This post just confirms what many cable companies know very well. People buy their expensive stuff just because it looks cool!! AudioQuest is one of the worst offenders in this area, if you ask me. They upgrade their cables every season to meet the fashion trends of the cable industry.
This also confirms my theory that cables are like after-market wheels for cars. They are very expensive "performance" modifications that people really by for good looks. I mean, do you really notice the difference in performance between a stock wheel and a BBS wheel? NO, but you sure notice that one looks a heck of a lot cooler.
