250 times more for the same copper?

One cable costs $3,000. Another one, 12 bucks on Amazon. Same copper, same electrons, same music going through them.

So why would anyone in their right mind spend 250 times more on what is essentially wire? I ask that question honestly, because it is a good question. Anyone who laughs it off has never had to justify a purchase to himself.

I am the last person who wants the expensive answer. I am frugal: if a $20 cable sounded the same as a $3,000 one, I would gladly use it and invest the difference in my business. But unfortunately, it doesn't. I learned that over more than 100 cables, not over one weekend.

I have compared Amazon Basics with Transparent cables in my own home, on my own Wilson speakers, taking my own time. Cables make a difference. Not always a huge one, not always worth the price tag, but a real audible difference, especially in revealing systems. The more resolving the system, the more the cable matters.

On a $2,000 setup, save your money. On a $100,000 reference system, the cable becomes part of the voicing itself.