Do you have tin ears?

Though I do think that cables can make a small difference, I don't think they are worth obsessing about. IMO, it is not worth spending thousands on cable when you can spend a hundred or two for something that sounds almost as good at worst. Your money is much better spent elsewhere in the system. Paul Klipsch famously suggested using lamp cord with his speakers. I agree on the whole with Robert Harley's guideline of spending no more than 5% of the total system budget on wire and cable, and IMO, the larger the budget, the smaller the percentage should be. Harley also suggests buying wire in the lower end of the price range of a reputable maker, which is what I did. I am thinking of trying something cheaper eventually. I have heard good things about those Anti-cables, for instance, though I have no experience with them.

As for hearing the differences, a couple of things need to be kept in mind. Many times there won't be any significant difference in quality between one brand and another. More importantly, though anytime you switch a cable out, this has a sort of "self cleaning" effect as far as the electrical connections, resulting in temporarily better sound. The important thing is to keep your contact connections clean. I use a contact cleaner at least every six months, and the result is quite audible. For me, this is the biggest difference one can make with the electrical side of things - IME it makes a much bigger and more positive difference than a power conditioner, etc.

There are certainly a whole lot of folks on this and other boards that will disagree, though, so all you can do in the end is trust in your own ears.

I agree with Azjake. It's a gift for an audiophile not to spend a lot on wires.

I for one have often pondered the irony of the average age of the ears which can afford to purchase outlandishly expensive audiophile systems.

(and yes, unquestionably, I'm sure I do.)

The problem I have found with cables is that they are system dependant. There seems to a synergy that must fire on all cylinders to maximize the performance. Some cables can take a day or two to settle in when just being moved. So doing A-B comparisons becomes difficult if not impossible. We have to have an equivilant to a photographic memory, (Audiophonic memory?)when trying cables back and forth. Sometimes you get lucky and the improvement a glaringly apparant. Other times I have found that the difference are so minute, that we may convince ourselves which is truly better out of desire to stop searching and settle. Years ago I tried a number of cables and a couple from each company and finally decided on the brand/model based upon the A-B comparisons. It is a hassle and takes a lot of time and money. If you have tried a number of cables and not coming up with a noticable improvement then I would say one of two directions remain to go here. Either be happy with what you have or continue to search for the grail. There most likely is a cable that will make you stand up and say "wow my system is great", but finding it not easy. Another option if you want to enhace your system's performance is look at isolation, component upgrade, room treatments etc. But a tin ear? You wouldn't have come this far if you had a tin ear. You want more because you know you can hear it. Find a way to acheive the goals you have for your music, seek the level of enjoyment that will bring it all together for your needs. It just may not be the cables, sometimes a speaker position can make a world of change. Best of luck.

I would have saved a lot of money. I don't have "golden ears" but I can hear the differences in cables.

Thanx, Russ