Price Isn't Always Indicitive of Quality or Performance

Cable discussions are likely the most worthless in audio. Not worthless in the sense they don't provide some valuable information, but in the sense of eliciting no value for me in that virtually every cable has both detractors and proponents. For some its best cable ever, for others the worst, and everything in between. Sometimes this applies to only particular models, others, entire line from manufacturer. How does one ascertain value of any cable for their particular system from this chaos?

Many years ago, curious about all the cable hubbub, I auditioned extremely large amount of cables from lending library at Cable Company. I auditioned speaker, IC, digital, power at various price levels, med to upper echelon. This over many years and various system configurations. While I discovered differences and favorites, I wouldn't conclude any cable of any kind, at any price point being a world changer. I generally found there was price/performance correlation, but law of diminishing returns and different flavors impacted my purchasing decisions, ie. most expensive not always best for my situation at that moment.

Result is these days I build my own cables based on recipes others share freely. I base build decisions on metallurgy, dialectics used and design, these cables have been far and away the best price/performance value cables I've experienced. Various metallurgy in wire and connectors all have their place, and dialectic very important, closest to vacuum best here, skin effect very important.

@guakus Got it. Par for the course with cable threads, reason I mentioned finding them rather worthless. I have no problem with anything you've said.

@guakus Wow, I'm shaming and belittling, I think not. Nothing i stated in post was an objective pronouncement on worthlessness of commercial cables! I simply stated my own experience with cables and my present view.

Also, when I speak of diy I'm' not talking about building a forge, drawing machines, dielectric production, diy in cable making means assembling various commercially available components with recipes or designs other's freely distribute. Many in the community have discovered wonderful cables using this method, doesn't mean commercial products objectively inferior. Fact is I continue to use commercial cables alongside diy. And there is a wide variety of raw wire and insulated wire, connectors, all cable building supplies at various price points.

@charles1dad Never occurred to me silver PC would be a voicing I'd seek, YMMV per usual. For me, keeping silver and copper in good balance has been key, spot on for the last few years.

One adjustment made with pc's in just the past couple months. We both run BPT PC, @williewonka  made me aware balanced PC should have balanced power cables as well, balanced in the sense of having exact same conductor on neutral and hot. Recently changed my Helix Image (williewonka design) from asymmetrical hot and neutral to symmetrical, in my case going to VH Audio Airlock on both hot and neutral. This change on both pc to dac and Statement, extremely nice improvement, higher level of transparency vs prior.

Point is, for those of us using balanced isolation transformer based pc, make sure power cables have exact same hot and neutral conductors.

@charles1dad I too am interested in what a silver wire PC would bring to table, report back on your findings.

@guakus That is indeed rather interesting geometry, generally you find silver clad copper in most cabling combining silver and copper. I've long been interested in cable with novel ways of using various metals, Siltech is another company that mixes and matches metallurgy in various ways, enjoyed an audition with one of their digital cables some years ago.