Cable Costs Relative to System

Come to my store, I will show you differences. My biggest customers for cables are the engineers that told me cables can't make a difference. Some of them are on this sight as believers.

Fact still remains that we only know how to measure 50% of what we hear. The human brain and healthy ears can detect all frequencies, dynamics, and differences in compression at high volumes vs. low volumes with multiple instruments compared to solo instruments and phase relationships with all of the above all at the same time in real time and no scope can come close to that.

Same way humans can have insight and sense trouble without direct sensory information. It is because we have souls that are far more capable than we give credit for.

I will agree that if basics are right, you can get good sound without spending tons. I'm just the kind of guy that can tell big differences in tires, cloths, soap, spices, and women.

"anecdotal evidence is not sufficient" Call Dr. Floyd Tool, director of National Research Council in Canada. He only believes in specs and he will tell you I heard all the differences presented to me, well at least 96% of them.

I've found of far greater value than spending money on cables has been the simple purchase of rockwall or owens cornering 703 and making your own bass traps & diffusors,will smoke any cable change.

10% rule is way too much for something that has such little audible effect on sound (electronics engineers will predict that after a minimum basic size of copper cable is met then it has zero audible effect and ABX testing of ordinary cables against costly cables seems to support this view...)

A few hundred dollars is all you should typically need for all cables. If you are continuously tweaking around with cables then very likely you are not quite happy with the overall sound of your system or your room acoustics => changing speakers will have the biggest impact => cables may make you feel better but they are unlikely to make a significant audible difference 9 unless you have a problem)

Trelja. you are so on the mark here. The problem here is that agreat deal of the posters here have more money than brains and need to brag on how much they spend. I have sold wire and cable for years. Have worked with Mfgs on many specialtiy cables. The cost to produce world class wire is low double digit . Its hype and lies and tom folory. As you stated trejla 500 gets you World class and will compete against some of the thousands of dollar rip off cable.
Dont let the mags influence you.
Reminds me of a story told by a friend in the cable business. He went to a show with a great Interconnect at 149.00. It was awesome sounding. He got no Interest in it at all. Was considered chaep. The following year he took same cable had it done in 3 colors and priced it at 299.00 599.00 999.00. He picked up 14 dealers with that same same no one wanted when it was 149.00. That sums up what cable is all about. Snake oil.

Good cable makes a difference. But you dont need to spend more than a few hundred dollars.