Speaker Cables? why all the hype for expensive speaker wire?

oldhvymec  "$17,000 cables vs $27000"   This is a perfect example of someone who is not happy with his system, and thinks that an extra $10,000 for wires might cure it.  I am sorry, but if you guys want to spend a small fortune on speaker wire, go ahead, but when you start changing without doing some serious AB testing, you are simply proving that a sucker is born every minute,  If anyone thinks there is, or worse "Might be" a lot of, o r worse a little, difference between $500 cable and $10,000 plus cables, ask your self why you are so obsessed with the equipment, rather than the music.
     Maybe I should do a survey:  Let's compare the ability to play a musical instrument well with whether people need to continually upgrade their cables or equipment. My hypothesis in an inverse relationship.  I played a trumpet for 20 plus years.  There were certainly better trumpets, but mine, which was sold from the 1930's through the1960's, was certainly more capable than me.  I could have bought one after the other, but lessons worked quite well.
     There is a lot of obsession with toys. I really like my autocross suspended and tired Supercharged S2000 for two reasons:  It is 75O pounds lighter than a Boxter or Corvette, and drives best when screaming to its heart's content, like a 600cc or 750 cc sport bike.  Would I try a different supercharger based on the opinion of bloggers, for maybe a half percent horsepower gain?  No!  AND:   If I had $17,000 speaker wire and felt it needed to be upgraded, I whould see professional help... and I do not mean from a commissioned sales person, who is the key to continuing this obsession.  I do not need his approval, no matter how much he owes on his credit cards.

Suppose I place my monobloc power amps immediately behind the speakers and turn them around and locate with adjustable stands so the output terminals are immediately adjacent to the input terminals on the speakers.
I then weld the amp terminals directly to the speaker terminals, having first disconnected them internally in the amps and speakers to avoid damage from welding heat and current.

I am avoiding any sound deterioration that may be caused by wires and also saving $0000s or possibly $00000s if I am really hooked on wires.

Some say the speaker needs to see some resistance and capacitance but they are probably speaker wire sellers.

WHY the same discussion over and over again?? Non believers should try for them selves. Believers/ experienced listeners already know! Nothing to discuss …waste of time. Better listen to music!

The only way you will ever know is if you try it out for yourself. The cable company offers a trial plan.

The reason why I invest in cables, is to attempt to get the best sound replication possible. I accept the fact that I am not a sound engineer . I know what I like regardless of price. The more expensive the cable, the more due diligence I do - which for me can take years. 

After careful consideration, if I am able I will make the investment - in what translates to my happiness which to me is priceless. A portion of that investment goes towards peace of mind, Accountability/ trust in the company producing the cables. Almost all of my purchases have been on the Used Market.

This said - I have witnessed first hand those who believe that they know more than the companies who design and manufacture cables (because they took an engineering course in college 5,10,25 years ago).
- In EVERY case it never ended well.

GREAT Power Cables, not a fan of the Speaker/Interconnect cables
http://www.stage3concepts.com/

GREAT Power Cables, Speaker/Interconnects too much $$$$$$$
https://highfidelitycables.com/collections/power-cables/products/professional-series-1

I use for Speaker/Interconnects - Best cable investment I made thus far
https://www.tonarm.ch/en/products/accessoires

I am eager to try when I am able
https://silversmithaudio.com/fidelium-cables/

I use for Super Tweeter all Silver Cables very happy
http://www.tempoelectric.com/cables.htm

Lot's of good inexpensive speaker cables out there.  That said, I definitely heard improvements when I recently moved from my Acoustic Zen Satori to my current cable, a Nordost Tyre 2. IMHO need a pretty high resolution system and a good room to parse these kinds of things out.   Most of the differences I experienced with this last change were somewhat subtle.  Nothing night and day but I haven't tried lamp cord or 14 guage romex or anything like that so I can't compare my current set up to something quite that bare bones.  Another issue here is with the listener and how trained their ear is.  I have been playing music for 50 years and have classical training.  It really does help me unravel the music and I believe makes me more sensitive to nuance.  In the end, whatever makes you happy.  If you hear a difference no one can argue with you, if you don't hear a difference, no one can argue with you.  No one can make you hear what they hear and the fact that you don't have the same experience doesn't invalidate their experience.  

