I heard nothing. I assumed.

My cable story does not start with a revelation. It starts with a placebo, and I would rather you hear it from me than from a sceptic.

Until about 2007 I chose cables on looks: a nice box, a premium feel, a little more expensive, a brand with some presence online and some reviews. No percentage of the budget, no research. Cables, I simply didn't think about them.

Then I bought Klipsch Reference Premiere floorstanders, and the dealer, who also sold QED, told me not to use the same copper wire you get from Amazon, because branded cables would sound better. So I bought QED XT25, and did I notice a difference? Honestly, no, I just assumed they were better. Then I moved on.

That is why I take the sceptics seriously. I have been the man who heard nothing and paid anyway, and the assumption felt exactly like hearing. The difference I trust today came later, on a far more revealing system, when I heard it immediately and without being told what to listen for.

Assuming is not listening. I did it for years, and I paid for the privilege.