Why Do Cables Matter?

@donavabdear -

"Ok, I didn’t communicate my point. I’ll try one more time and you don’t have to read my notes."

"Listening- to what?"

     APPARENTLY: you don't even bother to read the very first sentences of posts previous to yours.

ie:  

      AND (incidentally): I DO have a number of recordings, of my own creation (using a John Oram board and complimentary cabling, FYI), that I've used to critique my system and it's accuracy in instrumental/vocal tonality, etc.

       But: a more scientific way, at least with which to determine if a system will/can recover room ambiance, describe the air between the above voices and image well, which (to me) are what is most greatly affected by cable choices, is the LEDR test, so easily found online and CD.

From the next post:        The adherents of the Naysayer Church will never accept that there exist a multitude of variables, when an accurate simulacrum of performers and their performance in a particular venue, is the desire/goal.

         IOW:  The majority of us that are experimenting with better cables, do so that we might enjoy a more realistic presentation, in ALL aspects.

         Many of us have found that improving our interconnects, PC and fuses, has resulted in more accurate information retrieval, and/or less loss of information, throughout the system, NOT with the intent to, "...change the signal" or, "boost the bass or whatever frequency to exactly match the way you like the sound?"

          Nothing lost through the use of crappy cabling, can ever be recovered by you beloved digital EQ and dynamic tools.

               Are you really that obtuse, or just choosing to be argumentative*?       

                                     *AS IF that's not already obvious. 

@donavabdear I’ve been trying to understand why so many people are willing to spend so much money on cables, when no studio does, easy question really,...

Easy question and easy answer, which has been answered for you, multiple times.

Either you fail to read carefully and try to comprehend, or simply don’t want to.

When someone has not tested something first-hand, no point trying to debate it.

A friend owns a recording/mastering studio - and does not short-change on cables.

@rodman99999 Yes I read that post, and that is perfect exactly what I'm saying but that is the exception, you understand. I'm asking honest questions so smart audiophiles will give me their view. You mentioned being obtuse, that is what you did when you mention using bad cables, again, again, again no one on either side of the discussion advocates using bad cables (strawman). You are wrong about DSP not making up for problems in the signal. Have you ever used ProTools and the amazing plugins that are available in it? If you are good with audio tools you can make recording sound much better. I have a friend who mixed the Sinatra Duets album, Frank said no efx, the original recording was so unmixable they did it anyway, something you don't do when Frank say no, the album was great and no one ever knew. 

BTW I'm not stating normal anti cable argument like saying they aren't testable or they don't sound better, I never said anything like that. I've spent millions on sound equipment over the years believe me I know sound equipment on the professional level I'm just trying to understand it at the audiophile level. Honestly.

You’ve made yourself very clear. You’d be embarrassed if you knew how clearly you communicate.

Ouch!!!

_ _ _ _ _

- He lumps all audiophiles together - like the Borg in Star Trek. Not as independent thinkers with successful careers - who, as music-lovers, have arrived at similar observations and experiences over their decade’s-long audio journey.

- He doesn’t respect cable swapping. But, he definitely favors mic swapping. It’s okay to address the needs of different performing artists with different voice boxes and chest cavities during the recording phase. But, it’s not okay to address the various needs of source components and speakers during the playback phase. Such as synergy.

- Location sound is always tweaked in Post Production. EQ, room tone, re-recording, etc. Matching the SQ of different mic’s on different actors in different takes. Altering the voice perspective as to whether the shot is a wide Master or a Close-up.

- He still doesn’t get that the cables’ metallurgy and architecture affect the electricity - the fuel for the entire playback system. High octane = High performance.  Getting the various components to integrate well is the goal. 

- After insulting everybody, he wonders why people are attacking him.

@yoyoyaya 

Do you accept that recovering all of the information contained in the original recording is a legitimate aim of hi fi reproduction?

I think that's an admirable aim, especially when in the context of a cable. It should let the signal come through without adding noise or distortion. Of course, nothing will ever be perfect. But I think it's possible for a real cable to be indistinguishable from a perfect cable. Once a certain threshold of accuracy is passed it won't make a difference to our hearing perception. 

Changing cables undoubtedly causes perceptual changes for some listeners. Why that is could be a number of things beyond just expectation bias. For now we don't have much in the way of convincing explanations for what actual changes in the signal are occurring. We just have perceptual descriptions. It's quite possible that the cables are deviating away from technically correct performance, but that perceptually comes across better for some listeners.