Changing audio beliefs

@zavato 

"Are there any audio beliefs you once held to firmly that you no longer subscribe to? 
I was an ardent believer in cables. I still believe cables matter but now not so much. Beyond a basic level of competence in the cable and connector, in my opinion, the rest is smoke and mirrors."

Most individuals in this and other forums simply parrot marketing hype and desperately want to believe it when they shell out hard currency based on these superfluous claims without ever doing any substantive discovery to dispel as you said, the "smoke and mirrors".

I am not sure on the topic of Audio Belief, but when I was a child I watched my Father alter our domestic ring main by making all the wire run twisted pairs and replacing them in the sockets.  As an Engineer I follow his example and the difference is astonishing. So the Belief is that wiremen do the best job possible, when in actuality they do not. Sort of beliefs we are given which are false.

This may seem offensive to some but audio or rather being an audiophile must have it’s place. In my world, it’s not that important. It’s a hobby and I don’t make it more than that. I have other interests as well. But when it comes to my time with friends, family or even my dogs, my audio room will take the back seat. Where this really becomes a factor one can see is when another audiophile sees the hobby as competition. If one has bought a new set of speakers that may sound better than his buddy, he must purchase replacement speakers that sound even better. I don’t do this because it’s not ever going to be that important to me and that is silly. I like to keep this hobby enjoyable to me and don’t worry about impressing others. This keeps it cool and fun.

@2psyop , +1.

Music has its place, but has never been a priority. I do enjoy quality music, but never near the point of zealotry that some display, and never constantly.

I much prefer the sounds of nature, or as close to silence as I can get.

I started believing in cables after experimenting with I2S cables literally a year ago. I tried $5, $30, and $300 I2S cables and was convinced that they do make a difference—sometimes a big difference. Over time, I also upgraded analog cables and other digital cables as well. So far, the only cable where I have not been able to detect any difference is the power cord.

The other almost an exception is the USB cable.  Except the Cardas Clear USB (too warm leading to soft bass), I could not detect any meaningful difference between the stock USB (from IFi, Schiit etc), $10 Benchmark usb and $300 DH Labs Mirage usb cable.  Beyond that price point, I am not willing to try even I could afford.