@chayro You're absolutely right in your OP.
@hilde45 I'm afraid your analogy doesn't work. Audio systems wouldn't work without cables. So cables are a component, just like a turntable, an amp or a loudspeaker. A closer though still imperfect analogy would be to say that cables are one of the smaller ingredients in a particular dish. The audio rack or the speaker stand are closer to the plate, though this still isn't exactly right.
@chayro I agree that the formulation of the phrase is actually wrong. We judge all components on the basis of their sonic presentation, which can involve a number of things like good treble, good bass, good timbre, etc. etc. We combine them in ways that seek to create a combination that sounds great to our ears. (There's that recipe analogy again.) Preferring Cardas over Nordost is no different from prefering Shindo over Benchmark.
@hilde45 I'm afraid your analogy doesn't work. Audio systems wouldn't work without cables. So cables are a component, just like a turntable, an amp or a loudspeaker. A closer though still imperfect analogy would be to say that cables are one of the smaller ingredients in a particular dish. The audio rack or the speaker stand are closer to the plate, though this still isn't exactly right.
@chayro I agree that the formulation of the phrase is actually wrong. We judge all components on the basis of their sonic presentation, which can involve a number of things like good treble, good bass, good timbre, etc. etc. We combine them in ways that seek to create a combination that sounds great to our ears. (There's that recipe analogy again.) Preferring Cardas over Nordost is no different from prefering Shindo over Benchmark.