DO CABLES REALLY MATTER?

Cables matter. They don't all sound the same. I can easily tell my Van Den Hull carbon IC from my Blue Jeans, from my Audioquest from my AntiCable from my Harmonic Technologies.

Naysayers: I feel for ya, really, I do. 

amg56:

The OP asked simply, "Do cables really matter?"

My answer is 100% subjective from long experience. I don’t need to qualify anything quantitatively. This is my personal opinion and my long term investments in equipment and software over many years qualifies me to be able to make this call. Yes, they do matter! That’s my answer to the OP’s question.

Now, ask me a specific question about any of the brands I mentioned and I will be happy to respond, as long as you are willing to take the system and listening room contexts into account and that are acknowledged as contributory to my opinions. There are no absolutes here, only impressions. What I like personally, someone else here may dislike. What I can discern as a difference, someone else could negate and dismiss. Judge for yourself.

Personally, I would never spend $10K on a cable due to the asymptotic law of diminishing returns.

Interesting how the "U" remains, after all this time, in the term UFO.

But in this ever emerging world of Orwellian doubleplusgoodspeak, I wouldn’t be surprised if that term got turned upside down too.

Personally, I’d like to believe in UFOs and have been waiting for years for one to land in my backyard, or at least provide me with a compelling third kind experience. But, alas, so far, no such luck.

cd318: yes, and so perhaps begs the question, what is the critical area of coverage required by cameras everywhere to lay this one to rest, permanently?

Kinda like cables really make a difference...guess we should use microphones everywhere too..exactly what sounds do UFOs make again?

Apriori, cables MUST matter because 1) there is an industry with many entrant manufacturers and dealers 2) there are many customers of these products and 3) the interest level at times to discuss this very topic outweighs the very activity of listening to the damn things.

Who cares what they sound like when they make money and use up valuable time in this forum?

That's why they matter.

I feel so much better now that I know that what I know for myself is valid.