A New Believer

Considering the cost of high end gear, it seems silly not to experiment. Someone is always in a hurry to argue against spending "thousands" vs damn near nothing. The meat is in the middle IMO as Elizabeth and others have stated.

"An initial response to a change in sound is usually positive as you state. "- not IME, although I do think that you need to leave them in awhile to get their measure- as in not a quick A/B/X.

if these wires cost 5-10 dollars then all you have said would be ok. but we are talking about hundreds even thousands of dollars. the differences should be 'obvious'and 'immediate'. but of course there is no difference to be heard.

"To be a believer you must have 'faith', to which proof is not available. To those who believe, no explanation is possible, or necessary.
Buconero117"
Double amen, or triple on it.

I'm with Elizabeth on this one...

Where's Randy and his million dollars??

I feel a responsibility to those who are just starting into audio and reading this. Pay close attention to Shadorne's comment above. Cables are passive. They should have no sound of their own. Cheap cables can impart a change in the signal. Well made cables of good quality should not. Whether you hear a difference is subjective. If the wire is extremely short, especially for speaker cables, the differences will be very small, if any. Best to pay attention to the components first, then experiment with wire. Another caveat- even though I am a skeptic I have been around long enough to know that current methods of measurement (and science in general) cannot explain perceived phenomena. The human ear can be an incredibly accurate instrument and we may not be able to measure differences scientifically that the human ear can detect. I am happy that the OP found joy and surprise with a new cable. That keeps the fun in this hobby. Lastly, let's not lose sight of the joy and satisfaction of listening to music. After all, isn't that the point?