Good thread, Nocaster!
I will reiterate my belief that price has very little correlation to performance. Price is mostly related to what the market will bear, as opposed to material or usually, labor costs.
I personally know and recommend a cable that is the same EXACT cable as what a well known company charges 10X more for. What is the difference, beyond price? Basically, from what I see, the terminations - which are actually superior in the lower cost product.
And, as always, system synergy takes precedence over cost, make, model, etc. The Nordost didn't work in Nocaster's system as well as the Kimber Hero, but the opposite will be true in someone else's. Each audiophile needs to do both the homework and legwork to find out what is the route they should take.
I will reiterate my belief that price has very little correlation to performance. Price is mostly related to what the market will bear, as opposed to material or usually, labor costs.
I personally know and recommend a cable that is the same EXACT cable as what a well known company charges 10X more for. What is the difference, beyond price? Basically, from what I see, the terminations - which are actually superior in the lower cost product.
And, as always, system synergy takes precedence over cost, make, model, etc. The Nordost didn't work in Nocaster's system as well as the Kimber Hero, but the opposite will be true in someone else's. Each audiophile needs to do both the homework and legwork to find out what is the route they should take.