dyna--the scam isn't their price or their existence. some folks buy them for status/show. some have megasystems and want cabling to match. some like how they look and feel. some actually find changes/improvements, real or imagined. bling or durability, etc. etc. for whatever value folks place on the above, a "waste" is entirely subjective to them. and to completely trash the existence must rely on the idea that the sole purpose of the cable is to transmit the signal. one might say something similar about automobiles--get from point a to point b. your bimmer might be considered a waste by some when a Toyota does the same--assuming similar size, safety, etc. maybe that bimmer sure feels good to drive, impresses your friends, or looks pretty, though, subjectively. or maybe you just like it. all good. no judgment, here.
the scam comes when the sellers, reviewers, and cable-junkies, with a straight-face claim--
'changing out your perfectly functioning and spec'd power cable on your ancillary device will change your life. we swapped one out. when we flipped on the power, the angels sang. it was as if they opened the Ark and freed all the trapped souls of the entire history of music and audiophilia. a glorious light shown on our speakers as these souls danced a beautiful aerial ballet and unleashed previously unknown and unheard tight powerful bass, warm involving mids, and airy highs. all traces of sibilance and extraneous noise disappeared. when we cranked the volume, our previously lower midfi system was so amazing, our faces melted off. in the midst of the magnificently broadened and deepened soundstage, we could 'see' God shed a tear of joy, with incredible air and separation around that tear as it fell to the floor, ten feet behind the front wall of the room. with each passing hour as the cable settled and burned in, another tear would fall. by the time the cable reached its peak performance at 20,000 hours, we were bathed in the holiest of holy waters, and we were healed. every atheist who listens, leaves a believer. buy this cable that costs more than your amp(s). if you can't hear the incredible improvement, you are either a stupid, stone-eared freak that just needs to buy a wave radio and listen to your iPhone earbuds or you are a communist.'
some might just call it a little puffery, though.
the scam comes when the sellers, reviewers, and cable-junkies, with a straight-face claim--
'changing out your perfectly functioning and spec'd power cable on your ancillary device will change your life. we swapped one out. when we flipped on the power, the angels sang. it was as if they opened the Ark and freed all the trapped souls of the entire history of music and audiophilia. a glorious light shown on our speakers as these souls danced a beautiful aerial ballet and unleashed previously unknown and unheard tight powerful bass, warm involving mids, and airy highs. all traces of sibilance and extraneous noise disappeared. when we cranked the volume, our previously lower midfi system was so amazing, our faces melted off. in the midst of the magnificently broadened and deepened soundstage, we could 'see' God shed a tear of joy, with incredible air and separation around that tear as it fell to the floor, ten feet behind the front wall of the room. with each passing hour as the cable settled and burned in, another tear would fall. by the time the cable reached its peak performance at 20,000 hours, we were bathed in the holiest of holy waters, and we were healed. every atheist who listens, leaves a believer. buy this cable that costs more than your amp(s). if you can't hear the incredible improvement, you are either a stupid, stone-eared freak that just needs to buy a wave radio and listen to your iPhone earbuds or you are a communist.'
some might just call it a little puffery, though.
