Are cables really worth their high price because of their geometry?

If you only have a low end system, then Belden cables or even some zip cords should be OK.

I have found that using quality cables on a system of any price will enhance the performance of that system - dramatically,
- Provided you choose the cables wisely..

My $350 mini system has rudimentary speaker and power cables made up from left over pieces of wire I had lying around and it sounds so much better, even when played very loud, which was something that I could NOT do before upgrading the cables

I once took one of my power cables to a store to audition a Bluesound Mini Pulse speaker - the guy at the store could not believe the improvements he heard, when I changed to my power cable
- his jaw dropped.

On another occasion, I was fortunate enough to be able to audition (free) a pair of IC’s (MSRP $1800) on my Bluesound Node 2 (MSRP $600) and it performed way above it’s price point
- but some might consider it is ridiculous to have cables of that price on such a component.
- they would probably feel more comfortable spending $1800 upgrading the component resulting in less of an  improvement because their cables are "restricting" the signal

I have repeatedly demonstrated the improvements cables make to friends and family, most of whom are not really into music that much - but they heard the improvements cables make

The point I am trying to make is - even low end components today perform way above their price point when good cables are installed. So opting for cables that will simply "make do" may not be the best way to proceed - especially for "audiophiles"

People often spend hundreds (or even thousands) on upgrading components, when they could have spent less on some decent cables and would have achieved better results.

The "problem" with cable selection...
- you can replace an interconnect, but if the power cable on the attached component(s) is the problem, the new IC will not demonstrate its true abilities
- and the converse is is also true.

As a general "approach" I advise people to start with upgrading their speaker cables
- audition ask questions on this forum for the best performing speaker cables you can afford
- then focus on power cables for source components - they benefit greatly with better power cables
- finally, upgrade your IC's - at this point you should be able to hear significant improvements in sound quality, but it is not all due to the interconnects - the other cables play a huge role in overall system performance
- then, and only then - upgrade the power cable to the amplifier

But a hit and miss approach to cable selection will not do any justice to the components you own.

I consider my cables more important than my components, after all they are the "conduit" for the signals that the components process - so they should be top notch as well

Regards - Steve

Mr. williewonka

Sorry, but none of your reports were on the subject.
Speaker cables do have a significance, when use a higher DF Amp.
Lets say, above 150.
On tube Amp’s or tube alike (McIntosh) the cables are insignificant. As the DF is very low (less than 20, maybe down to 3!) any cable would do.

What exactly justify a cable’s price of US $1,800?
What makes it a high end cable?
Would such a cable (as called high end or high cost) would fit all systems ?

@b4icu - I think I will just say that w.r.t. cables - we will have to agree to disagree.

I have received observations from dozens of people that have implemented the DIY cables i promote, in a variety of systems both tube and solid state and of varying levels of "quality" (including McIntosh) and I am yet to hear that they made little or no difference - most are ecstatic with the levels of improvement they observed.

As for your statements..

What exactly justify a cable’s price of US $1,800?

The answer is simple - improvement in sound quality.

Maybe YOU are not willing to pay that much, but many people will

What makes it a high end cable?

One that provides a significant improvement in sound quality - but it does not necessarily have to be "high priced" - however in audio circles, the two does seem to go hand in hand.

Would such a cable (as called high end or high cost) would fit all systems ?

Quality cables will achieve improvement in most systems - but there are caveats e.g. some TOTL speaker cables that have a very high level of capacitance can cause some solid state amps to oscillate and cause internal damage
- so NO - not ALL cables will be compliant with all systems

Regards

@b4icu

So the difference in resistance, if I read you correctly, in any speaker cable is the ONLY determinant of its sound quality. 
Of course we are not in need to look further into the damping factor, as always the same power amp and also speaker/x-over is used. Right? 🤔

So in this my mentioned case, the cable with the second lowest resistance sounds the worst, the silber litz with 0.2 ohm. 

The copper braid in cotton bedded, the second 'worst' has 0.1 ohm resistance (as allways one only conductor). 

And the best sounding cable, the StraightWire has at 0.3 ohm the highest resistance. 

The DF of the Pass X350.5 is about 700,
and the 3 way Burmester 961 has a linkwitz type x-over... but none of that playes into your equation. If I got your right. 

Something does not mesh with my present learning, looking at your very simplistic argument. At all! 

So, we're either not sharing the same hearing, or some other unknown influence is at work. 

Differences of ~100 milli-ohms at such a high damping factor, being the cause of such noticeable SQ differences, really? 

So, me too, let's agree to disagree 👍✔️

if you under the geometry patents, please elaborate.  If not, waste your money on hokum.