Price Isn't Always Indicitive of Quality or Performance

@wesheadley 

Understand that the way "premium" cables are designed, is that the top-most, flag-ship, cable is the literal best materials and geometry that the company can offer.  Every model below that is a broken version of the model above it. It isn't "confirmation bias."  Conformation bias is a cheap cop-out by suggesting anyone who hears a difference that another is not able to, is lying. It takes the position that the nay-sayer is more correct because they are taking a skeptical stance.

Going back to my OP, I have determine a drastic enough difference in sound quality from a cable I spent $1000.00 on, to a cable I spent $500.00. Where the materials and geometry in the cheaper cable was FAR superior over the more expensive cable.  And, the cheaper cable was the flag-ship model, versus the expensive cable barely being the mid-range for that company. I found it interesting that a European company was making a cable this good for so cheap.  That's literally the entire point.

Arguing that I couldn't possibly make such a determination is disingenuous, at best.  Considering no one on this thread, much less the entire audience on Audiogon, has a setup like mine. With that said, I am not recommending any product to anyone.  I am just offering my testimony on my discovery.  Either it is interesting to other people or it isn't.  I don't feel like I have to justify my setup or audio choices to anyone.  Largely because *I* am the only who will be listening to it. However, since these threads are searchable via GOOGLE or BING, it is for posterity and information to the lurker who might stumble upon this thread looking for answers to their audio quandaries. Much like I did when I found this site and have learned a lot from other members and used their input to inform my decisions on audio upgrades to my unique system.


 

Understand that the way "premium" cables are designed, is that the top-most, flag-ship, cable is the literal best materials and geometry that the company can offer.  Every model below that is a broken version of the model above it

I disagree that “every model below is broken version …”.  I just purchased Siltech Classic Interconnects which has high purity silver with gold to fill in the gaps and they’re in the 9th generation.  These cables got a fantastic review by Alan Sircom who’s auditioned way more cables than most others.  The top of the line Siltech uses extremely pure silver.  Siltech is heavily into metallurgy.  Just because one does not purchase top-of-the-line, doesn’t mean all else is broken.

@wesheadley

Nice rant. Have you heard a $30K turntable… and a $300K turntable or amp? Could you please document your sound preferences and equipment in each of these categories? Or is this just theoretical?

Silver cable does not sound better than copper cable. All quality cables have subtle differences and much of that is system, power, or even room dependent. It's like getting into an argument about which bottle of a high-end wine tastes better. There is definitely little relation to the price when you get to that level. The market does not set the price on a thing like that, it's set on scarcity, taste preferences, collectability and so on.

Again, no one can rank a set of high quality cables from best to worst based upon price. No one. Want to bet? Here's a test, you rank the same set of five different cables, three times, from best to worst. Should be easy-peasy right?

Nice rant. Have you heard a $30K turntable

Why thank you. Yes, a couple in that range. VPI and an SME in that range. Both sounded great, but I’ll tell you the same thing as I did regarding cables-- the differences are subtle-- and NOT "better than" or "worse than". The factor that really jumps out at you on a high-end table is the cartridge-- where there are many flavors to choose from at every conceivable price. I have a set of cartridges that range from $500 to $9,000. They each have their strengths and weaknesses and the table will impact what you can get out of them to a degree. But again, it’s more about matching and synergy that it is about price. Far more. When you get into the thousand dollar on up area you are usually getting the best materials and they will resolve more micro-detail. But none of this speaks to better or best-- just differences-- so you go with what you like.

I’ve also heard some pretty disappointing sounding, very expensive turntables-- not because there was anything wrong with them-- other than the SETUP-- which is a huge factor.

I think people get far too hung-up on price as some kind of status badge. Boring and wrong.

Do you think that at the supercar level that those cars can be ranked on performance by price? No. There is no evidence of that. Anymore than there is any evidence that a more expensive cable by nature just sounds better than a less expensive one (assuming quality build and materials). It’s a myth that many cling to, but the evidence just ain’t there and never has been.