From my limited understanding as to why cables work, I would have thought of all people, engineers would be most inclined to realize that they do work.
I’m an engineer and I believe in the benefit of cables because I’ve heard the effects with my own ears multiple times. Still don’t understand it. My hunch is that cable geometry plays a significant role, as does the type of metal and connector types.
What I have learned from working with other engineers is that there is a spectrum of attitudes when it comes to the unknown. On one extreme is the attitude of, “follow in the footsteps of others and become an expert in the known.” The benefit is that you have a high likelihood of success because doing what other successful people do will likely lead to success. The downside is that you probably won’t be the one to discover something new or come up with novel solutions. On the other extreme is the attitude of: “don’t follow in the footsteps of others and carve your own path.” The benefit is that you will be more likely to make discoveries and come up with novel, creative solutions. The downside is that you may be wasting time solving problems that have already been solved by others and that your creative solutions might not be as effective as the tried and true methods. There are benefits to both approaches. It should be pretty easy to see how these beliefs transfer to the audio hobby and relate to buying decisions. I’m more in the later camp. I know I’ve wasted a lot of resources trying to figure things out myself but I’ve also achieved degrees of synergy that I wouldn’t have achieved if I was in the former camp.