Cable Costs Relative to System

This tread is incredible. It has continued for five years despite all of the sound empirical evidence available, most importantly double blind testing. If we’d only take a little time and do a little research, this thread wouldn’t exist, and the mudslinging would cease. We have so much information at our fingertips on the internet, but we persist with our subjectivism and wallow in silly pseudo-science. Ignorance is bliss.

If a cable makes a significant audible difference it must be altering the signal. The principal of Hi-fi means delivering the signal as purely and unaltered as possible—simple copper zip cord does this very well. If ordinary zip cord is "harsh" and some other special mega-buck cable "smooth," what’s the "smooth" cable doing to the original signal? Let’s not confuse what sounds pleasant to our ears from what is actually faithful to the original. We like junk food because it tastes pleasant; it looks and feels more ‘perfect,’ not because it’s more pure, natural, and faithful to the original. (Some people really do prefer chicken nuggets to a simple roasted chicken.)

Here are a few links to read that provide scientifically validated evidence both theoretical and practical. If you wish to remain in the fantasy world of cable geometry, ceramic elevators, and frivolous fairy dust wizardry, keep your bliss—don’t read them.

http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/audioprinciples/interconnects/Audio-Cable-Vendor.html

http://www.ethanwiner.com/audiophoolery.html

http://www.verber.com/mark/ce/cables.html

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/spkcbl_e.html

http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/apcable/apcrit.html