So here is the question I have been pondering. If speaker cables make a huge difference, and there is a range of cable for each brand, why is it I can’t find a dealer that will take the time to run multiple A/B comparisons within the line they carry. It’s like buying a car before you even test drive it. Just taking the dealers word. I would think they would sell far more high end speaker cable if they had a cabinet of demo model cables for all the wire lines they carried. This way one could listen to the full array and make a good decision. 

focker you make too much sense for this forum.  

It's a valid question. I have had Straight Wire Crescendo speaker cables(and interconnects) since 2009 and they are very good. But I've been contemplating an upgrade.

It took me a long while to sift through all the different speaker cables and their claims and reviews and I still couldn't make a decision.
Then I started looking into Townshend's F-1 Fractals as I was buying many of their vibration isolation products.

The reviews I read about the F-1's were on the side of revelatory and I was very interested in how they treat the copper wires with the Fractal technology. It's a different type of copper wires in a way.

In the end, I bought a pair of the F-1 speaker cables and even their F-1 interconnects to replace my Crescendo interconnects to keep the same loom. I should be receiving all the isolation podiums etc and Fractal in a couple of weeks.

I once was lost but now am found, was deaf but now fondue.

No more speaker cable dilemma’s  for me, 😂
Moved to Grimm active speakers and sqm

focker39

... If speaker cables make a huge difference, and there is a range of cable for each brand, why is it I can’t find a dealer that will take the time to run multiple A/B comparisons within the line they carry ...

Perhaps you are at the wrong dealer. There's always the Cable Company lending library if you truly can't gain the cooperation of a good dealer.

I wear hearing aids and I don't much care whether somebody on the internet thinks I should be allowed to be an audiophile or not. 

The best cables come from pre-1980’s Kirby vacuums. I buy them at garage sales when the person says they are broken. If they want $40 I offer them $25 (just want the cable). These things work the best. Better than the $1 a foot stuff and better than the $10,000 cables.

I truly enjoy when people say they hear stuff they never heard before. Nor did the artist or engineer. Have you ever seen the crap at old studios and the garbage cables they used. What you are hearing is something the artist DIDNT want you to hear because they would have included back in 1972. For you guys over 60 what you are hearing with your awesome cables is tinnitus. Go get your hearing checked, your ability to hear highs has gone down the toilet and is declining every year.

Really good (highly accurate/resolving etc.) cables will NOT sound great in a mediocre or average system.  In fact they'll likely make the system sound worse because they will work to expose the weaknesses of the system. The audio system, of which the room is a part, must be relatively matched.  Sometimes dropping in a single, significant upgrade component will deteriorate the sound when the manic audiophile was really looking forward to the breathtaking improvement.  Then, many many thousands of dollars later after said manic person has gone through rounds of upgrading the other components, the sound will have finally noticably improved.  Serious drugs may be required for the breathtaking reaction.

“I think I am hearing things on my records I never heard before and better balance of sound.”

Don’t believe the hype…it’s all relative.  Sounds like you’re happy with the basic cables in your system. Try other cables as you may or stick with you’ve got, at the end of the day; it’s your system, ears and money! 

It's all about system synergy, who each and every component in a system, including every cable, interacts and complements each other.  A cable can sound fantastic in one system, but not as good as another.   That is why you should only deal with companies that allow no-hassle, no restock fee returns if you aren't satisfied.  And get them broken in before the return period is over!!

