I have a pretty decent system, and I've yet to use any cables that make me say "wow, that's an amazing improvement". I have a few high-end cables, but they didn't make the system sound "better". My goal with cables is to buy what meets my needs, which are fairly basic:
- Do no harm to the sound
- Don't change the sound
- Have good build quality
- Have the right connectors with good fit and solid connections
There are some other things I consider, like shielding, flexibility, gauge, etc., but "sound" isn't usually one of them. I don't want them to change the sound, I want them to not degrade the sound.
Which in my experience, Blue Jeans Cables do, at least their speaker wires and single-ended interconnects. I would not recommend those, unless you have a relatively entry level system. I think BJC is a great place to get subwoofer cables and other less critical cables, but I have taken all the ones I have out of my systems, except for a couple of subwoofer cables.
In regards to this:
"I refuse to pay the 100 % markup of the better line of cables that are sold through middlemen."
Do you go buy meat and vegetables directly from the source? Do you think they would be cheaper if you bought them that way? Easier to get? Would it cost you more to go to the farm than the nearby supermarket?
Distributors and dealers make money because they make it possible for the products to be widely distributed, advertised, demonstrated, supported, and so on. A small boutique cable manufacturer will most likely have much higher costs than a large manufacturer that is manufacturing and selling large quantities of cables.
You can choose to not support that dealer and their employees and families by not paying "markup", but you'll be missing out on some things that a direct seller may not be able to provide, like comparisons with other similar products or in-person listening. And chances are, you'll spend just as much or more to get the same level of quality from a small company that can't achieve the economies of scale of a large company. Those large manufacturers are typically going to be selling them in bulk to dealers at a much lower price than they would to someone buying direct from their website.
You might want to stop and take a look at your prejudices against dealers. If you find a good one, they may actually save you money in the long run, especially if you're new to the hobby. My favorite dealer has told me more than once "you don't need that" or "that won't be an upgrade from what you have".
If your goal is to get the most value, buy used. Let someone else pay the "new car" price. Usedcable.com is a great option, or buy them here on Audiogon. For speaker cables, Dueland wire is really nice. You can find a lot of assembled cables, put them together yourself, or have a dealer do it for you. Gig Harbor Audio made me a nice set of bi-wire cables that were reasonably priced and stand up well against some of the more expensive brands.
