A fresh approach to cable analysis

Exactly @phd — glad you said that.

For differences reported between two already-adequate cables, where measured differences are genuinely below audibility thresholds, the most likely explanations are perceptual. That doesn't make them imaginary — but it does locate them in the listener rather than the wire:

• Expectation bias: Sighted listening measures the listener's whole brain state — price, brand, expectation — not just the cable. Expectation genuinely changes perception, not merely the report. The person really does hear it differently; the difference just isn't in the air.

• Auditory memory decay: Memory for timbre degrades within seconds. A cable swap takes minutes, which means sighted A/B comparison of small differences is nearly worthless without instantaneous, level-matched switching.

• Level differences masquerading as quality: A 0.2dB level difference sits below the threshold for detecting loudness, but above the threshold for perceiving clarity. Uncontrolled level differences get perceived as qualitative improvements — which is why level-matching to within 0.1dB is non-negotiable in any valid test.

• Pattern completion: Once you believe a cable is warmer, you attend to and remember the warm moments and discount the rest. This is confirmation bias operating at the perceptual level, not just the cognitive one.

@chrisoshea  What am I supposed to listen to? The link delivers me to a page about Shunyata’s technology that contains 3 you tube clips. Are you suggesting that I can hear the effect of a cable via Youtube into my laptop speakers?

As far as "Claude" goes I guess Anthropic thought it made their AI sound more friendly.

May I remind you, and everyone else on this thread, that my original proposition was not one that questioned cables or the wisdom of buying expensive cables, but merely trying to see if someone out there might be interested in analyzing cables by doing a first hand look at their construction and material content? It seems several "cable defenders" have lapsed into their default circling of the wagons and well worn arguments. Okay, that's all good fun BUT I still think it would be interesting and informative to begin creating a database of sorts that catalogs, to the extent practical, the materials and configurations found in the world of audiophile, pro and consumer grade cables. To those who rule this out as impractical because of cost, yes, I am suggesting this could be a Youtube business and businesses always come with costs. Could it be profitable? I don't know, but not all business are run on a for profit basis. There are other possibilities.

@bruce19 - thanks for starting this thread. It made me think deeply about cable construction and their costs often to nose bleed levels.

Visually looking at an open cable would not tell how it sounds. We can look at the geometry and maybe take some metal measurements, but it still won’t reveal how it sounds. I have no clue on how to measure the effects of the wire coverings (dielectric) - it’s varying substances/chemical formulations, its geometry, and how it acts upon contact with the metal. Many top cables manufacturers say air is the best covering so try to minimize contact with the dielectric. Dunno how to measure this.

I personally went with Siltech Classic Legend ICs silver with a bit of gold filler. It’s slightly more expensive than other more generic silver offerings, but the Siltech had great reviews and is a well established brand known for their high-end sonic excellence. Dealer discount is very helpful also.