I would like to add my two cents, for anyone that's interested.
First, the impedance of the cable and amplifier combination (resistance plus inductance and capacitance) needs to be low relative to the speaker to maintain control - this establishes damping factor.
The resistance of the cable, which is a factor of the wire gauge, will affect the voltage/power of the signal to the speaker. The effect however, is constant for all frequencies, so it affects overall loudness but does not roll off the sound at either frequency extreme.
Next is the capacitance and inductance of the cable. In my experience, cable capacitance is not really a factor at audio frequencies, but inductance is. The inductance of a cable resists the flow of current through it, thus affecting the ability of the cable to pass high frequency transients and affecting the sound. Therefore, cables with lower series inductance will pass the musical signal more faithfully. If you look at Shadorne's link you'll see that it supports this.
I do listen to cables, and my experience has supported my conclusions.
It's unfortunate, but I think if more cable manufacturers published the electrical parameters of their products, more people would be able to associate the differences they hear with the electrical properties and much of what appears to be cable snakeoil would disappear.
This is just my opinion, based on my knowledge and experience, but it does drive the decisions I make when I select audio parts and components, and I am very satisfied with the results I've achieved. :o)
First, the impedance of the cable and amplifier combination (resistance plus inductance and capacitance) needs to be low relative to the speaker to maintain control - this establishes damping factor.
The resistance of the cable, which is a factor of the wire gauge, will affect the voltage/power of the signal to the speaker. The effect however, is constant for all frequencies, so it affects overall loudness but does not roll off the sound at either frequency extreme.
Next is the capacitance and inductance of the cable. In my experience, cable capacitance is not really a factor at audio frequencies, but inductance is. The inductance of a cable resists the flow of current through it, thus affecting the ability of the cable to pass high frequency transients and affecting the sound. Therefore, cables with lower series inductance will pass the musical signal more faithfully. If you look at Shadorne's link you'll see that it supports this.
I do listen to cables, and my experience has supported my conclusions.
It's unfortunate, but I think if more cable manufacturers published the electrical parameters of their products, more people would be able to associate the differences they hear with the electrical properties and much of what appears to be cable snakeoil would disappear.
This is just my opinion, based on my knowledge and experience, but it does drive the decisions I make when I select audio parts and components, and I am very satisfied with the results I've achieved. :o)