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It's rare that I get involved in cable arguments as I find it all a bit agressive but this one annoyed me.

I have a perfectly decent system, no it's not top of the high end but by most standards it's good enough. It is sufficently revealing to clearly show differences between recordings and has consistently improved as I've upgraded. I do not have golden ears but have "exceptional" hearing according to my doctor having had a hearing check in the last year and my ears syringed. I felt I had to write all that just to cover my arse for what I'm about to say.

Cables are a major rip off.

I worked in a retail hifi outlet for a couple of years whilst deciding what to do for a career proper and we tested loads, blind, sighted, double blind... name it..We also tried stuff from £10 all the way up to some at £1000, never did anyone recognise the "better cables" at anything higher than what you'd expect through chance alone and I have yet to see it PROVEN that certain cables sound better. I have no doubt that by using cables with tricky electrical properties the sound of a system can be altered but this is the same as a tone control to my mind.

I totally agree that there are differences between electrically different cables but "improvements" are harder to prove.

It has been my experience that people who immediately claim to hear massive and immediate differences are talking out of their pipes. Also and this is what annoyed me, anyone who doesn't is derided as having poor hearing, a shite system or both. Well bollocks...Frankly my system is good enough that I don't listen to it, I listen to my music instead and it's rare that I find a problem perhaps because I'm not listening for one. Sure I could upgrade but I wouldn't do it with cables.

I find that the sheep that feel cables are the way forward are generally so into hifi that they will believe and buy almost anything in pursuit of the perfect sound, me I'd rather buy records after all I stand a better chance of finding perfection there than in a poxy cable.

Just one final point the mark up on the most popular cable make we sold was over 300% so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

<blockquote data-quote="Joolsburger" data-source="post: 632517" data-attributes="member: 1072">It's rare that I get involved in cable arguments as I find it all a bit agressive but this one annoyed me.I have a perfectly decent system, no it's not top of the high end but by most standards it's good enough. It is sufficently revealing to clearly show differences between recordings and has consistently improved as I've upgraded. I do not have golden ears but have &quot;exceptional&quot; hearing according to my doctor having had a hearing check in the last year and my ears syringed. I felt I had to write all that just to cover my arse for what I'm about to say.Cables are a major rip off. I worked in a retail hifi outlet for a couple of years whilst deciding what to do for a career proper and we tested loads, blind, sighted, double blind... name it..We also tried stuff from £10 all the way up to some at £1000, never did anyone recognise the &quot;better cables&quot; at anything higher than what you'd expect through chance alone and I have yet to see it PROVEN that certain cables sound better. I have no doubt that by using cables with tricky electrical properties the sound of a system can be altered but this is the same as a tone control to my mind. I totally agree that there are differences between electrically different cables but &quot;improvements&quot; are harder to prove.It has been my experience that people who immediately claim to hear massive and immediate differences are talking out of their pipes. Also and this is what annoyed me, anyone who doesn't is derided as having poor hearing, a shite system or both. Well bollocks...Frankly my system is good enough that I don't listen to it, I listen to my music instead and it's rare that I find a problem perhaps because I'm not listening for one. Sure I could upgrade but I wouldn't do it with cables.I find that the sheep that feel cables are the way forward are generally so into hifi that they will believe and buy almost anything in pursuit of the perfect sound, me I'd rather buy records after all I stand a better chance of finding perfection there than in a poxy cable.Just one final point the mark up on the most popular cable make we sold was over 300% so put that in your pipe and smoke it.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Joolsburger, post: 632517, member: 1072"] It's rare that I get involved in cable arguments as I find it all a bit agressive but this one annoyed me. I have a perfectly decent system, no it's not top of the high end but by most standards it's good enough. It is sufficently revealing to clearly show differences between recordings and has consistently improved as I've upgraded. I do not have golden ears but have "exceptional" hearing according to my doctor having had a hearing check in the last year and my ears syringed. I felt I had to write all that just to cover my arse for what I'm about to say. Cables are a major rip off. I worked in a retail hifi outlet for a couple of years whilst deciding what to do for a career proper and we tested loads, blind, sighted, double blind... name it..We also tried stuff from £10 all the way up to some at £1000, never did anyone recognise the "better cables" at anything higher than what you'd expect through chance alone and I have yet to see it PROVEN that certain cables sound better. I have no doubt that by using cables with tricky electrical properties the sound of a system can be altered but this is the same as a tone control to my mind. I totally agree that there are differences between electrically different cables but "improvements" are harder to prove. It has been my experience that people who immediately claim to hear massive and immediate differences are talking out of their pipes. Also and this is what annoyed me, anyone who doesn't is derided as having poor hearing, a shite system or both. Well bollocks...Frankly my system is good enough that I don't listen to it, I listen to my music instead and it's rare that I find a problem perhaps because I'm not listening for one. Sure I could upgrade but I wouldn't do it with cables. I find that the sheep that feel cables are the way forward are generally so into hifi that they will believe and buy almost anything in pursuit of the perfect sound, me I'd rather buy records after all I stand a better chance of finding perfection there than in a poxy cable. Just one final point the mark up on the most popular cable make we sold was over 300% so put that in your pipe and smoke it. [/QUOTE]

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