Do I need an expensive digital cable?

... When we A/B cables or anything else, we listen very closely for minute differences we then exagerate in our minds. My bottom-line is this: Would I know the difference if I left the house for half an hour and came back to my stereo....

Simply put, I audition each cable and component for about 30 days. Why 30 days? Because that’s typically the manufacturer’s trial period.

I don’t do instantaneous A/B comparisons. Instead, I break in new components using my second or third system during the first week. After accumulating roughly 40–50 hours, I move them to my main system and may swap them every other day with the existing cable. During this process, I take notes while listening to familiar test tracks.

Human short-term memory is limited, so taking notes is essential. I also cross-reference my notes and revise them if needed.

I begin serious evaluation after 40–50 hours, even though some components (including cables) may require longer break-in time—up to 150–200 hours. That said, some cables, such as my I²S cables, seem to be fully broken in within that initial 40–50 hours. I’ve found that notes taken on different days tend to be more consistent.

Overall, this “every-other-day” approach helps me discern differences in a more reliable and repeatable way. I’m sharing this for reference—if the “half-hour” method works better for you, feel free to stick with it as long as it suits your listening process.

@lanx0003 

I think you're in a different league than I am. I really don't have the budget for more than mid-tier cable, which is what I now have. The sellers I'm familiar with won't lend out expensive cable unless they believe somebody would buy it if they liked it. I wouldn't. The used cable company will only credit a person with other cables.

Also, I don't have the time or patience to do the comparisons you do. It sounds as though you do the same kind of comparisons reviewers do. I would say I'm a mid-tier audiophile and you're a high-tier one.

Oh no, OP—sorry if I gave you that impression. I do spend a significant amount of time listening to my systems. As an engineer/project manager working on several CIP projects, my schedule can get quite stressful when deadlines approach. Music listening is how I relieve that pressure—it’s also my only hobby since I quit golfing.

The cables I own are, at most, $599, which I would consider mid-tier in today’s market. I don’t believe a good cable needs to cost that much, and I wouldn’t spend beyond that even if I could afford it. That said, analog interconnects seem to be an exception.  Anyway, good luck with your music listening.

@audio-b-dog 

There is no such thing as mid- or high-tier audiophiles, just some people who love (need) to look down their noses at others.

The impact on sound quality of speaker cables and analog interconnects is governed by science.

The impact of power cords, Ethernet cables, etc. is still governed by science, but the discipline involved is preponderantly behavioral psychology.

@lanx0003 @devinplombier 

I do have a second system in my bedroom. It's an old Tivoli radio with extra speaker, sub woofer, and cd player. I don't mind listening to it at all when I'm napping . I think all the pieces cost less than $1K.

Everything comes down to time and money. My friends think I'm crazy for the amount of time I've spent on my stereo. I can see where an engineer might enjoy playing around with a system more than the rest of us. Although, I've hit the age where I can no longer crouch in the 20" space behind the stereo. I went from tubes to solid state because tubes require a lot of crouching. I call a friend who knows nothing about stereos, but who has a steady hand, to help me install a new cartridge. I'm still a good diagnostician, though.

So, back to time and money. If I had the money for high-end cables, I'd probably spend it on something else. An expensive streamer. Or one of those cartridges that cost much more than $2K. I have a feeling I might have hit the level of diminishing returns on cables. Although I did recently purchase the Nordost/VPI tonearm cables that go to the phono stage. Everybody said that cable really matters. 

I also think that new interconnects and speaker cables are beyond my physical abilities. I've compared cables before and it's a lot of work. And by the time you get the new speaker cables hooked up (with a lot of crouching) you've forgotten what the old ones sounded like. A/B ing streamers is a lot easier. 

So, I'll add age to my list of what matters. Time, money, and age, with a subset of crouchability. And wives, of course. They're at the top of the list.