DO CABLES REALLY MATTER?

ganainm

... the reason the burden of proof is not onthe sceptics is because of 150 years of Electrical Theory and Engineering not to mention the huge majority of actual unbiased blinded testing. If that stuff means nothing to you, well there really isn't a discussion to be had ...

This is a hobbyist group, so there's actually no "burden of proof" on anyone here. No one in this group owes you anything. But since you bring up "actual unbiased testing," please do tell us about those tests. Who designed them, who conducted them, who participated? Please also tell us about what you call the the minority of tests where the results were not consistent with your beliefs.

If you're not willing to share details, "well there really isn't a discussion to be had."

amg56:

The OP asked simply, "Do cables really matter?"

My answer is 100% subjective from long experience. I don’t need to qualify anything quantitatively. This is my personal opinion and my long term investments in equipment and software over many years qualifies me to be able to make this call. Yes, they do matter! That’s my answer to the OP’s question.

Now, ask me a specific question about any of the brands I mentioned and I will be happy to respond, as long as you are willing to take the system and listening room contexts into account and that are acknowledged as contributory to my opinions. There are no absolutes here, only impressions. What I like personally, someone else here may dislike. What I can discern as a difference, someone else could negate and dismiss. Judge for yourself.

Personally, I would never spend $10K on a cable due to the asymptotic law of diminishing returns.

By the way, the reason I implied belief in UFOs is not a logical argument for pseudo skeptics to use is because, well, speaking frankly, there is no proof that UFOs don’t exist. I realize it sounds cool to say oh, that guy probably believes in UFOs if he believes in expensive cables. Yuk, yuk! That’s why it’s not a real argument. It’s a phoney argument. But, you know how people are, they believe things because that’s what they choose to believe. People who don’t believe in UFOs don’t have any real scientific basis, or any kind of basis, for that particular belief other than that’s what they choose to believe. At one time I worked a few blocks from Project Bluebook, the US Air Force office that studied UFOs and UFO sightings. I was also a few blocks away from where the live or dead aliens were taken from Roswell for who knows what. 👽 But I’ve said too much.

Interesting how the "U" remains, after all this time, in the term UFO.

But in this ever emerging world of Orwellian doubleplusgoodspeak, I wouldn’t be surprised if that term got turned upside down too.

Personally, I’d like to believe in UFOs and have been waiting for years for one to land in my backyard, or at least provide me with a compelling third kind experience. But, alas, so far, no such luck.

In light of the subject being discussed...

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html

The F18 video is "interesting".