The truth about interconnects - can you handle it?

I went double blind once. I was using two hands. I was told that if I only used one hand then I would only go blind once. I have been blindly and happily following that advice ever since.

Very easy to tell which cable sounds best when you change interconnects on a good passive pre. Also on ES and ribbon type speakers. Phono cables also. I have some stax headphones that I think could show cable change for the good or bad very easy also although I have not done this. The truth about interconnects is: The wrong ones will degrade sound, as always let your ears be the judge.

Interconnects can cause shifts in microdynamics which will result in a change in sound. But it is a funny way to go for tone control, unless you have a lot of money and time and like to fiddle with things. People get into this hobby for a lot of different reasons. Some have a lot of fun with interconnects and speaker cable. Let 'em have at it.

Twl, I don't believe you can dbt to 90%. But, then again, maybe you do have some golden ears and a singular genius, you lucky dog.

Charlie

This topic looks very interesting. I have been lurking on Audiogon for about a year, learning a lot about hi-fi and enjoying one of the most elevated web site on the net...I don't want to convince anybody other then me if expensive cables are worth it, as I am the only responsibile to pay the bills... I do have decent wires[nordost, analysis plus] and I was looking into buying some cardas gold reference ICs[ I am telling you that so nobody can say that I am one of those folks in denail about cables just because they can't afford to buy some good wire]so I stumbled on some the well-known-to-some-of-you web sites, sustaining that blind studies failed consistently to differentiate various wires and the placebo effect is responsible for the percived heard differences...To my surprise, major audiophilic sites banned any blind study[ the only one than can completely destroy the placebo argument] . I never saw a blin study in a audio magazine, and lots of folks on the net,otherwise nice and refined, became hostile or sarcastic dealing with this subject[ somehow understendable, as it would be ridiculous to invest thousands in wires that would not be differentiated compared blind with Sam Telig's 20 bucks ARs and they may take the blind study as a personal challange of their audio skills...]
I belived that I felt a little difference while swaping my cables, but I am not so sure anymore that is was real because:

-placebo effect may be very strong.One out of three folks with major deppresion wil get much better taking a sugar pill belived to be the medicine...It is not impossible that the often subtle differences between cables are due to our different expectations...A minor change in the excitation threshold of cohlear cells or more likely less cortical inhibition in the areas surrounding the brain's audio reception zone , as Joe is in awe of his new audio jewlery, could not alter the final sensation?
-there are reports of folks[ even audiogoners]with revealing rigs and demonstated integrity that are downsizeing to decent entry level cables, as the exotic ones failed to make a difference.
-pro reviewers-see a recent Stereophile advocating the use of a good gold plated RCA and high purity stranded copper as "All that you'll need".

So I decided to try a single blind test. I'll order two philips 963 sacds[ and I'll return the 2nd after..],ask my wife to hook them with the cables to be studied to my amp, put identical cd copies and hit the play buttons 5 seconds appart. I'll change the cables in no time, using the amp's remote and I'll write the impressions . Some friends will be invited to increase the number of measurements[ beers given after...] Do you have any suggestions ?