What do audiophiles want from a cable?

If you're an engaged audiophile and have experimented with your system to explore possible improvements to the sound and have not at least investigated the cable issue you may be missing out.  Sad.  As several have correctly posted here, there are very cost effective high performing brands as there are the more expensive spreads.  Do what fits your audio budget.

If you are a cable denier and won't consider the importance of the cables that transmit the audio signal from component to component I guess you don't experience a difference with the quality of tires that connect your car to the road.  Really??

There are many 'audiophiles' who can't hear well. Some of them know it but won't say it in public, some don't know. There are also people who can't afford good stuff including cables, so some of them will devalue what is valuable but out of reach not to get upset too much.
Then there are imbeciles, plain and simple, undeveloped folks.
Whatever it is, arguing would serve no purpose. Those in the know know that cables make big difference, and great cables are always expensive. And they have the right to be.

"If you ...won't consider the importance of the cables that transmit the audio signal from component to component I guess you don't experience a difference with the quality of tires that connect your car to the road."

The above is a really bad analogy and suggests that the poster is ignorant of both audio engineering and mechanical engineering

But it is wrong in a more fundamental sense as well.  It isn't that some "won't consider" it is that in science the affirmative has the burden of proof.

For example, you see a couple of people above making bold claims, but they cannot back it up with ANY real listening tests.  Post the methodology in your own double-blind tests.  Or just tell us what volume of JAES or other engineering or scientific journal the test appeared in.

Also, show where you disconnected and reconnected existing cables to eliminate the effects of removing any corrosion on those connections from your experiment.

Last, we would need to see that any real differences are, in fact, improvements and not simply the result of confirmation bias.

Randy11 wrote,

For example, you see a couple of people above making bold claims, but they cannot back it up with ANY real listening tests. Post the methodology in your own double-blind tests. Or just tell us what volume of JAES or other engineering or scientific journal the test appeared in.

gosh, you mean audio Journals, AES, JAES or whoever, actually think there are audible differences among cables? WOW, they’ve really gotten progressive.

randy-11,

Audiodom already has enough audio cheapskates. Your points of view have been more than thoroughly exhausted by droves of others before you. Those of us that have been around more than 10 minutes have read and heard it all.  You are posting such things all over Audiogon. Give it a rest. Years from now, you will re-read your posts and regret.

Best to you randy-11,
Dave