Regarding a review in the Aug '02 Stereophile...

From my vantage point where most reviewers fail is in the awareness that all cables and components are in many ways system specific. They don't seem to consider system synergy. They all list the system they use in their review, but they associate all that they hear to the cable or the component under review.

For example, if a revealing cable uncovers some harshness in the reviewer's CD player; the reviewer will still comment that the cable sounded a little harsh, even though it could be his CD player that is harsh, not the cable; etc, etc.

Phild - like all components in electronics, if you want to get the last 5% of performance out of cables, you have to resort to exotic materials and constructions. This is expensive no matter how you spin it. Low volume, high-cost = expensive. The challenge is finding the product that achieves the point of diminishing returns for a reasonable price. An most of all, ignore the price and listen to the performance.

Sugarbrie, as a reviewer, I completely agree with you. EVERYTHING is system dependent, room dependent and dependent on the reviewer's biases, experiences, personal tastes and preferences. It is VERY difficult (if not impossible) to ever ascribe any absolute terms or adjectives to a piece of gear due to this inherent problem. What I think a reviewer CAN do is try to describe what it did in HIS/HER system and, assuming only ONE variable is changed, describe what those changes, if any, are. Then the reader can extrapolate what they need from the context. This gets a little easier if you have been follwing the reviewer for years and are familiar with his/her biases, system etc. For example, I had read Brian Damkroger's reviews for years because, for a while, he and I had MUCH of the same gear and he found it to sound like I did. Therefore, with that as a point of reference, if Brian said equipment "A" was "bright" or "hard" sounding, I could relate better from his perspective being close to mine.

Conversely, if say a Sam Tellig, who listens to some nice single ended triodes, says a piece of gear is "bright" or "hard" sounding, what I may take from that may be completely different (not because Sam is better or worse than Brian, but because their systems, experiences, and points of reference are so different).

In the end, the reviewer can only serve as a limited information source to be taken in context (not to mention they may not even be setting the gear up correctly) and as only a start to a thorough audition by you (e.g., trust your own ears in the end and do not worry if reviewer "X" likes it or not). Just my $.02.

Fmpnd, may I multiply yr $0,02? I second, third & fourth your motion!
Cheers!

I recently purchased a pair of Audience AU-24 speaker cables & I/C's based on the review. The Audience is a VERY THIN CABLE and easy to connect to my EAD TheaterMaster-8, PowerMaster 1000 and Bohlender Graebener planar speakers which are bi-amped. As compared to the Straight Wire Serenade and Virtuoso, the AU-24 is more musical with crystalline highs, a definite improvement on the treble post. Santana's Supernatural sounded magical with this cable. I briefly put a pair of Red Dawn Rev2 on the treble post . The red dawn sounded nice but did not have the depth or substance that the AU-24 or Virtuoso had. The Straight Wire Virtuoso provided much better mid-bass than the Serenade but I had a hard time discerning a large improvement between the Virtuoso and AU-24 when connected to the mid-bass post.
Caveat-- my speakers only go down to 80 hz and I am using a Sony 7700 DVD player (next upgrade project) with Nordost Silver Shadow Shadow digital cable. I really like what the AU-24 did to top-end and would recommend trying this cable. If wife acceptace factor is important the cable is thin and easy to hide.
I could not agree more that components and cables sound different in other systems. Enjoy the music!