How long does cable technology take to 'turn'?


Every couple of weeks I think I know it all again, then I hear something which redefines everything.
Such is the case with the Acoustic Zen Audio Cables.
A long time Kimber Kable fan, (and still am) I gladly and gratefully give a full nod to Robert Lee and his Shotgun cables, as being the current best on the market for an even semi realistically priced cable.
This find was by accident really; I bought a new entertainment center and needed longer cables so I decided to update my thinking.
Last year at CES I put together a consortium of high end manufacturers in order to make a big splash in a ballroom, (versus a small room like everyone else), for a speaker manufacturer, featuring some of the best equipment available. I selected, VAC, and the well respected Kevin Hayes, PS Audio's power conditioner, Chris Huston was there to record Misty River each night for a "Live vs. Recorded" face off, Oracle's Jacques Reindeau and, of course, Robert Lee's Acoustic Zen.
During the show I got to know him as much as such a venue will allow, and found him to be straight forward, prefering science and technology over emperical opinion.
His cables did nothing to draw attention to themselves, even though in show circumstance, that is not always the case.
Last week I asked him to send me the "Shotgun" for appraisal, he did and here we are.
The cables, (I am using my own speaker design, which has bi wiring capabilities) replaced two pairs of Kimber Select 3035's. The difference was startling.
Better high frequency openness and clarity without a hint of sibilance, better bass definition without any bloat so common to some cables.
The midrange was right, as opposed to forward and overblown.
So the question is: How long do we hold on to current cables before we decide that last year's fav's are this year's also ran's?
lrsky
Me thinks it is on-going and always will be. While there are many great performing cables from lesser kown mfg's---one must always be cautious---resale of same can be quite a problem.---For the most part any cable's value is more of a popularity contest---Just like all the other gear we use/buy/sell.
Do we short change ourselves when we don't evaluate cables as carefully as we do components? In high end audio we should probably throw out our preconceived notions on a regular basis. Yesterdays best may be todays average, and it's very easy to lose touch. Creating the best "buzz" and creating the best sound are different skills, and my guess is we often fall victim to the hype. I have been recently re-evaluating my system, and when you let your ears lead, sometimes you find the buzz is just wrong.
One of my points here, which no one has chosen to address, is the "I am sure that, now I know it all....again."
The ongoing 'quest' for that audio Nirvana is fun and exciting. One has to be careful to note that which is just different, and not better.
These cables were tantamount to buying a new component, and rightfully so given their cost. But I was amazed given the comparative pricing of products, that being the Kimber 3035 versus the Shotgun.
This really sings.
My typical manner of comparing any audio is not unlike ABX, which IMHO puts undue 'stress' on the being right part of the equation--so I always listen to "A" then "B" without knowing which is which, then switch back to "A". Only then do I make my decision as to which is better. Copious notes are always helpful in this process, since usually nothing is better in every way, but better in some, not as good in others, and so on.
For me, these made a quantum leap in all meaningful areas by unobtrusively 'passing' more information than I was used to. It sure was fun to redo my system.
Plus, supporting a guy, a good guy who really knows his stuff, like Robert is an added bonus.
Best,