Newbee, HUH? You said, "this weekend I made a change in my system which amounted to only removing/changing a source..." and you seem surprised that the sound was different. ONLY a source change? You talk as though swapping the source won't effect anything, and you're surprised that the cables sound different?
Changing the source is a potentially HUGE factor in changing the sound. Take cdp's, from one to the next there can be a big difference in presentation. It wasn't your cables which made the difference, if in fact you swapped sources, but the new source itself! Now, if you moved cables around and put them in new locations and kept the same source, there also could be a difference audible. But the way you stated it makes it sound like you dismiss the effect a different source has on the rig.
If you think different sources don't do much then it's no wonder you struggle with the idea that a cable can make a difference!
Changing the source is a potentially HUGE factor in changing the sound. Take cdp's, from one to the next there can be a big difference in presentation. It wasn't your cables which made the difference, if in fact you swapped sources, but the new source itself! Now, if you moved cables around and put them in new locations and kept the same source, there also could be a difference audible. But the way you stated it makes it sound like you dismiss the effect a different source has on the rig.
If you think different sources don't do much then it's no wonder you struggle with the idea that a cable can make a difference!