Cable Enthusiasts. When it comes to cables it’s about quality and matching. THOUGHTS?

Cabling makes a difference, but its net effect in specific instances (good versus bad) can be very random. I think many of us (including myself) have/had a strong bias to asssume more expensive cabling should sound better is some way - but that’s a very weak correlation, if at all. One thing, when sorting out different cables, is that the sound of solid silver (not silver plate) is a bit more consistent than other aspects across cables. And I usually (not always) prefer it - but it’s certainly very expensive these days. 

One thing that rubs me the wrong way (along with ludicrous pricing) is all the stupid names & marketing speak used for high-end models and especially the so-called "tech" behind them. Is Audioquest’s "Zero" tech really anything more than individually shielding the + and - conductors from each other? Personally I don’t really care if the noise floor is now - 121dB instead of -120. Tone and perception of dynamics is far more important to me. What do reviewers even mean when they cite something having the "blackest background"? I don’t listen to silence, and with vinyl being my primary source, any base noise floor is getting swamped by groove noise anyways. 

And finally - I think the act of removing cables & putting them back in has a wiping effect on any oxides that have accumulated on the contacts. If you haven't cleaned them in a while, this could give an advantage to the next "new" cable you plug in. Be sure to clean the old cables and plug them back in for subsequent comparison!

The subjective  evaluation of a cable and the differences between it and another cable are dependent heavily on many set of parameters : 

The system gear pieces synergy ...

The system gear pieces  mechanical vibrations/resonance controls...

The system gear pieces electrical noise floor controls and EMI  & RFI controls...

The system/room  acoustics controls parameters state..

The psycho-acoustics biases of our hearing/brain state...

Takes any publicity with a grain of salt...

But it is evident that there exist differences between cables (small one) for me and for many people..

But those who use superlatives about cables most of the times had no idea about these others parameters power i just enumerated which created huge differences each one of them compared to cables change..

I will change soon my low cost RCA cable  to a priciest one (i hope  a better )

@mulveling 

I think many of us (including myself) have/had a strong bias to assume more expensive cabling should sound better is some way - but that’s a very weak correlation, if at all.

100%. One example of this is companies that sell direct and skip the distributor AND the dealer mark ups.

Q: What is the best cable?
A: The one with the best margin.

Kidding...sort of...

I also hate the marketing fluffy, BS terminology. Just describe materials, construction.

Anyway, I agree cables matter but I either buy direct or used and don't believe you must have a complete loom (although they look nice) because the applications/requirements/synergies are different between SC/PC/IC etc.

I.E., the speakers have no idea and don't care what ICs you are using.

Try what works for you in your system. All of us have different levels of equipment , speakers, cables and Dacs. In different listening environments 

When I discovered AudiogoN many years ago, I had no experience with high-end audio.  I couldn’t afford much but was fascinated by the tech - and the underlying physics.  I was like a sponge - learning from all of the veteran audiophiles in the various discussion groups.  There were plenty of posters who ranted about ’high-end’ cabling as marketing nonsense.   Not knowing who to believe, I took the easiest path of dismissing ’status’ brands.   But I was always curious about their R&D.    

Each of the components in my modest system are from different companies.  Several are boutique brands.   I wondered if a full loom of cabling from the same company might provide a coherent and dynamic SQ.  When I read this favorable review, I took the plunge to try just one - with a 30 day return trial period.  It never went back.  Now, I have almost a complete loom of Synergistic Research cabling.  The tuning modules allow me to tweak the SQ.  Along with cleaning up the power, my modest system has never sounded so good.