Audphile1, your post is unclear. Unshielded Audience versus shielded what?? You may be comparing apples and oranges in terms of the other properties of the cord(s) such as gauge, conductor material, length, etc.
Shielding, if it is a floating shield, and all other characteristics the same as the unshielded cord, should have no sonic effect. A floating shield does not carry any current, so cannot effect the energy transfer of a given cord.
I'm not debating what you experienced. I'm just not sure you were making an equivalent comparison. I'm wondering therefore, if the Audience cord is simply a larger gauge cord than your shielded one.
Shielding, if it is a floating shield, and all other characteristics the same as the unshielded cord, should have no sonic effect. A floating shield does not carry any current, so cannot effect the energy transfer of a given cord.
I'm not debating what you experienced. I'm just not sure you were making an equivalent comparison. I'm wondering therefore, if the Audience cord is simply a larger gauge cord than your shielded one.