@tzh21y  more important than what speaker cables you use are what speakers you use, how they are set up for best playback, and how the room is treated if, and where needed.  After those have been optimized, then worry about speaker cables IF you find the sound lacking.  If you love the sound, stay with whatever speaker cable you are using.  If you stop loving the sound, then change speaker cable, or maybe something else.  

It’s voodoo audio that prays on the weaknesses of those who simply want to believe that something so expensive must be effective, yes? 

Yes cables can sound incredibly different. This is good to experiment with when you feel that you have tweaked your system to a level you can appreciate. Ah, believe it or not lamp chord sounds good with vintage McIntosh tube amp driving Altec Voice of the Theaters. Just know that for the most part $$$$ cables are not going to bring a $$ system to the next level. You can DIY some serious cables and save $$$ Youtube has some very good examples

“Yes cables can sound incredibly different.”   Prove it.

To who? Those of us who know have nothing to prove. The onus is not on us to teach, but on you to learn. 

daleberlin

“Yes cables can sound incredibly different.” Prove it.

No one here owes you any proof. The documentation you seek is actually abundant, but you’ll have to work to find and digest it.

Here’s one especially thorough study. Very detailed. All variables controlled.

"This work shows that two system configurations differing only by the interconnect pathway are audibly discernable, even by average listeners with no special experience in music or audio ... electrical measurements conducted here indicate that noise levels may be one determining factor of sonic performance. The measurements also show that characteristics such as resistance and frequency response, that naïve consumers may focus on, are irrelevant for distinguishing HEA interconnect cables. "

Still, I think the best thing to do is listen and decide for yourself.

@cleeds Thanks for posting that paper!

I myself have heard differences. But for those who tell me it’s snake oil, I had a thought. If I believe them and listen again and then -- voila! -- hear no differences, isn’t it in my self-interest to cut my losses and sell my cables? That seems like the most rational thing to do. So, when I listen again and hear differences, it must be that I’m hearing the differences *despite* my self-interest. That is, it’s objectively there.

Oh, and here’s one more argument from self-interest: if I prefer to think they make a difference, how irrational is this compared to literally any other purchase that gives me pleasure? Anyone who has paid a 3000% markup on a soda at a fast food place has used exactly this reasoning. It’s not irrational. It’s preference-satisfaction.

Ferrari’s….why are the hype over expensive cars. I’ve driven all kinds of cars and I’m sitting here in my Fiat going “this thing drives just fine…”

i agree w miller on this

when folks say ’prove it’ to something they don’t accept, it is naive and self centered and utlimately unproductive

folks who believe something believe it, they have come to accept that notion in their minds, in their own way

whether it is actually true or not, it is not their burden to prove it to someone else, although they may choose to share their rationale ... if any of us really want to know, we should learn, experiment, run honest comparisons to convince ourselves... and if that is too hard, well too bad -- still, no one is obligated to prove anything to you...

the spirit of this board is to share ideas, beliefs, discuss, debate -- we all take it as input, and then use our intellect, training, resources and wits to discern what we believe to be true -- and if something is important enough, we can choose to make an effort to find out and convince ourselves

too many people are too self centered, too entitled, too spoiled... you type a few words on this board about something, read something you don’t agree with...  no one owes you anything here, much less 'proof' ...

Better quality cable will usually sound better than the cheap stuff-- BUT-- the claims made by many of the companies that sell the inexplicably expensive stuff are, IMO, after years and years of listening to different kinds of quality speaker cable, without any merit. 

Here's what's true; at a certain level of materials and build quality spending more money for any cable is not going to guarantee that you get any better sound out of your system. What you will get are different flavor notes-- like from one Zinfandel wine to the next-- usually small but sometimes very important differences. You have to live with any new or different cables for a while to really get a true (as opposed to a placebo) sense of the changes those cables have made to your system.

Not to sound to MillerCarbony-- but companies that charge stupid money for their cables are not really selling cables at all.

