EngineerFriend,

actually...the person I asked the question of is a very frequent poster here, and I know his user name, so unless you're him with a new user name, then I owe you no beer. Further, I said, "let the debate begin" not, "please put me in a coma...."

I have learned WAY more here about physics than I did when I took it in college (unless we're talking about the physics of brewing hooch)...but that's not the point! I am very interested in the responses I've gotten here, as I asked the question from MY REALITY, which is based on PERCEPTIONS...clearly, the science, and physics would prove me wrong, but I still contend this...

If I sell a customer a Boulder Amplifier, a Meridian 8000 DVD/CD, two Wilson X-1's, and 50K worth of acoustic treatments (please GOD let this customer walk through the door soon!)...and hook it all up with a $25.00 pair of audio cables and two 25 foot runs of 16/2 from Home Depot, it is going to sound DRASTICALLY different than if I hook it up with a pair of $26,000.00 MIT Vision3 fully balanced XLR interconnects and two 25 foot runs of 4 gauge VampireWire speaker cable...

sorry...but it is...plain and simple....and anyone would hear it...

BETTER...maybe not by everyone's PERSONAL PERCEPTIONS, but DIFFERENT...absolutely...no amount of science could convince me otherwise...

now for the middle of the road stuff...and customers...I would now agree...the $100.00 Monster Cables (so $25.00 from any other respectable brand for the same makeup) will sound no different than a good $10-$20.00 cable...on this I will now concede...

But when you get into the upper echelon of customers who say, "I want the best, money is no object" and MEAN IT...then they are going to pay for these ultra high end cables, and get a COMPLETELY different sound than I am with my Synthesis1's and my Onkyo 989v2, and my 100 bucks worth of interconnects. I realize a large part of that comparison is also skewed on the differences in equipment quality...but let's do this...when I do get that customer through the door, I'll tear my cables out of my system...invite you to his house, and we'll do our OWN Blind test...where the only variable will be HIS 30k worth of cables, and my 100.00 worth....we'll bring a scope, a GoldLine and a laptop/microphone combo...and we'll not only hear a difference, but we'll see it on the test devices.

Now...I've gotten frustrated at the thought of owing someone I don't know beer...and written an 8 page diatribe turbo flame...

You OWE me beer..if only to put out the fire!

:-)

avdude