Do your ears deceive you?

Cables need to be considered as a component not an accessory. As with any other component system synergy is the key that unlocks the door. IMO the issue with HEA(retailers/reviewers/YouTube) is the focus on 1 component NOT the complete system. 

@panzrwagn 

"If you can’t hear it you either have the wrong cables, an insufficient system, an inability to hear those differences or confirmation bias against cables." 

Or Door #4, there are no audible differences to be heard.

Claiming  'insufficient system"  is the height of arrogance close only to  blaming "an inability to hear those differences."

Maybe you could define of what a sufficient system is made.

It was not my intention to appear arrogant in regards to the 'insufficient system' remark. This just comes from experience as I have built my system. I believe that the more refined your system becomes, the higher likelihood that cables will make an audible difference. Where that level of refinement starts is dependent on too many factors to objectively define it.

Secondly, I think it is a simple fact that not everyone can hear the difference. I believe if you invited a group of non-audiophiles to your home for a cable shootout, many of them would not perceive the difference between cables, though some percentage might. 

I have had a couple of cable changes that resulted in such a dramatic contrast that I think just about anyone could hear the difference. More often I think the changes are more subtle and more obvious to the owner of the system.

In other news, blind people are convinced everyone else is just making stuff up and there's surely no such thing as sight.

I believe if you invited a group of non-audiophiles to your home for a cable shootout, many of them would not perceive the difference between cables, though some percentage might. 

Similarly I believe if you invited a group of audiophiles for a cable shootout where they knew which cables they were listening to you'd get completely different results from hearing the same cables if it was a blind comparison. 

Cable differences are more subtle than speaker and cartridge difference....usually a lot more subtle. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist, but they are more difficult to recognize.

One of the issues with blind testing is the duration of the sound sampling....it’s usually only a few minutes per, which seems readily apparent that it isn’t sufficient time to decipher minor differences. If the system doesn’t have very high resolution, and/or is a system you’re not extremely familiar with, that adds another element that makes it more difficult to decipher minor differences. Add the element of pressure to hear a difference, and it’s simply not a good situation to determine subtle sound differences. Just a few of the many reasons I don’t put much credence in blind testing. It’s far better to listen for days and weeks on your own high res system with music and a room you know well.

@divertiti - This is priceless!

In other news, blind people are convinced everyone else is just making stuff up and there’s surely no such thing as sight.