What do audiophiles want from a cable?

It is unlikely that you don’t know what to listen for, or am too focused on cable accuracy and resolution, and not enough on actual sound quality.

- it just a case of no two systems sounding alike so why trust a review anyway? 

- but I'd also be leery of trusting a Reviewer who gets any compensation (incl. ads) from a co. whose products are reviewed

- What you CAN trust is a blind listening test - both A/B and extended on familiar program material

 Interesting idea and if it is indeed the better method, then expect to see "laser cables" in the future Obi Wan.  

I don't get why you are not feeling the "fluid" chrisr.  Seems pretty brilliant to me.  I mean Jim Aud's concoctions(fluid,ferox,contego) used for mechanical damping of the vibrating conductor(among other things), seem to do the job very well in my setup.  The result is IMHO, the most quiet cable in audio that I've used.  I have heard the effects of all three brews in my system.  All made positive improvements at the time of insertion!  For example, the Purist Audio Design LE power cable jacketed in a bath of Jim's blend of fluid and ferox called Contego, gave a loud wake up call for me when used with my Lampizator DAC.  I think John McG has experience with this cable as well?  I don't know about him, but using this cable in my system produced a wow moment.  I preferred it over the Elrod EPS Signature cables that were also very impressive, just not at the level of the PAD LE in my setup.  I think it was the Contego bath that helped to create an immensely dense and powerfully presented field of lifelike sound.  "Room boundaries be gone" type of experience.  Incredible performance that is sadly out of my price range lately.

@ Inna..after all this discussion and your input, I am considering swapping in Poseidon ic from Lampizator to MA7000 for awhile.  This would mean other than the WyWires Platinum USB, I would have PAD only signal cables, which is what you are doing if I understand correctly your previous posts.  After hearing my system with PAD Ultimate USB, Venustas Luminist ic, then Venustas Preasto ic, to Musaeus speaker cable and Venustas jumpers, I am curious to try more PAD. So my question is Inna, can you give me impressions of Poseidon in comparison to Neptune in your system? or have you only experience with Neptune please sir?  Gonna try debunking my own "do not loom" theory before it's all said and done.  I also want to try the fluid/ferox combo again.  In the past it was Proteus Provectus from DAC and Venustas between preamp and amp.  I ended up preferring the Jade Vermeil Gold w/Bybees over Proteus Provectus at the time.  Btw, WyWires Platinum and PAD Ultimate USB cables are both top performers here. Hard to decide betwixt these two awesome USB cables.  Thanks Inna

Randy-11 wrote,

- What you CAN trust is a blind listening test - both A/B and extended on familiar program material

Blind tests are just as inconclusive as any other tests. You could even say untrustworthy. Sorry to burst your bubble.

A blind test is just an averaged subjective test of what the average guy is capable of in a usually imperfect listening invironment.  There is no best for all applications, so no one cable will be Champ all the time.  IMO, there are better than average designs that perform at an obviously higher level consistently across the board.

Waxwaves, I only have experience with Neptune. I don't know, maybe some dealer can loan you the Poseidon. Or perhaps you could ask Jim himself for an advice on how to audition the cable in your system without buying it first. I would be curious to hear his response.  I too might get Poseidon later because I need one more cable and can't afford two Neptunes, or maybe I'll wait for couple of years and get another Neptune, I haven't decided yet. The price difference for 1 meter pair is something like $650.