Opening a can of worms


Here is the can filled with opinions. It's been hashed and rehashed to infinity and beyond with no clear result. Since I am a seeker of truth I'll post my thoughts here for the yea and naysayers to debate over. Question is: Are expensive speaker or any other cable in a system worth the exorbitant cost over a reasonably priced cable loom? I thought I'd  experiment myself to find out. My comparison is between Transparent Ultra cable loom and Blue Jeans cable loom on a pure stereo system comprised of Proceed PAV,  Proceed PDSD,  Krell Kav 250, Musical Fidelity A3cd, Sony Ps4300 TT and B&W 803D2 speakers. All sources were used by this experiment using identical playback material. Cables had in excess of 200 hrs burn time and all were identical in lenght. The only variation were the connector manufacturers.
One change that occurred during this 4 week long endeavor was that I'm firmly seated on the sharpest picket on the fence.
My result is that I'm now a believer that there are audible differences in cables. I also believe that these differences are minute and one has to really listen carefully and for a long time to discern these differences.
Now to the crutch of the matter, $$$$$, As we all know Transparent Cables would reside in the upper tier of Audio Cable expense.  Blue Jeans Cable on the other hand falls into the lowest tier of expense (well maybe not lowest but low nontheless )
One would think then that the Transparent would be far superior to the BJs. Not really! Yes the highs were a little cleaner, mids a little tighter and lows a tad more pronounced but not by as much as one would expect. Soundstage was somewhat more open and airy and depth was somewhat more defined with the higher priced cable but again less than one would expect. 

Now for my personal opinion regarding the cable debate: expensive cable looms are slightly better than reasonable priced looms, if a dollar equals a penny to you then by all means opt for the higher priced loom, if a penny equals a penny don't be ashamed for opting for the best you can do. The differences are so minute that it's not worth going into debt over. BOTH looms sounded superb on my test system and I would be happy with either loom.

Now let the debate begin, just know I'm a fence sitter and not in one camp or the other
128x128gillatgh
@hifiman5 
Tough to quantify for most agree. You can profit on fool only if you're smarter and only if you can quantify. That's the core principle of economy to be smart in order to profit on fool and that's where mega-priced home stereo components including overly debated wires fit in. 

@geoffkait 
Thanks for showing how to 'quantify' out why Honda is best.
@czarivey But Honda is not (rpt not) best. Actually, Honda is worst. Only in the muddled mind of the cost benefit analyst is Honda best. Do you work for the Government?

@geoffkait 
There you go again, spouting your ass-backwards BS. I'll set you straight again...
Honda is the company that made Ferrari rethink their entire approach to quality and luxury. The Honda NSX is widely considered to be one of the best sports cars ever built. The NSX was and still is the benchmark for quality and reliability in exotic sports cars. What's more, their sport bikes are among the best in the world. 
I concur with the OP, for the most part.
There comes a point of diminishing returns.
For those who can afford it, then sure, buy the super high priced model. 
For those of us with more limited means, we have to balance what we want with what we can afford, or at least can just justify expense-wise.
B
👺
kosst_amojan
@geoffkait
There you go again, spouting your ass-backwards BS. I’ll set you straight again...
Honda is the company that made Ferrari rethink their entire approach to quality and luxury. The Honda NSX is widely considered to be one of the best sports cars ever built. The NSX was and still is the benchmark for quality and reliability in exotic sports cars. What’s more, their sport bikes are among the best in the world.

>>>Uh, kross, did your Thorazine stash suddenly dry up? I was obviously referring to cheap Hondas. You know, since the thread has to do with relatively inexpensive cables vs very expensive ones. Duh! If you’re attempting to be the new poster boy for the reading comprehension challenged you’re doing an excellent job!. 👱🏻 Maybe you need a time-out.