ITs an interesting point this, I think.

At a trip to WM's I heard (in his system) their new reference interconnect vs the old reference liberator.

There was a clear and noticeable difference in character to both Julian2002 and myself (and timpy and WM of course).

It would be interesting to see if the difference was as noticeable in other systems... and to compare them with other manufacturers cables (the best available).. this is something I havent done yet.

I would be more confident of hearing a difference between these 2 cables, than I would between Robbos old DPA amp and Timpys Arcam Alpha (5?) - which sounded exactly the same to me.

Anyway, what Im trying to say in a roundabout way is that the sonic character of interconnects can be noticeable in some circumstances, and component changes cannot.

Whether A is better than B in a certain situation, or worth the outlay is a matter of opinion, and obviously system specific. This applies to components and cables IMO.

The point Im trying to make in a roundabout way is that Id like to see Marantz and Denon for example DBT a difference between two amps of similar value... would they be volunteering for the 1,000 challenge?

Chris