DO CABLES REALLY MATTER?

I’m into audio to enjoy listening to the music at home and use gear to attain that enjoyment. I am somewhat amused by all the vigorous, albeit seemingly well-intentioned, discussions about how to achieve that object through any sort of “test.”  To each his own, but at the end of the day, forget about the means and simply enjoy the end result. 

The problem with reviewer-based, double-blind audio gear testing is that there are still significant variables that remain largely uncontrolled, rendering illusory the apparent objective being sought for the purposes of recommending a purchasing decision to another. Some of those variables include differences in human perception and differences in the acoustical environment of sound reproduction. 

Pharma drug trial double-blind testing really has no parallel in the audio gear double-blind testing realm. First, unlike pharma drug studies, there is no “placebo” control in audio. Second, in pharmacy drug testing, the component of human perception (no change in health vs a change in health for better or worse (adverse side effects)) is more varied, yet often more quantifiable, than a binary decision of preference between two audio products based upon one's hearing perception. 

glupson....they know who they are and I know who they are. I directed my comment to them. You need to know their posting habits to get my comment, which is made out of playful respect to them. There is sufficient info here on the forum threads and on the main Audiogon (and internet) to figure out the identities of these mysterious contributors.  Lol

Wow....I never seen the Teo guys so active on a given thread. You others must have stirred the pot sufficiently to keep them engaged for so long.

Anywho....back to cables making a difference.
I am not the greatest listener, nor do I have perfect hearing. But I do know when a particular cable makes my audio reproduction more musically lifelike to me when installed into my system in place of something else. And bringing a smile to my face in the realization of that greater sense of musical reproduction experience wrought with a different cable in system is why I would keep the cable in the system.

And I freely admit and respect another person’s opinion when listening to my system might come to a different conclusion, based upon his/her own subjective perceptions of listening and hearing.

@glupson  Lol.

The OP stated in his intro that a nicely priced cable that matches one’s system is a must.

Why must the price of a cable ever need to factor into deciding whether the cable matches one’s system? And what’s the meaning of a cable “matching” one’s system? 

@geoffkait thanks for clarifying. I was really, really confused on that point.

Good enough. Let’s put this thread to bed. 

So true. System and room acoustics differ necessarily. Yet the debates of refutation abound. But remember what elizabeth reminds us of regarding the price recommendation for the newbie purchasers: one should consider spending on cables 10% of the total cost of the system. Audiophiles are exempt from this advice—lol.

By way of example, I’m running a full loom of IC cables from Teo Audio between only an Oppo DVD player, a Teo Audio Liquid Pre passive and a pair of ATC SCM20-2 active monitors. System components (including power accessories and PC’s) cost me ~$13,000. The IC cables cost ~$2,500. So my IC cable cost exceeds 16% of total system costs.

@geoffkait 2+ for recognition of both points.