Cables more hype than value?

Audiolabyrinth, in my main I use Audionote tonearm wire, Siltech and/ or Nordost IC's, and Siltech speaker cables. In a second system I use all Wireworld Eclipse, and the basement "workout" system has all Cardas in it. I have some other stuff laying around, some old MIT, TMC, Kimber.

The implication being that no believers are technically astute. Clearly, not the case. How does one explain the many clearly "technically astute " individuals who are believers. It is true that there is a lot of hype; but that, in no way, suggests that it is ALL hype. To suggest otherwise is the worst example of lack of astuteness.

It is ALL hype. If two cables are appropriately designed for a given application there isn't any audible difference between them. Any technically astute person knows that frequency response is unaffected to within a tenth of a db and there's no added distortion. One can design cables improperly, and those cables may sound different because they are ineptly done, but that's not the case you're making, is it. THe case you're making is that two cables that transmit exactly the same signal by any measurement we can make sound different. That's irrational.

For example, how does an analog interconnect affect frequency response or distortion? Better yet, how does it affect sound-stage or how "clean" highs are? There aren't even theories for how this might occur. I suppose if you design in some sort of impedance mismatch, or perhaps specifically design a cable to have excessive capacitance this could happen, but that's inept design, and that's not what Rok2id or I am discussing.

There is no academic argument about this. There's no debate at all, because there is no basis for the cables-sound-different argument other than someone says so. The very same principles that underlie the design of our equipment are the same principles that are used for the case that all properly designed cables sound the same.

Not sure why didn't worked in my post ...

Audiolabyrinth, I use ASI Liveline ICs and SCs and HiDiamond PCs.

Well said. I think I detected a little Aczelian influence.

Last night I reread his review of the Parasound A21 power amp. How refreshing to read a real review. I really miss his input. he was the last of a kind. The only thing between truth and the charlatans.

He quit his 'hip-boots' articles because he said the ENTIRE audio media industry was now corrupt, so there was no need to point of the voodoo priests, since they are all now selling snake oil.

I enjoy some of Aczel's writing immensely. Some of his writing, like the Biggest Lies, or the Zais-Atkinson article, are perhaps the best examples of writing in the audio press. I think Azcel's focus on science and engineering is very admirable. On the other hand, I'm not an unqualified follower of his. I think he is prone to unsupported assertions on points where *there are* measurable differences, or where personal opinions are indeed involved, and I think he could stand to improve in those areas. Like, for example, his assertion that the Linkwitz Orion is the best speaker one can buy, period. I've heard the Orion, it's a good speaker, a very good speaker, but I've heard better, and I think for Aczel to assert it's better than anything else is no more excusable based on his opinion than someone here saying their Audioquest speaker cable sounds better than 10ga stranded copper.

Are "properly designed" and "given application" escape clauses?

If so, then you've just described a cable made to order for a "specific" application.

Friend who are not into this hobby as much as I can hear the difference as well but don't consider it important enough to worry about it. That alone speaks volumes as I suspect that that is the underlying meme going on here.

All the best,
Nonoise