What do audiophiles want from a cable?


What should a high quality interconnect or speaker cable do to the sound of a system? Make it more transparent? Improve the sound stage and focus? Soften unpleasant highs? Tighten the base? Bring out the mids?

To me, a good cable should reveal more of what is on the recording and more of the true nature of my components. So when trying new cables, I look for more detail and accuracy without becoming cold and clinical. This seems logical, and yet after reading reviews and trying a few of the cables in the reviews, I find that the cables that have received glowing endorsements are not especially transparent or revealing. They modify the sound, but they don’t take me where I want to go. I wonder if the reason I don’t hear what the reviewer heard is that I don’t know what to listen for. Am I too focused on cable accuracy and resolution, and not enough on actual sound quality? Or is it just a case of no two systems sounding alike so why trust a review anyway? Thanks.
mward
randy-11
59 posts
10-15-2016 3:52pm
What most audiophiles want from a cable is confirmation bias.

That cannot be confirmed.
randy-11
59 posts
10-15-2016 3:52pm
What most audiophiles want from a cable is confirmation bias.

That cannot be confirmed.

In my best computer voice - Negative ,this cannot be confirmed 
OMG! This thread is amazing -- I read every word. Thanks for the masterclass in trolling (including question by OP that started it all off). You guys are awesome.
barking54, even your name is a noise.
By the way, Purist Ferox cables cannot be filled with fluid, unlike the other way around.
Waxwaves, Dominus, at least a new one, is absolutely out of my reach, as are many things. Gryphon Callisto 2200 integrated, as an example. It is almost never on the second market, there is one now, though.