Interconnect cable upgrade disapointment

I usually break in new cables by playing digital music from my sat receiver through them when I'm gone during the day.

This is an excellent idea. If you want your cables to burn in and sound energetic then you simply set it to a sports channel. If you want your cables to sound smooth, romantic and liquid then you set it to the Soap Opera channel. For a more laid back sound then you could simply switch to

Perhaps I should demo some higher level audioquest and a different line of cables. I will make a trip to my local dealer.

FWIW - you should NOT expect to find a substantial difference in one good cable to another more expensive good cable if your equipment is well matched to start with. Perhaps your ears are just confirming what should be expected from an engineering point of view ( a wire is a wire and without an active component or a ground loop issue one should not expect night and day substantial differences )

Your background is similar to my own, yet quite more accomplished, and it accounts for the reasoning or perspectives you espouse. I too, agreed with it for an exceptional period of time. In fact I thought it a big laugh when the subject came around.

Great stuff blindjim. I would add however that it is possible to reconcile the math/physics with observations if one is prepared to accept that the system behaves as a whole.

If you change an IC and it sounds different then it does not automatically mean that the expensive materials in the special IC caused that change. It may have more to do with shield resistance and/or equipment problems ( ground loops ) than the quantity of silver or gold or oxygen free copper or cryogenic treatment in the IC wires.

So an engineer might still agree that an IC can make a difference but would disagree about why.

I would tend to blame the equipment ( a leaky or poor quality power supply or an imbalance in the signal wiring with respect to ground or poorly matched output and input impedances - ground imbalances from different house wall sockets etc. ). So a "brainwashed" engineer can still laugh in disbelief about crazy witch doctor cable treatments but still accept that differences can and certainly do occur. The key difference boils down to the WHY....simply put an audiophile may refuse to believe that the $5K pride and joy component is actually performing so poorly with another pride and joy $5K component that a mere interconnect change makes an audible difference (for example a twisted pair with no shield may perform better than a shielded IC and vice versa). Nevertheless the overwhelming desire is to attribute magical "audible" properties to the IC, which is, absent active components, just a piece of wire - an this is where I would laugh.

Modesty! my fellow "scientists" and "engineers".

I quite agree but didn't you mean to say "Honesty" ;-)

If one engineer said to another that one copper wire is pretty much as good as another at analog audio frequencies then surely the other would not think them arrogant, conceited or presumptuous?

If one audiophile said to another that his $5K audio cable is significantly better than another $200 cable then...

Is it worth to spend insane $5k? For some people it is the only way, they know of, to improve already near-perfect system. For others subtle sonic difference will be lost in less then perfect gear. I tend to overinvest in cables...

I see that now - it really is the only way.

I try to be modest (and honest) and don't post any definitive opinions

I see that too.

"scientists" will educate us that metal cannot make difference. And that I call lack of modesty.

Quite right. I find myself agreeing with you and feel I owe you an apology for being so presumptuous. At least I can now go back to my modest and less than perfect gear knowing why subtle cable differencs will be lost on me.

Wouldn't be simpler to say "I cannot hear differences"? Nobody will blame you - believe me.

Well I'll not be so conceited as to deny that last point - you are probably right again - although I enjoy audio immensely, I make no claims to have "golden ears" if that is what you meant.

I think Audiogon is a great resource and conflicting views are welcome. May the great debates continue, forever!

Nobody has a monopoly on the best sound!