That sounds nothing like me. Companies don't charge, they ask. We decide to pay, or not. The transaction being between two freely consenting traders there is nothing stupid about it. Each thinks they got a good deal- or there would be no deal in the first place! It is only the academic pretending to stand outside the whole thing while in reality holding himself morally superior to it all where stupidity comes in.

So, bring it on -- We on the professional side of things (I am a mastering engineer) prefer components that deliver what's there. I have always used 10 gauge oxygen-free stranded cable of good manufacture, kept to reasonable lengths.

There are no absolutes. We live in a relative world. Relatively speaking, if my clients like the way their music sounds out there, I am listening to the best possible system. My clients have come back again and again.

Best regards to all.

“…high purity copper speaker wire…”

I prefer my speaker wire dirty, like my martinis. 

So, bring it on -- We on the professional side of things (I am a mastering engineer) prefer components that deliver what's there. I have always used 10 gauge oxygen-free stranded cable of good manufacture, kept to reasonable lengths.

There are no absolutes. We live in a relative world. Relatively speaking, if my clients like the way their music sounds out there, I am listening to the best possible system. My clients have come back again and again.

Best regards to all.

Yes, we are all well aware the few audiophile quality recordings are swamped by people like you churning out dreck. Enjoy your profits. Maybe put some of it back into improved quality? Just a thought.

Do different wires sound different? Sure. The "WHY" is a longer answer. First: the same set of wires may sound different on a different amp. That's the big clue!
Second: Amp designers fall into two broad categories. There are the "My Amp Is Perfect" school; and the other is the "No Speaker Is Perfect, I'll Help You Out" school.

The first group is sure their design is the finest available. If it doesn't sound good, it's somebody else's fault. The connections and the speakers are your problem, not the amp builder's.

The second group wants to try to make the speaker's movements perfectly match what comes into their amp's inputs. This means they have to find out what the speaker is actually doing. They monitor the output signal and compare it to the signal coming into the amp.

You have probably heard of cheap intercom systems where you talk into the same speaker that the other person's voice comes out of. A speaker and a microphone have a lot in common. Your speaker "hears" everything that goes on in the room. That means that when your speaker is not being asked to do anything, and something makes a sound in the room, a signal appears at it's terminals. It's a very small signal, but it's there. So if your speaker moves when it's not being driven, it actually generates a signal matching whatever sound is in the room. It is also true that when a speaker IS being driven, but its motion in NOT a pattern that matches its driving signal - such as when a woofer's inertia cause it to accelerate slowly or its inertia carries it farther than the input signal requires, it generates a signal representing the error. We'll call it the error signal.

A clever amp designer can use that error signal to cause the amp to produce an equal and opposite signal to cancel out the unwanted motions of the speaker. BUT the error signal has to make it back to the amplifier in good shape. Does it have to go backwards through the crossover network? Have you seen how elaborate some crossovers are? Some crossovers have resistors in them because they are driving speakers of different efficiency. That will easily distort the accuracy of the error signal! Of course, it has to get through the wire that connects the amp to the speaker without further alteration. Quite an elaborate journey, in many cases.

Have you read reviews of simple, single driver speakers? Or speakers using a single capacitor and a single inductor in the crossover? Reviewers talk about clarity, transparency, and a lifelike quality to the sound. Why? Because the amp could help out in correcting the speakers mistakes! One amp, two wires, one driver - that's all! That's why systems with electronic crossovers feeding one amp per driver can sound so good. That's why shorter wires are better than long ones.

If an amp doesn't seem to care what speaker wires it feeds; it's because it's not "listening."  Designers of the first school think that it's not their job to worry about the loudspeaker's performance. Those other guys are speaker people. He is an amp designer and that's that. If the speaker designers do their job right, his amp will make them sound their best. But, wouldn't it be nice if they cooperated - the speakers and the amp? But wait! OOOPS! Perhaps, if the crossover's complexities and the wire's capacitance and inductance altered the error signal, things might not go so well and the error signal might not arrive showing the true state of the error, so the correction the amp does is itself erroneous and as it goes pack to the speaker it gets corrupted again and an even less accurate error signal goes back to the amp - things could get worse. A lot worse!

