This thread seems to be fairly civil about the whole cable thing, which is pretty refreshing, but then again it is only a couple pages long. I am bored so here are just a couple thoughts to throw out there.
I have made a lot of cables out of a lot of different materials, with a lot of different geometries over the past couple years since I discovered Head-fi, and I know now that I can't hear any substantial differences unless I botched a solder joint. However, because I am human, and more importantly, because I listen to music to enjoy it (not analyze it), cables do still matter and make a difference in my listening experience. Just as how pretty a knob or the color of an LED on the front of a receiver can be important to me and how much I enjoy the experience. All of my senses are tied together to build my experience and when I use cables that are aesthetically pleasing, I enjoy my music listening experience quite a bit more. When I add in the smell of freshly made coffee or chocolate chip cookies, Norah Jones sounds even better to me. If someone started marketing air freshner as an audiophile tool, would they really be in the wrong? Even if the differences in cables that people hear are simple psycho-acoustics, or an attempt to justify a purchase, so what? If our brain tells us the sound is better, then it is. If spending $1000 on a cable makes someone enjoy their rig enough that they are cool with paying $1000, then the cables were well worth the $1000!
Also, for the people who badger the sellers of cables for their prices, take a simple economics class. They can't sell a cable for any more than someone is willing to pay for it. Taking advantage of market opportunities is what business is all about. For niche, audiophile products, can anyone really claim that someone is being taken advantage of? Most people getting into this hobby are aware if not comfortable with the costs of diminishing returns and are willing to spend more to get less in return than most any other normal person. If someone is missing rent to buy headphone cables, then that is a problem, but not one that cable makers are responsible for. False advertising is a different issue, and I agree that hyperbolic claims of incredible changes in sound will occur due to this that the other are not cool. But I think there are enough cable makers out there who are transparent about the materials they use and why they could be better for cables without going overboard with the claims of actual sound improvement.
I think it's important to remember that we are all human, with all the wonderful quirks of personality and consciousness that make us so interesting. Sometimes you can't reduce enjoyment and even "sounding better" to numbers or dollar signs. Just hope that these thoughts can keep threads like on a more even keel instead holy flame wars.
I have made a lot of cables out of a lot of different materials, with a lot of different geometries over the past couple years since I discovered Head-fi, and I know now that I can't hear any substantial differences unless I botched a solder joint. However, because I am human, and more importantly, because I listen to music to enjoy it (not analyze it), cables do still matter and make a difference in my listening experience. Just as how pretty a knob or the color of an LED on the front of a receiver can be important to me and how much I enjoy the experience. All of my senses are tied together to build my experience and when I use cables that are aesthetically pleasing, I enjoy my music listening experience quite a bit more. When I add in the smell of freshly made coffee or chocolate chip cookies, Norah Jones sounds even better to me. If someone started marketing air freshner as an audiophile tool, would they really be in the wrong? Even if the differences in cables that people hear are simple psycho-acoustics, or an attempt to justify a purchase, so what? If our brain tells us the sound is better, then it is. If spending $1000 on a cable makes someone enjoy their rig enough that they are cool with paying $1000, then the cables were well worth the $1000!
Also, for the people who badger the sellers of cables for their prices, take a simple economics class. They can't sell a cable for any more than someone is willing to pay for it. Taking advantage of market opportunities is what business is all about. For niche, audiophile products, can anyone really claim that someone is being taken advantage of? Most people getting into this hobby are aware if not comfortable with the costs of diminishing returns and are willing to spend more to get less in return than most any other normal person. If someone is missing rent to buy headphone cables, then that is a problem, but not one that cable makers are responsible for. False advertising is a different issue, and I agree that hyperbolic claims of incredible changes in sound will occur due to this that the other are not cool. But I think there are enough cable makers out there who are transparent about the materials they use and why they could be better for cables without going overboard with the claims of actual sound improvement.
I think it's important to remember that we are all human, with all the wonderful quirks of personality and consciousness that make us so interesting. Sometimes you can't reduce enjoyment and even "sounding better" to numbers or dollar signs. Just hope that these thoughts can keep threads like on a more even keel instead holy flame wars.