[quote user="oldphrt"]
Speaker cables make a difference purely because the impedance vary from one cable to another. A very low series impedance (the lower the better) is critical to preserve the damping factor that allows the speaker to be tightly controlled by the amplifier.
Ordinary screened wire interconnects don't make a difference because they can't. There is nothing in a 1 metre length of wire that can alter the sound.
[/quote]
Do these two statements seem contradictory. Seems you're suggesting that speaker cables can indeed offer an improvement but not an interconnect - just seems an odd argument to me.
I suppose the materials used and level of purity of said materials don't affect the electron flow in any way, shape or form or that improved shielding makes no difference either? You might want to read
this or
this.
Just so we're clear - no one here is suggesting that the cables
alter the sound itself - just that they improve the signal path.
Furthermore, I'm not discussing spending thousands either - just enough to get a satisfactory improvement over the out of the box cables (if there were any). I don't like to see people ripped off and dont recommend or believe in spending a fortune on cables. As with all HiFi kit, it's a matter of diminishing returns. Spending a bit more than the mass market one box solutions will I believe offer a significant improvement. Spending a huge amount more than this will provide only marginal returns. The same is likely true of cables.
If you've got unlimited cash and want absolutely the best, ok go for it. If not, get the best you can afford or you'll be restricting the otherwise great performance of the system you've already invested in.
Prior to upgrading my speaker cables I was seriously starting to worry that I'd bought the wrong speakers - not the case, simply that the thicker, copper stranded cable you earlier suggested would be better, was not allowing the signal to pass as well as the new cables or indeed as you correctly point out, to let the amplifier control the speakers as well.
Otherwise, I guess I'm just imagining the improved soundstage, clarity of treble, massively improved midrange and much lower, cleaner, faster bass.
Maybe its time to open your mind, let go of the tech and go hear the difference for yourself? Fifteen years ago i may have agreed with you - but that was before I'd heard the impact of quality accessories in several systems.