cable upgrades , real or rip off

Some cables do make a real difference, and some are hype. The point is that for you to tell the difference (at a given level of cable quality) your equipment must be at least as good, otherwise you may not hear the improvment and will conclude that the cable is deficient.

I think Elizabeth is correct, that is until one reaches the point where changing equipment represents more of a horizontal movement than a vertical improvement.

At that point, a system, regardless of its specific make up (of components, speakers, cartridges, etc) is definitely capable of revealing the very real differences in cabling. And so I believe that is the time to begin this exploration, and probably not before. I also believe that at this point in system development, no further changes should be made in equipment until the cabling is brought up to a similar level as (the already high quality level of) the equipment.

I basically agree w/ Audphile's ranking, except I think #4 should read: Dedicated circuits (if possible) and then powerline conditioners (if necessary.)

French_fries: I totally believe your report because I've had similar experiences myself, even with optical cables. But your description hints at something I'd actually be willing to bet money on: namely that you have a great system already (you don't reveal what it is) but if that were not true, those advances in performance might never have gotten to (through?) your speakers. (Was I right?)

Which is why I always caution people not to attempt to upgrade their cabling beyond the level of their components. Doing that won't improve the performance of the components, and the potential of the cables will be lost.

The flip side, is when one upgrades cable(s) (even by accident ;~) and major improvements result, then one can only conclude they'd underestimated the capabilities of their equipment, and NOT that the new cable added some kind of performance factor. Cables are just conduits. That's their only job. Some do it better than others.