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
"A well designed audio interconnect, speaker cable, power cable, digital or USB cable WILL in FACT outperform your inferior cable in a resolving audio system setup in a proper listening space. Face it, deal with it, move on please."

^ that stmt. belongs in the how to rip off audiophiles thread
I'm thinking true audiophiles already know what's up.  You can take that swing, but it's not gonna land with me.  Still hating Randy?  We can see you are being stubborn and don't have an open mind regarding the subject matter here.  I guess you've heard it all already?

Experienced audiophiles know that the most well designed high end audio cables will out perform the average stuff by a good margin.  They have heard it in well thought out and very high performing audio systems.  If you have experience with these high performance cables and you have the other parameters down, i.e. the resolving high performance equipment utilized correctly in the proper listening space, sense of hearing that has not been compromised, and an understanding of how live instruments and voices should be presented, then you get it.  It is here and it is real.

Hey, I do not discriminate!  I enjoy MUSIC and an amazing listening experience as much as anyone!  Man I'm always looking for an amazing cable that performs way above its price in my system.  I recognize.  I've enjoyed and talked up some of the great budget cables as well.  Grovers, Clear Day, Morrow, Discovery, Anti-Cables are all good examples.  Nice additions to most audio systems.  I have spent time listening to all these and many more.  Still have the Govers and the Discovery just because they are so darn good and inexpensive.  There IS another level of sonic realism here folks and yes it's gonna cost you!  If you don't want in that club... fine.  Nobody's gonna force you, but don't knock me or others for attempting to discuss it on these forums.  

show me the double blind listening tests, please

cables are the biggest rip-off in audio

oh, you don't sell cables, do you??
In my opinions cables are an essential ingredient in the thrill of realism in music reproduction. My cables including pcs, now represent at least half of the cost of my system. I really don't know where I might further improve my sound, but after the last four years, I cannot say where to try something new. And I should say that at my age I really hope I don't find one.

On double blind listening tastes, I have multiple times participated in them and think they are a complete waste of time as the mind is engaged in a completely different task during them than when we are relaxed and enjoying music. Psychologists using 30 second same or different judgments are wasting their time. It is an invalid measure.