During these uh, 'blind' testgin sessions, were the cables all being kept hot? hot swapped in and out too?
I'd not allow wires to be popped on or off my gear while it was energized... or anyone elses. Then there's the warming up part. I'm doubtful a good A/B situation exists unless one uses likewise gear/sources, or those with multiple inputs or outputs so differing cables can be alternatively chosen at ones discretion. For instance, with a preamp connected to all the same CDPs, but with different ICs on each CDP. Even then theres the warming up period to do all over again
albeit somewhat a more abbreviated period if done in that fashion.
main IC comparisons would be tougher, given the above constraints... speaker wires too would be problematic to A/B properly.
My DAC has twin outputs, yet even there, XLR>RCA adapters need to be used on one set. It's easy to discern the diffs between cables using it as a source however in spite of that one addition.
Don't make memory an aspect of the session. Such tests are going to be problematical indeed, yet I'd bet a good deal merely selecting from one pair to another will surely reveal if there are any sonic diffs from pair to pair.
I mean as long as one is going to do an A/B of cables... make the affair such that ONLY the cables are indeed the items being subjected to the test. NOT the ICs and your memory, right?
That is of course, IF youre looking to prove something about cables and NOT about aural memory.
Naturally, it stands to reason always, if you dont hear a diff, and youve done an exact comparative session without reliance upon memory, then certainly one should not pay the difference
regardless the amount of $$$ you have in your gear.