Cables more hype than value?

Hey Mitch2, first let me say that I really like your preamp! Looking very nice! Bet it sounds great too! Would love to be able to collaborate with Steve have something similar done with my TLC-1 Deluxe. Do you have remote volume control? I really want to go all out, but I just cannot afford a VRE-1 at this time. I recently picked up a DNA-1 Deluxe with Gold Edition upgrades from SMcAudio. This tapped out my audio budget, but was well worth the price paid!

Next, I must tell you that the Tara Labs Air 1 sc and ic cabling in my system has changed the game for me. I experienced huge improvements in sound quality and musical enjoyment in comparison to the many cables I had tried in the past! So there are significantly better cables out there worth trying.

Hi Mitch2, I bet those Clayton M-300 amps sound incredible. I bet they have your AA 9 speakers in a vise-grip! I owned a pair of Clayton Audio M-100 monoblock amps a few years back, and IMHO, Wilson Shen and Stan Klyne are two of the best solid state designers in the business. I regret selling them. Steve McCormack does very good work as well.
Those three men put out products that consistently embarrass many more expensive, better advertised solid state gear.

I've read a bunch of this thread, and not seen any mention of some kind of turn-around point as far as any indication on equipment capabilities vs being able to tell a difference. Any one have a thread in mind, or advice as far as to what level that point may show itself?

Audio will always be a personal thing. You cannot think for others. Respect them, you don't have to agree with eachother. But be polite. I have my own opinion as well. At the end it is about what you hear. In the last 10 years I did a lot of blind tests for my clients. Many were amazed about the quality what cables can give these days. What I do is making an a-b comparison. I Always use a cheaper spource, amp or speaker with a not expensive cable. And a more expensive cable with a less expensive source, amp or speaker. So people understand more easilly what the difference is. These days the quality is so good that I can get a higher end result with a more expensive cable and less expensive source, amp or speaker. I want every client to get the most for the money they spend. So I Always give them different options to choose. In highend audio without the best available cables you Always will loose. I love audioshows because I like to blow every other set away. This gives me always a very big smile on my face. Good cables help me a lot to achieve this.

@ Bo1972, I love your post here, I realized cables were the game changer all the way back in 1996 and 1997, when I used The Taralabs the one with grounding stations, and the Taralabs the one speaker cables to silence the laughing on a spectral, avalon, mit system!, I took the spectral amp out and replaced it with a Krell fpb 600, and ripped out all of the top of the line mit cables that had these ridiculous boxes in the signal path on the cables!The Krell, Taralabs combo put a priceless look on their faces, I will never forget as long as I live!, It was proven to all that laughed at what I was doing, The Taralabs cables are better than mit cables, and Krell was way more musical than spectral!,, cheers!