Snopes is a very reliable source for debunking urban legends such as the green marking pen used on CD's. Where's the evidence they are unreliable? ... thought so.
Cables can sound different in different systems, but above a certain level of materials and build quality you are hearing ONLY differences. They may sound small to some and significant to others. A $5000 power cable DOES NOT sound better than a $500 power cable. This is even more true with USB and other cables carrying a digital signal. Super expensive cables often look really cool, but you're kind of getting ripped off once you get into the four and five figure pricing. If you can afford it and think you like the resulting changes it makes to your system then just rock on!
As Stereophile has reported when testing high-end 16bit CD players and DACS, either technology, 16b or 24b, or a 44k sampling rate or much higher like a 196k rate can both sound fantastic when implemented in well designed gear. It is not at all a given that the higher sampling rates always sound better. So no, more is not always better.
Personally I prefer the sound of vinyl records and all analog playback over digital despite some of the advantages of the latter. It's just a personal thing, but vinyl sounds more "musical" to me.
There is a LOT of snake oil being sold to audiophiles and there is little doubt in my mind that many of these products rely more on psychology than they do science. Your mind will change what you hear based upon your own confirmation bias-- and of this there is no doubt.
Every system will sound different based upon the combination of gear and the room that it's in. Your room will have a vastly greater impact on the sound of your system than anything achieved changing to more expensive cabling-- assuming you are already using something decent.
My phono cartridge will have a much greater impact on the sound of my system than my amplifier. So will my speakers. So will my phono preamp. Digital gear has improved immensely over the last fifteen years or so regardless of the bit rate. Does that mean I'd prefer a lower bit rate? Nope. Just saying...
Cables can sound different in different systems, but above a certain level of materials and build quality you are hearing ONLY differences. They may sound small to some and significant to others. A $5000 power cable DOES NOT sound better than a $500 power cable. This is even more true with USB and other cables carrying a digital signal. Super expensive cables often look really cool, but you're kind of getting ripped off once you get into the four and five figure pricing. If you can afford it and think you like the resulting changes it makes to your system then just rock on!
As Stereophile has reported when testing high-end 16bit CD players and DACS, either technology, 16b or 24b, or a 44k sampling rate or much higher like a 196k rate can both sound fantastic when implemented in well designed gear. It is not at all a given that the higher sampling rates always sound better. So no, more is not always better.
Personally I prefer the sound of vinyl records and all analog playback over digital despite some of the advantages of the latter. It's just a personal thing, but vinyl sounds more "musical" to me.
There is a LOT of snake oil being sold to audiophiles and there is little doubt in my mind that many of these products rely more on psychology than they do science. Your mind will change what you hear based upon your own confirmation bias-- and of this there is no doubt.
Every system will sound different based upon the combination of gear and the room that it's in. Your room will have a vastly greater impact on the sound of your system than anything achieved changing to more expensive cabling-- assuming you are already using something decent.
My phono cartridge will have a much greater impact on the sound of my system than my amplifier. So will my speakers. So will my phono preamp. Digital gear has improved immensely over the last fifteen years or so regardless of the bit rate. Does that mean I'd prefer a lower bit rate? Nope. Just saying...