So, audiophile A lends his "Simply Superior" speaker wires to his pal, audiophile B who tries them out and says, "These cables sound terrible on my system!" an argument may develop. They may not notice that they use different integrated/power amps, not to mention different speakers, in their systems. So now you know why there are so many discussions about speaker cables, many from people who are absolutely sure they are correct. Rather sad really; they just lack experience. They may have married the first person they kissed. They are certainly unaware of what is involved in the process of delivering electrons to speaker coils/activating elements in the real world. As a friend of mine once told me, "Keep your mind and you bowels open. That's the secret of a good life."  Happy Listening!

Like I said-- I've been there and done that with cables. The argument is not whether or not all wire sounds the same-- it does not-- it's about quality of build and materials-- the rest is just chocolate, strawberry or vanilla (and all the other flavors). There are huge scams going on with stupid pricing and nothing to back it up with except ones own feelings-- worth it or not. So be it. It's not academic BTW, it's experiential. But obscene profit margins built on BS claims is not hunky dory despite whatever you want to tell yourself. Legal isn't always ethical or right.

If you are offended by high priced cables, don't buy them. If you are offended by people buying high priced audio cables, mind your own business. If you are offended because people with normal hearing hear things you don't, get yourself another hobby.

havocman,
There has been an active thread about the Silversmith cables here for months now.

nac722,
"The best cables come from pre-1980’s Kirby vacuums. I buy them at garage sales when the person says they are broken. If they want $40 I offer them $25 (just want the cable). These things work the best. Better than the $1 a foot stuff and better than the $10,000 cables

+1 for creativity. They generally smell bad though. 

I use a Modern Design of Wire that is used in what can be referred to as very expensive Cables.

I am not feeling the Wire I own is expensive, to acquire and be used as Speaker Cable and Inter Connect, especially when compared to the retail prices of some Brands of Cables.

Where is there a difference between the Wire I am using and the Brands offerings.
Mainly in the way the cable is constructed, in some cases it will be a assembly of other Materials and Sheathed.
Contained within the Sheath can be a selection of materials to Manage Vibration and RFI.
In many cases the Wire will be routed through a Sheath only.

The Wire that I am using has been in some cases Cryo or Nano Treated by the producer of a Cable.

The other cost that can vary is how the Cables are Terminated.
The Cost of a Speaker Cable Connector, RCA Connector or XLR Connector can vary.
Types of Solder used can have different Values.
The allocation of Man Hours to Produce a Terminated Cable.
These can impact on the cost, especially if the Connectors are Branded and the Models being selected with High Purchase Prices.

Does a Selection of Base Materials, a Treatment such as Cryo or Nano.
and an assembly of the base parts to be contained within a Sheath and the Termination Procedure for the Cable, all add up to a outlay for the Producer that will cost $$$$$'s per metre.

The answer is certainly NO!

Does Printing a Brands Name on to the Sheath, along with the Cable Model and Directional Arrows, add to the above per metre cost, and now produce a Cable that costs $$$$$'s per metre.

The answer is certainly NO!

Does the risk of experiencing Low Volumes of Sales, and deciding which level of the Market the Cable will be competing in, along with placing a Value onto the Companies IP, now produce a Cable that costs $$$$$'s per metre.

The answer is most certainly, looking likely to be Yes!

In relation to Speaker Cables, is my Untreated Modern Design Wire,
going to be noticeably bettered, when compared to a Identical Wire,
that is being supplied from a Brand, with a Cryo or Nano Treatment and contained within a Sheath with Directional Arrows ?

Will the wire with a Purchase Price of $15 per metre, be trounced in a Comparison by the much increased Purchase Price Terminated Cable supplied from a Brand ?

