[Walt]

Harry Lavo wrote:
If somebody has several thousand dollars involved in a good system, and
wants to spend $35 a cable for Monster as opposed to $10 a cable for some
lesser brand, because they seem to be better built and look and sound good,
and might sound better, what skin is it off your back?


And if somebody spends $50,000 on a system and feels he needs $200
cables to
match that quality, what skin is it off your back?

None whatsoever. Especially if they're honest and say that they're
buying them for the looks.

But if they claim that they are doing it for *auditory* reasons, I'll
take issue. And if someone with a fixed budget for a stereo system is
about to waste 25% of it on cables, I think I'm doing them a favor by
stepping in and telling them to spend their money where it matters.

Sure, it's nice to buy a product that comes is a hand made laquered
mahogany box. Just don't have any illusions that the box makes any
difference to the *functionality* of the product.

If you prefer expensive designer cables for some non-functional fashion
reason, fine. Go for it. Just don't tell me that they *sound* different.

Let's look at it another way.

Do you really think store brand gelatin is much different from Jell-O?

Do you really think store brand american cheese slices are substantially
different from Kraft?

Yet people pay 50%+ for these products every day and are happy.....for a
variety of reasons. And I could name countless hundreds of food products of
a similar nature.

Your analogy breaks down because in most of these cases if you sample
these foods side by side you can actually taste a difference. (I
haven't eaten Jell-O or Kraft American cheese in decades, so I can't
speak to those particular prodects.)

A better analogy is my brother throwing an absolute hissy fit because my
aunt served Welch's grape jelly from the 16 oz jar instead of the 8 oz
Howdy Doody glass. You like the Howdy Doody glass? Fine. But please
admit it ain't about the jelly.

//Walt