Speaker wire is it science or psychology

Come on Redkiwi, don't you apologise, don't be more Brits than those "back home" and please don't continue now with an "understatingingly"- polite attitude. Your posts are wonderfully written and argued and the underlying passion ( a passion we all share, be it in different shades and hues )
makes it all alive and vibrant. ( Yes this ad ad hominem with a greeting to down under )

Thanks Detlof, and your post means a lot to me. Being not in control of my passion I often feel a bit of regret when it lets loose and I am left hoping people recognise it for what it is and tolerate it. This is not me feigning humility, just explaining that my emotional outbursts are often followed by sheepishness (no sheep jokes please).

I must agree with some of your comments here. I think you can tell the difference between a $1 and a $350 cable. However, the value of diminishing returns kicks in rapidly has the more expensive the cables get. My best friend used to work for a company that manufactures cables for Cardas about 8 months ago. Cardas would send the connectors and her company would provide the cable and the assembly. Dealers charges about $750 per meter for golden cross. She told me that her company normally pays only $7 per meter (without connectors of course) and her company would then charges Cardas ~$21 a meter. If you do the math, that's a hell of a margin for Cardas. Bottom line is that cables do make a difference, but what I don't understand why is it that cable company decide to charge so much? $5000, $10,000, what's the basis for that? Perhaps cables is 10% science and 90% snake oil. As the some cable prices continue to sky rocket, wouldn't it be cheaper to go down to your local jewelery store and pick up a meter of 24 karat gold chain? Why have gold plated, when you can have the real thing! Just be sure to wrap your 24 karat gold chain in electrical tape so no one gets shock!

I have no interest in responding to this post, these pop up about every 3 weeks or so and usually get way into the doulbe figures with responses, but I would like to comment on Whosyourdaddy's take. What a sickening story that is - it's too bad audiophiles can't have an uprising or boycott to drive some of these prices within reason. The only way I can justify the outrageous margins on wire is to wonder how much volume can a "wire" company have. No matter how much markup you have it's still about selling units. If you get your dream flagship interconnect of a brand today, in a few months that one is not as good as the new and improved version with new names and model numbers. I mean, can electric transmission be improved and altered that many times since Ben franklin fried his ass? Hence, they fill the pipeline with the new model - new volume. Dealers love it cause they need volume too. I guess in this hobby we just can't ever be completely satisfied becauce we buy into this concept. I'll be the first to admit cables are an integral part of the chain but when you buy enough wire over say 5 years, that you could liquidate and buy a car or put a downpayment on a home for first time homeowner, like I said, it's sickening.

Even though I apparantly can't spell, I'm pretty good with numbers though - that's my take.