dletch2 Let me get to some technical points first. I brought example of amplifiers in 70s to show that there is always possibility of something we don't know yet. Designers then believed that NFB is a panacea for everything since it reduces THD and IMD, increases bandwidth and lowers output impedance. Some transistor amplifiers had extremely low THD and IMD (few zeros after decimal point) but sounded bad. This deep NFB not only brings TIM but also make amplifier sensitive to external electrical noise, since cable is an antena for RFI. Amplifier's output has low impedance only for low frequencies and it is an input to NFB at the same time. Yes, most likely there is a Zobel network there, but no filter is perfect. We are talking about additional about 40dB of gain in addition to existing about 26dB of amplifier's gain (amp has 66dB of gain before feedback is applied) plus what level down we're able to hear - at least 60dB. Twisting wires makes cable extremely immune to interference by exposing both wires evenly to external magnetic and electric field (as long as twist pitch is much smaller than wavelength of interfering signal).
As for blind test - No, I did not perform such test. It happened by chance when after comparing cables I left old one plugged in and next day was able to hear that it didn't sound the way I remember it should. Also, changes in sound (like fuller lower midrange) were unexpected - reviews never mentioned it.
I agree with you that we have to be objective, but at the same time I believe that we should be humble and accept that what we hear often cannot be explained (or at least easily explained).
As for blind test - No, I did not perform such test. It happened by chance when after comparing cables I left old one plugged in and next day was able to hear that it didn't sound the way I remember it should. Also, changes in sound (like fuller lower midrange) were unexpected - reviews never mentioned it.
I agree with you that we have to be objective, but at the same time I believe that we should be humble and accept that what we hear often cannot be explained (or at least easily explained).