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Why do decent audio cables cost so much?

geetee1972 said:
But if what you are saying is that all cables sound the same regardless of anything else, then I disagree with you, along with the entire engineering community that is involved in building audio equipment, including and especially, those that do not make and sell cables. Paul McGowan from PS Audio is one good example. Steve Guttenberg, the Audiophilliac is another.
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Didn’t know Granpa Audiophiliac was an engineer.
 
James said:
It's not just a possibility. It's certain.
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The guys over Alpha Audio measured differences using some gear/techniques which I'm too thick to understand. Whether those things make a difference, I refer you to the last part of my last sentence.

Got my Gothic Nubu XLRs coming tomorrow. Planning a three way shoot out this weekend with the recent acquired Ricable Magnus, and also the Chord Clearway (my current and only prev interlinks). I have a decently resolving system. Not sure what to expect other than ~50% (?) of you will think I'm wrong/deaf/deluded/something derogatory 😂
 
It's easy to measure differences in cables, what can't be done is picking them out compared to other cables beyond lumped LCR via blind listening.
 
geetee1972 said:
every single audio engineer working in the design, fabrication and sale of audio cables (and all other associated equipment), along with at least half of everyone who calls hifi a hobby is labouring under the same mass delusion?
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Do you think that we will find many engineers designing audio cables?
 
I'm going to say it again and wait for somebody with better knowledge to shoot me down.
Wires typically have three main electrical parameters.
Impedance/ resistance.
Capacitance.
Inductance.
Together, the above constitute a filter.

These parameters are measured in units something like ohms per kilometre, etc. In short, over the length of 'Yer average' domestic speaker wire, the effects of wires electrical parameters will amount to the Square Root of **** all.
It follows, to me, that no properly constructed wire will make an audible difference to the signal.. and further, any cable which does make an audible difference is deliberately engineered to do so, and therefore dishonest.
I use Mark Grant assembled Van Damme Blue.
It works.
 
Mullardman said:
I'm going to say it again and wait for somebody with better knowledge to shoot me down.
Wires typically have three main electrical parameters.
Impedance/ resistance.
Capacitance.
Inductance.
Together, the above constitute a filter.

These parameters are measured in units something like ohms per kilometre, etc. In short, over the length of 'Yer average' domestic speaker wire, the effects of wires electrical parameters will amount to the Square Root of **** all.
It follows, to me, that no properly constructed wire will make an audible difference to the signal.. and further, any cable which does make an audible difference is deliberately engineered to do so, and therefore dishonest.
I use Mark Grant assembled Van Damme Blue.
It works.
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“It follows, to me, that no properly constructed wire will make an audible difference to the signal.. and further, any cable which does make an audible difference is deliberately engineered to do so, and therefore dishonest.“

Think ah’ve replied to a couple of cable threads, saying much the same as Mullardman…

“Haven't heard the Kudos but been running the Mogami 3104 for several years now . They do exactly as a good cable should . Do not colour the signal at all. Simply carry the signal - unadulterated -through my Tannoys to my ears....:cool:”
 
I enjoy listening to music using the cables I own and don’t stress over
any differences in cables.

I was running my PA with two professional female singers last week.
I picked the best microphones I had and used my Studiospares mic. cables.
As used in many studios...

If people want to spend hours ( and money ) on different cables, please do carry on.
We all have our priorities.
 
James said:
Power conditioners may clean up noise in your AC, but they will have higher output impedance that could choke high-power amplifiers. I accept they are fine for source components.

I had the luxury of designing and building my house, including specifying a separate AC supply for my music room.
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That's a fair comment. Though in the case of the Gigawatt PC-3 SE Evo+, that is one of the few conditioners which doesn't throttle the dyanmics of power amps. It is designed with a two-stage current distribution system and 3 independent filtering branches for digital, analogue and high current devices. The first stage allows for lossless and even distribution of voltage to each of the filtering branches. The second stage provides current directly to each pair of output sockets via bolted and clamped connections which they claim "allows for an uniform and stable power distribution regardless of the load on the individual outputs of the conditioner".

There are no traditional protective elements, like thermal or blow fuses, which throttle the free flow of the current and have a negative influence on the sound. Surge protection is provided by the starting block, which utilizes plasma spark-gaps, UltraMOV new generation varistors and an initial filter. Overload protection is provided by a hydraulic-magnetic switch from Carling Technologies, made in USA to a special specification from GigaWatt. And to maximise impulse response, the conditioner has a double buffer circuit with proprietary audio grade compensation batteries which increases the current output with non-linear loads, like power amplifiers, as well as eliminates the difference of power between the input and output of the conditioner. As well, the conditioner has an accurate volt meter which is useful. In practice, i've found I prefer the sound of connecting my Vitus integrated to the Gigawatt than direct to wall. Though bare in mind I live in an apartment building and don't have a dedicated 20a lines.
 
Del monaco said:
Most wires I’ve used made no perceptible difference. The two that did were not an improvement. I presumed they were faulty or caused oscillation in my old Naim kit. I now use Van Damme and World’s Best. I like the build. No complaints.
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It's all about finding the right synergy. In my experience, generally higher end equipment is more sensitive to and revealing of changes to your system, incl: cables.
 
Worst thing about cable threads is that some get sniffy but I’ve tried Crystal, Kimber, LAT, Vertex and high end Audioquest. Once I’d let them bed in and listened they didn’t add anything of note. So I don’t believe it really. It’s a lot cheaper when you get to this point.
 
Del monaco said:
I’m more interested in synergy of my gear rather than cables. I think it makes the biggest difference getting the balance right.
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Cables matter. But they matter less at a certain level of system; again based on my personal experience. And then if you basically tell yourself cables don't matter, you won't hear any difference even if there is one. That is called confirmation bias.
 
Del monaco said:
Worst thing about cable threads is that some get sniffy but I’ve tried Crystal, Kimber, LAT, Vertex and high end Audioquest. Once I’d let them bed in and listened they didn’t add anything of note. So I don’t believe it really. It’s a lot cheaper when you get to this point.
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You mean you didn't hear a difference when removing them?
 
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