I am continually amazed by the cable naysayers (militant bunch they are) that claim to be audiophiles. I can only surmise that they are either a) tone deaf or b) have equipment that is not very resolving (or a really bad room). Or, maybe they've never had access to a large variety of mid to high end cables with which to do comparisons? I think most of us on this site have enough experience with cables to "know" that significant differences exist between the overall timbre, soundstage, and imaging capabilities of different cables - all of which is sometimes system dependent (synergy). I personally don't LIKE spending money on cables, but .... I have at times dropped some cash on cables (pre-built or self built) that have in deed made a significant difference. One area where I think cables can make a BIG difference is the run between TT and Phono pre. Since cartridges tend to also have a sonic signature, using a cable that compliments that signature is critical. I have two cartridges that I tend to use and one needs a cable that is warm to offset its HF lift and the other needs a more neutral cable as it is pretty "flat" in response. Interestingly I have one cable that actually sounds neutral with both cartridges - while the other cables in my inventory do not. Hmmmm .... go figure.
Interesting story, the other day my 23 year old son (still has really good ears) was over and I was trying to decide between a pretty high end RCA cable and one that I had made using HQ cable and Vampire XLR's between Phono Pre and Pre. Since I can hook them both up between my Phono Pre and Pre and switch between them with a switch the comparison was easy. Gain was identical between the two (not sure how but the JC2 seems to be able to do this), and my son said is was no contest (and I agree) that the one I had built was the better sounding cable on that run. Note: the other cable turned out to be the best sounding one on the TT to Phono Pre run. Was it the difference between balanced and unbalanced? I don't think so, as I have both versions of both cables and the comparison results came out the same when we ran the inverse situation.
Anyway, to each his own on cables ... but if you're on the fence by all means call Ivan or your favorite dealer and "try out" some HQ cables.
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