DO CABLES REALLY MATTER?

calvinj,
Your posts are a bit confusing here.
On one hand you started a thread shouting "DO CABLES REALLY MATTER?"
Presumably this question would be posed to all of us, including those who may be skeptical. After all, why would you pose that question only to people who already think they matter?
Then you tell any skeptics to get their ears checked.
And then asked for opinions on what you wrote.
But then, it seems if someone voices a skeptical view you want to say "Go Away!"
So...who are you talking to?

This topic has been discussed many times on many forums. Would you buy a pair of 10K speaker cables for a pair of 6K speakers? On the other hand, if you have a pair of $200K speakers, would you put a pair of $10 speaker cables? If you believe that a pair of 9K speaker cables can improve your 6K speakers, go for it. It's your money. I use quality parts from Belden, Neutrik, Wattgate, Japan Senju, Grayhill, silver plated wire... to make my own cables with the lengths that fit perfectly to my system (McIntosh and Focal).

If a pseudo skeptic posted the OP he would be called a troll. But Calvin is kind of the opposite. He’s the Anti Troll. 

I entirely agree about the importance of the quality of interconnects.  I was fortunate to read comments made by the late Arnie Nudell on his own choice of MG Audio Design.  Even so at the time their top of the line interconnects went for $1600 for a one meter pair-still to much for me on my limited budget.  Later I learned that you can also ask for a half meter pair which go for $900.  So I was finally able to try them out.  They are simply amazing.  In actuality top quality interconnects can by themself make as significant improvements in audio quality as the choice of audio components do.  By the way Paul McGowan of PS Audio also uses MG Audio Design interconnects as well as their speaker wires himse;f.  I have also read that some members of the Colorado Audio Society also are using them.  Oh yes, if you are using a pair of mono amplifiers, that you can obtain a one foot pair of the MG Audio Design's top of the line speaker wires also for $900 for a pair.  Simply I believe that MG Audio Design wire products can compete with the best of them, but at a fraction of the cost.  Check with Paul McGown if you don't believe me.  Also I have no financial or other dealings with their product other than being a totally happy customer.

I set up a new listening room recently (McIntosh and Revel). I auditioned several different sets of interconnects and speaker cables (AudioQuest, Tara Labs, and Kimber). After several days of listening, I perceived very little (if any) difference in sound. However, my Salons sounded a tad bright in the mid range. I ended up spending a few hundred dollars on acoustic panels. This approach (working with the room)  gave me very good results that were easily noticeable. For me, cables should fall in the category of "Do NO Harm". 

dynaquest4

Our ears and brain have very short term audio memory.

There’s a shred of truth to this, but it’s hardly an absolute truth. For example, I’ve haven’t listened to a Bob Dylan album in weeks. But I could easily distinguish his voice from Bruce Springsteen’s anytime.

So, unless you have an AB blind test switch as a permanent part of your system, in the time it takes to switch out a set of cables, you will have lost the ability to accurately recall the exact sound of the previous cable or any subtle changes that the new cable "provides. "

You don’t need a permanent AB switch to do blind tests of cables, there are comparators that offer that function. Wireworld makes one and there are others. Have you ever experimented with these to test your opinions that you state as fact?

Of course, using an AB test - or better yet, an ABX test - is just one way to evaluate an audio component or cable.