Can we objectively rate speaker cables?

First off, what type of music people listen to and their frame of reference relative to live music events will inevitably influence how they hear and judge any audio product. What is possible can only be appreciated if you have a physical ear/brain experience or memory of live events/instruments and how they can sound in any given environment. Those with limited exposure to great music performed in great venues need not apply if they are conditioned to listening to electronicaly reproduced, poorly recorded, mass marketed material. If you have been around live music and frequented some of the best venues around for mucial events as I have, then it takes little imagination or effort to hear the differences in cables or gear. The realm of difficult discrimination becomes less of an obstacle you see because it is a physical sonic memory. Going to a few rock concerts and listening to mismatched/conventional components all your life affords one an extremely limited sonic imagination.

Oh geez, Stereophile Mag will never hire you guys to write reviews for them. Lol. Yes, I must agree that we all see and hear things differently. O.P did not mention that this is for IC’s or Speaker Cables (SC) but here’s how I “see” them and here’s how I rate them in MY systems.



A/ (Detailed) 1 ------------------------------10 (Warm)
- Nordost Blue Heaven (SC) ---- 4.5

- Nordost Red Dawn (SC) -------- 5

- Nordost SPM (SC) ------------- 6

- Gurtz MI-2 (SC) -----------------6

- Nordost Valhalla (IC) ------------3

- Nordost QuatroFil (IC) -------5.5

- Transparent REF (IC) -----------7

- Kinber SilverStreak (IC)-------4.5

- BlueJean LC1 (IC) ----------- 5.5
------------------------------------------
B/ (Focus Soundstage) 1 --------- 10 (Open Soundstage /airy)
- Nordost Blue Heaven (SC) ------ 5

- Nordost Red Dawn (SC) ------- 4.5

- Nordost SPM (SC) ---------------4

- Gurtz MI-2(SC) ----------------- 4

- Nordost Valhalla (IC) ----------- 8

- Nordost QuatroFil (IC) ---------4

- Transparent REF (IC) ---------- 4

- Kinber SilverStreak (IC)---------6

- BlueJean LC1 (IC) ------------4.5

------------------------------------------

C. (Slow) 1 ---------------------------------- 10 (Fast)

- Nordost Blue Heaven (SC) --------- 6.5

- Nordost Red Dawn (SC) ------------- 6

- Nordost SPM (SC) ------------------5.5

- Gurtz MI-2(SC) -------------------- 5.5

- Nordost Valhalla (IC) --------------9.7

- Nordost QuatroFil (IC) -------------6.5

- Transparent REF (IC) -------------- 4.5

- Kinber SilverStreak (IC)------------6.5

- BlueJean LC1 (IC) -------------------5

Sorry I mispelled. Please correct the "Goertz" MI-2.

It can not possibly be that "frame of reference relative to live music events" or exposure to " great music in great venues" has anything to do with hearing/judging differences amongst cables as plenty of people with both are on each side of the debate. There is no way that you or anyone else has enough information at hand to conclude that hours logged at great venues listening to great music is directly proportional to accurately detecting/judging/evaluating cable differences. Personally I think that there are indeed instances when changing cables makes a meaningful difference and that there are instances when it does not. That said there is a LOT of snake oil in cable advertising. I actually think that some people have too much " sonic imagination". - Jim

Nasaman -- you've got a point about us:)
BUT: What's da system???

Almarg aptly notes

Besides their apparently outlandish markups, what I find to be the biggest turn-off about super-expensive cables is the design rationale which is typically offered in their "white papers" and other literature.

"White-papers" for audiophile consumption are a powerful emetic!
They are up there (but do not quite reach),
"PROPRIETARY design slip-knot, direct-coupled, parallel-serial time /phase/ solar aligned crossover" and, the piece de resistance,
"DISSATISFIED with what the market had to offer, David set about to design his own .... (speakers, amplifiers, tiddly-winks, ball-gags, etc). A friend, musician of world-renown who happened to hear/ use / ? them, instantly ordered (a bundle, 69 containers...)"
Aaaargh!