All wires without failure do is transfer the signal from one place to
another. In doing so they will change the original signal from the source by
the time it gets to the destination.
The real difference is by how much that signal has been changed.
As a slightly general rule of thumb the very cheap wire shipped with the box
will usually change the signal to a greater degree than a better designed
cable (it is a fact of life that a better designed cable will use better
materials and will cost some what more than the cheap solution shipped with
the box).
What difference these cable make depends on a lot of factors, wire geometry
,dielectric properties, wire material, the terminations, impedance,
inductance, capacitance, phase shift, the output impedance and the input
impedance of the units etc. This is why one expensive cable can sound
excellent on one system, and more crap on another.

This is why some many people spend so much time talking about the different
combinations.
as a general rule you should try and get a cable that matches the two units
best. sometime this is an expensive option sometimes not and it depends on
what you can hear and the value you place on it.
Most of us some personal theories on what should be best but this is based
on whatever personal bias we have.

I to was once a non believer in "cable make a difference" but they do !!
and I had arrogantly thought that all wires were pretty much the same, Not
that any of my lecturers ever said it was so. but in life we all are capable
of learning if we keep our minds open.

I would for a start read the toms of info on the web about cables including
Jon Reich and Chris Van Haus along with others and learn.

Quick Rules of thumb
for interconnects thin wires seem to be better + low capacitance and low
inductance.
for speaker cable, low inductance, the capacitance does not really matter
that much, mega thick wire are not always necessary. my personal view is to
go for a low characteristic impedance, more of the signal gets though.

but at the end of the day its what you like the sound of not the $$'s

Good auditioning Chris

"Stewart" wrote in message
...
This debate has been ranting on for years but what is everyone's opinion
on
the differences between adequately engineered and constructed speaker
cables
and IC's?



Do you think copper/silver wire as long as its of adequate gauge with good
connections and adequate shielding can alter the signal enough to give
rise
to actual audible differences?. Can some of these wires be magic and make
the signal better than it actually is? does cheaper wire degrade the
signal?



All hi-fi mags boast that different brands of cables with radically
different price ranges with similar construction and specifications sound
totally different. is this fact or fiction in your opinion?



I am a non-believer for the record.