The Law of Diminishing returns will certainly be at play.

With the way the commodities markets are heading, the Wire at $15 per metre will potentially hold its value, even when sold on as used.
The Branded Cable if a New Purchase, will probably lose 20 - 30% of the Value in a very short period of being owned.    

 

       

What hype?
What expensive speaker cables?
I don't what you're talking about.
The hype seems to be coming from you.

if there were actual differences, there would be published data that outline physiologically-detectable differences in all the ads.

I haven't seen any of that.

I have used 14g two conductor low voltage (for outside lights) copper wire from Lowes and Home Depot  for the last 20 years and have never even thought of upgrading speaker cables. The only changes ever made had been to compensate for length for speaker movement in different rooms and homes.After reading these discussion columns for the last several years, I began to wonder if, 1. more expensive speaker cables can improve my sound, and 2. if more expensive interconnects (than the flimsy red/white freebie type cables) can improve my sound.My very limited experience has been that the more elaborate and expensive speaker cable did nothing that was audible to me, altho' the banana plug "pigtail" that I had made facilitated switching between systems on my pair of speakers.However the interconnects, at first try, practically eliminated/veiled the higher frequencies.  The second try was the opposite, in  that they were extremely bright.  So I went back to the bag full of cheap interconnects that I have accumulated and again am quite happy with my sound.My conclusion is that what your ears tell you is the truth that you want to listen to.In my narrow mind, anyone that pays 3,000 never mind 30,000 for a piece of wire needs therapy.  Much like the difference between a Camry and a Corvette, both do the same thing i.e., move you from one place to another.But OMG, doesn't it make you "feel" better in the Corvette?

So out of the several hundred choices out there you tried a couple of the cheapest worst ones, they were as we all know highly variable in results, and from this meager random sample you have concluded you not only know more than much more experienced listeners, you know enough to conclude they need therapy. Impressive. 

If someone only tries low-grade low-cost cables and never compares them hands on to really good cables (in a high end system with great upstream components) you likely will never know what you are missing. Kinda like buying a really nice sports touring car and only driving it in your local neighborhood.

What’s the saying..."if i have to explain it you wouldn’t understand".

i agree with @decooney

but really good cables do not have to be extremely expensive cables

let’s not conflate the two

expensive cables also aren’t always really good cables, in an absolute sense, or applied to your system

the only thing you do know about really expensive cables is that they are really expensive

If I had just 1/100 of a penny for every word ever written about the sound (or not) of a speaker cable or an interconnect cable I would now be the planet’s wealthiest human! 🤑🤑🤑

IMHO, I believe the differences we hear can be explained by the inductance, capacitance, and resistance of a cable.

An experiment I’d love to see someone conduct is to measure the inductance, capacitance, and resistance of a highly regarded “good sounding” speaker cable/interconnect cable. Next, I’d construct a speaker cable/interconnect cable using different materials with identical measures of inductance, capacitance, and resistance. There are no other known electrical properties that exist, period! 🤭

Then I’d turn these samples over to the audiophile press to compare against each other.

I posit there would be no discernible difference in sound quality between the two cables.

I personally believe that there can be audible differences, but I believe this is because an important application of inductors in active circuits is that they tend to block high-frequency signals while letting lower-frequency oscillations pass. Note that this is the opposite function of capacitors. Combining the two components in a cable can selectively filter or generate oscillations of almost any desired frequency. And this effect is what I believe people “hear” when comparing cables.

Ergo, I posit I could measure and duplicate the sound of any speaker cable or interconnect currently being marketed as a good sounding wire.

I do wonder why no one has done this? 😳😳😳

vinyl_rules

... I could measure and duplicate the sound of any speaker cable or interconnect currently being marketed as a good sounding wire.

I do wonder why no one has done this.

Perhaps others have tried and found it is not as easy as you suggest. What is stopping you from undertaking such a simple task?

