Maybe the "true" audiophile should send their entire system in for a hook-up wire upgrade - you wouldn't want anything less than a "full loom!"
Thankfully, cynicism is free....apologies to the offended.