@stevewharton @kellyp )
I like the wine metaphor. I think we all struggle. Not only because these terms are very very vague (in terms of designating a precise sensory correlate event in our own situated experiences) but there are many acoustical factors which make the comparison laughable if it's meant to be serious or scientific. (That pretense to scientific accuracy is probably what gets under most people's skins.)
We might consider the wide range of factors that comprise a certain sonic event:
recording
cables
amp
preamp
speakers
room
listener interpretation
So, when someone says "this cable sounds like X" then I need to know something reasonably precise about the other factors involved -- and how they compare to my own space and taste. Otherwise, what they say about the cable is fairly opaque. A.K.A. nearly "useless." Unless one is just looking for something to try. And I have no beef with that. We all need to get our hints from somewhere.
Silversmith Fideliums -- thanks for mentioning.