And we should believe all you audiophiles who tell us there is a difference? Until there  is a reputable ABX test done between some cables, I think you are all blowing smoke.

3:07 - 5:20
https://youtu.be/BYTlN6wjcvQ?t=185

daleberlin

And we should believe all you audiophiles who tell us there is a difference? Until there  is a reputable ABX test done between some cables, I think you are all blowing smoke.

I provided you the proof you seek - a very thorough, valid, blind scientific study - just yesterday. It proves the difference.
It's in this thread here. Happy reading.

@nac722 "The best cables come from pre-1980’s Kirby vacuums. ..,... These things work the best. Better than the $1 a foot stuff and better than the $10,000 cables. "

What specific $10,000 cables have you actually compared the Kirby vacuum wire to and what were the specific differences that you heard?  Also, for added context ,what equipment - brands/models do you have in your system?

The best test is your ears, if you can. If someone can’t hear a difference, no need to believe it, or wonder, save yourself the $. As MC hinted above, its no members job here to convince otherwise. Go discover.

I compared four different low, mid-grade, and higher grade bi-wire speaker cables to the budget builders Home Depot zip cord for fun, even ran it in bi-wire configuration, with and without connector ends. The HD cord is grainy sounding at best, not good in my system. Might be okay for some in lower efficiency speaker systems, if you want to convince yourself its good.   The result with the HD zip cord is missing some high and low frequency.  A limited design, limited conductor, limited insulation (dielectric), resulting in added NOISE. The opposite of clean, clear, smooth, or even dark sounding cables. If you like this HD zip cord sound, or can’t hear a difference, save your $. Some people like added salt in their ice cream, have at it! We all hear differently. Enjoy! 

If a Individual purchased a Branded Speaker Pair of Speakers Cables
Five Years ago as a used Cable for $500 Dollar for 2 x 8ft Lengths that originally retailed at $1000.
Then after owning the Cable for the Five Year Term sold the Cables for 
$300 Dollars.
The Cable will have cost the Second User $40 Dollars a Year to own the Cable.

If a Person was to enter this Thread claiming they had invested $40 a year into their Speaker Cables the statement would not seem to be in keeping with Hyped Expensive Wire, but more closer to a statement about Cheap Wire being Purchased from a Home Depot.

If a Cable is creating a Interest to a Individual to try using it.
It can investigated for user feedback and see how it performs with a particular Interface.
If it still appeals, the Cable cab be sought out to see if there is a option for it to be purchased at a Cost that is heavily reduced from the Retail Value.

From my experience not much will be lost on a resale if the Cable is bought prudently and at a later date is sold.    
In a few cases the Cable has realised a small profit.

My other Hobby being photography has much more increased levels of depreciation on purchases, whether Prudent Used Purchases or as a New Purchase.

There is a thread of prejudice woven into the fabric that is the HiFi Community stretching across the Globe.
Every Forum and Country will have occupants who do not in any measure welcome the idea that Cables are worthy of a High Retail Value.
This is most likely because the view is that the Cable does not produce a important role in the System, it is an umbilical that is a necessity to enable the System to Function.

Cables which have a High Retail Price are met with the uncomfortable welcome, that is regularly seen expressed. 
Users who make their use of the High Priced Cables known, 
are commonly disregarded as Discontented Neurotics, who constantly exchange Devices and Ancillaries with Too Much Disposable Income and are always in search of the next big thing to brag about.

My own personal experience with Individuals who are content with the idea of exchanging Cables at Different retail Values does not reflect the above.
The Individuals I spend time with are likeminded to myself, and are quite content with their Systems and see no need to exchange a Device or Ancillary to create any further improvements.

Their use, as well as my own use of a Cable or Permutations of Cables over a period of time, is to see how the best interface can be created for r much wanted to be retained Devices and Ancillaries.

As New Cables are also known to need a time to settle, some choices of a Cable can remain within a Interface for a very long time and commonly remain almost permanently.