I went through the trouble of auditioning interconnects and speaker cables 30 years ago when I assembled my system. My speakers are fairly resolving and I heard differences in every brand/model. As many have suggested, matching to your system is important. The most expensive were not best for me. But the interconnects and speaker cables that I preferred were a bit above my budget at the time. Being patient allowed me to find the cables I preferred either used or for especially good prices.
After upgrading my CDC transport, I saw enough feedback about coaxial digital interconnects that I decided to try one (going against the old lore that the only thing that mattered was that the cable was 75 ohms). I was surprised at the improvement. Then this year, I finally got over the activation barrier and tried power cords. I know they are not in the signal path, but the level of improvement for my preamp and my DAC still leave me amazed. I can’t believe how much I have been enjoying my system including my CDs that I was resigned could never sound as good as my vinyl.
I’ve head A British Audiophile say that he doesn’t like to spend time playing with cables and tweets and prefers to keep upgrading his equipment. From my perspective, I don’t really know how my components sound if I haven’t put some care into making sure they are functioning as well as possible and that hey are connected together optimally. For me, cables are the icing on the cake. Overbuying equipment when there are other weaknesses in the system has not been satisfying. The recent experience with two $100 power cables still leaves me a bit shocked. I was that close to a great system where digital is competitive with analog for 30 years and had missed out because I was swayed by those who insisted power cables couldn’t make a difference. IMO, everything has made a difference.
