Thinking out of the box here. It might make some defensive

This all just reinforces my decision to completely eliminate all cables and power cords and connectors. It’s called distortion avoidance. No more speakers cables, no more interconnects, no more house AC, no more Ground, no more power cords, no more digital cable, no more connectors. No more teacher’s dirty looks. 👀 And running low power completely avoids noise and distortion from large capacitors, AC ground issues, transformers and fuses since there, uh, aren’t any. You have to die and be reborn. What’s it sound like? Like heaven. Big things have small beginnings. There’s no substitute for signal to noise ratio.

well then use your coat hanger and be done with it...

Fascinating discussion.

Ponderings:

Some posts suggest that their may be benefits to soldering your speaker wires directly to the crossovers in a speaker and avoiding the influence of the mechanical connection between speaker cable to the binding post.  (The same exact logic should concern audiophiles at the amplifier end, off the PC board to the binding post on the amplifier face)

What is shocking to me is how many people say that "its a hassle" because they change cables often enough to make it problematic.   And yet.....

You can't throw a stone in here without hitting posts that describe the huge efforts that need to be expended on speaker placement, room treatment, turntable set up, (plus many more topics) and all are items that "must be done" if you expect to get the most out of your system, and make audible and significant differences.

Seems that some kind of work is ok, and needed, but not other types?  Or, are some people more closed minded than they want to admit?

It is not a silly discussion at all.  From a technical aspect, the people that maintain you can hear significant differences between cables really have to admit that the material be it metal, wire, or solder between the crossover and the speaker wire likewise HAS to have an affect on the signal.  Can everyone hear it?  Probably not. Is everyone willing to experiment and take the time to SEE if they can here it?  Probably not.  Can you measure it?  Probably not.  Doesn't mean the difference isn't there for some people.

I'm reminded of my favorite story about situations like this:

A new Rabbi is confronted by leaders of two factions from his congregation.  The first says... 
Rabbi, confirm for me that the tradition is to sit during the Shmah. (a prayer).
The second says, 
Rabbi, confirm for me that the tradition is to stand during the Shmah.

The Rabbi is unsure what to do.  He has seen it both ways, and wants to please ALL the congregation.  He suggests they visit not the newly retired old Rabbi, but the oldest surviving Rabbi... still hanging on at the nursing home, and still of clear mind.  They all go there, and crowd in the room.

They ask him:  Is it the tradition to stand?
"No"
They ask him: Is it the tradition to Sit?
"No"
The young Rabbi out of exasperation starts up....  "But Rabbi, for years we have been arguing, bickering taking sides and.....

The old Rabbi brightens up, and exclaims loudly....

"YES" THAT is the tradition..........

XY, that was FUNNY. Thank you.

XY, I doubt if very many people doubt that differences between cables exist. I suspect that many doubt (a) the correlation between cost and quality, and (b) the bang per buck.