Interesting analysis Sean - I wanted to post a question I've had for some time in this area that perhaps can't really be answered (I'll beat you to it - so why ask it? Perhaps someone can provide some illumination on this).
Anyway, I often wonder if the 'electrical' properties of a cable (in reference to the system components) might have much more significance in desirability/sound than the cable's "cutting edge" technology (teflon, gold, silver, solid crystal, 'golden ratio', DBS, you name it, etc etc) that most are marketed by.
Now take that a step further - many companies as far as I can tell, like Transparent, offer entry level priced cables all the way up to the un-godly priced crazy stuff, but yet they don't do much to explain what's inside, and many of their entry level cables (take a $250 IC compared to a $500 to the $1,000) don't seem all that different except for some nylon black braiding on the outside and the ever-mysterious network box. Other companies, like Cardas, actually say on their website what the electrical properties of the cable are.
SO - the question - for those of us that are mainly 'layman' and don't really understand electrical engineering (let alone what the corresponding properties are of the componentry we happen to be using) how in the world could you know how to use a more scientific approach to mating cables and components that is best?
And then, are we really supposed to just keep buying cables and listening to them to see what's best? I kknow that's what most of us do but it seems awfully silly if there was a better way - and sooo expensive !
And lastly (and this may be mainly rhetorical), why should I pay twice the amount for a cable to upgrade to it's "biger brother" when all it does is to add nylon braiding AND the company can't even tell you why it's better...?
I know, nebulous question perhaps, but this whole cable thing can be frustrating...especially when you do in fact often hear differences between cables that are positive but can't ever possibly "try" or have access to all of them out there, and have no other criteria to select on besides "sexy" technology that purportedly reinvents the wheel with every new product.
Anyway, I often wonder if the 'electrical' properties of a cable (in reference to the system components) might have much more significance in desirability/sound than the cable's "cutting edge" technology (teflon, gold, silver, solid crystal, 'golden ratio', DBS, you name it, etc etc) that most are marketed by.
Now take that a step further - many companies as far as I can tell, like Transparent, offer entry level priced cables all the way up to the un-godly priced crazy stuff, but yet they don't do much to explain what's inside, and many of their entry level cables (take a $250 IC compared to a $500 to the $1,000) don't seem all that different except for some nylon black braiding on the outside and the ever-mysterious network box. Other companies, like Cardas, actually say on their website what the electrical properties of the cable are.
SO - the question - for those of us that are mainly 'layman' and don't really understand electrical engineering (let alone what the corresponding properties are of the componentry we happen to be using) how in the world could you know how to use a more scientific approach to mating cables and components that is best?
And then, are we really supposed to just keep buying cables and listening to them to see what's best? I kknow that's what most of us do but it seems awfully silly if there was a better way - and sooo expensive !
And lastly (and this may be mainly rhetorical), why should I pay twice the amount for a cable to upgrade to it's "biger brother" when all it does is to add nylon braiding AND the company can't even tell you why it's better...?
I know, nebulous question perhaps, but this whole cable thing can be frustrating...especially when you do in fact often hear differences between cables that are positive but can't ever possibly "try" or have access to all of them out there, and have no other criteria to select on besides "sexy" technology that purportedly reinvents the wheel with every new product.