why do people feel the need to buy expensive cable

mapman,

You brought up that the difference between a Ferrari and a Toyota is easy to understand. That's why when you buy a Ferrari you are not hearing guys on car forums arguing that the Toyota is better. On the opposite side of the spectrum when a guy spends 50k on cables you are going to get everyone and his brother questioning your purchase. There is no way you can prove your 50k in cables is better than some guys 5k in cables. And that is why I think there is so much discrepancy when it comes to cables.

"10-30-15: Onhwy61
There are volumes of research on why people buy luxury goods. High end audio is a luxury item and within high end audio expensive cables are even more of a luxury. The literature is pretty clear on a consensus view. Buying a luxury item makes someone feel good about themselves. "

Just because research is done and papers are written, doesn’t mean you have the answers. Most papers are published because the people writing them are pushed to do so. That aside, psychology is an extremely difficult science to use effectively. I have a degree in it, but I chose a different career path just for this reason. We know so little about how the mind really works. Science hasn’t even scratched the surface. To assume that high end audio, and cables especially, are just luxuries is just plain wrong. That may be the case for some people, but I suspect the numbers are extremely low. I could easily argue that cables are a tool to most audiophiles. Take Audiogon, for example. I could quote thousands of posters on the topic of cables, and show that the cables intended use, is a tool to either fix a sonic issue within a system, or a general tool used with the intention of increasing sound quality overall. I think you would be hard pressed to come up with a small handful of quotes where the poster is referring to his cables as a status symbol type purchase. I just don't see the evidence for it.

Pretty sure Mapman might be just a touch deaf with such an attitude: The only real difference between cables is the price. That's gold, Jerry, gold!

Taters, what you said may imply to most brands of cable's, not taralabs!,I tell you what, let's get in touch with each other and allow me to expose new insight with your beliefs of some cables, are you game? , email me, happy listening.

Stop worrying about me so much. I'll be fine.