Difference between non and factory terminated

Mwilson... I never said there was no difference. Contrare. My argument is that the 'difference' will not lead to realsim, or 'live' like playback. That it is only useful in achieving some subjective sonic quality or other in the system.

To what end though? To mask the reality that is recorded on the source material? Why? Why not rahter be selective in obtaining well produced, and engineered recordings that are 'true to the original' on purpose. Then enjoy the music as 'live' like as possible, and hear what the musicians intended.

If you mask the realities of the source material you will achieve a sameness of what is played back, but never realism.

Better to use reference earphones to listen to the source, then compare to what you hear through your system in the room. It can be discouraging, but like Dr Phil says, 'you cannot change what you not acknowledge'.

BTW the notion of 'relativism' is an offense to the notion of 'truth'. But take your pick. To each his own, I guess.

That is my position, and I am sticking to it.

Didactically,

So not only are you shilling for Linkwitz, but for Dr. Phil also? If you are so convinced that you carry the absolute truth about audio, then why possibly did you join a community whose fundamental belief is that there aren't any absolute truths in audio? What is your objective here? Are you just wanting to type a little? Have your voice be heard? Convert others? I frankly don't understand why you would choose to join a community that is diametrically opposed to your core beliefs.
And I for one have no clue why you cannot seem to stay on track. You have not responded directly to any question posed, other than use the forum as a platform for your personal truths.
So stick to your position. Why not just stick it elsewhere, in a place that you might find more willing apostles?
Very odd, indeed.

Evita - Now that we've managed to drag you into our jail cell, do you have any thoughts on the original question posed? There seems to be a vague agreement amongst us that there's neglible difference between factory terminated and non-factory terminated cables, although we're all looking at it from different angles..... and it seems that Maury Povich, like Dr. Phil says, cannot change what he cannot acknowledge. Maybe that's why his show is still on the air.

Tvad - What if the IEC connector and wall plug were of a comparable or better quality than the original, but not the the same as the original? In this case, the non-factory terminated cable couldn't be worse than the factory terminated one, could it? (barring a sloppy termination job). Would it sound different? Would it sound better?