The Entry Level

There are plenty of cable naysayers that insist changing cables cannot change the sound.

There were also plenty of naysayers that insisted there was absolutely NO WAY THE WORLD WAS ROUND. A round world??? What a silly....nay...insane thought!!!!!
We all absolutely KNOW that if the world was round some people would fall off.

Boy....the flatlanders were wrong on that one!

To those that seem to KNOW cables can't make a difference, I say, enjoy your flatland and be careful not to fall off the edge, I will enjoy learning and discovering new things in my round planet.

It's not that anyone really believes that upgraded cables don't make a difference; it's that most of us know that upgrading from the flimsy cables (that are included with new equipment) to those costing $20 a pair from Radio City or Circuit Shack are the "best buy".  Beyond that is purely "emperor's new clothes" territory. If you're real cool, you can tell that super-expensive cables are better than regular expensive cables.

Wanna impress me? How about double blind listening tests?

To turn a phrase from P.T. Barnum: There's a audio tweak born every minute.

Any field that claims to make changes in physical phenomena should be able to be tested. If it cannot be tested, then it's out of the realm of Science and into the realm of something else, call it what you will.

I have written to two people at this magazine, one of which should know exactly what difference cables make. Paraphrasing, he implied that there was no reason why usual tests should not be conducted So I suggested that the magazine do it. Of course, I don't make decisions about the stories.

This type of testing of speaker cable has been done many times, and people cannot tell the difference. Hearing can easily be fooled and personal bias can dramatically affect a person's judgement in regards to audio quality. We've known about this in different ways since the late 1800's However, People who think that cable makes a difference do not seem to be skeptical of their position, even in the face of opposing fact.

All I want as a cable naysayer is for some reputable audio news source submit various cables for scientific testing to see if people really can tell the difference, and then publish the results. Too much money involved for that. 

I have Audio Quest cables. I got them out of a dumpster behind a hifi store in perfect shape. I've done my best, as a long time musician, and an audiophile, to tell any difference between Audio Quest and "regular" cables, but I cannot.

Quote:
"Any field that claims to make changes in physical phenomena should be able to be tested. If it cannot be tested, then it's out of the realm of Science and into the realm of something else"
Indeed, 100% agreed.
However...
Science is also about questions, discovery and investigation - and then proving or disproving those questions or discoveries through investigation. Turns out a funny thing happens when we investigate....we wacky humans learn things that we previously did not know.
Obviously it takes time to go from discovery to proof. We humans have not reached the proof stage yet and are in the time consuming, snail's pace moving investigation.
If we were to instantly close the door on every discovery, question, curiosity because we could not instantly scientifically prove it, we would not learn anything .

I too am a longtime musician and audiophile, but I am on a Radio Shack budget. If I were to spend on a set of high dollar interconnects,  spousal "issues" would soon follow.
Out of curiosity,  I took a few minutes and made my own cables  for less money than Radio Shack cables using one of many cable designs out there. No great cash investment nor investment in time - so the only personal bias should be curiosity and an open mind. I could hear a difference.  Not a huge difference. Obviously my personal experience is in no way a test, merely a personal anecdote.

Do I even care if cables make a difference? Nope!
It would be certainly be better if they didn't as cheap Radio Shack cables would be the way to go!
However I cannot say that I know everything there is to know about electronics nor can I prove that cables don't make a difference, and therefore there is the possibility that they could make a difference.

I am merely aware that it is highly unlikely we silly little humans know all there is to know about electronics or cables and to that end, until proven one way or the other, I prefer to keep an open mind - much like those crazy lunatics that said the world was round.

Of course this could go on and on and on as both views are valid.

It all boils down to:
Is the cup 1/2 full or 1/2 empty? Who cares, just grab a drink from the cup and enjoy the music!

The first & best way to improve the sound of your turntable IMO is to fix it to the wall.  Get some steel supports and a fat slab of MDF and you're good to go.  No more interference from footfalls and the like.  It's the oldest, most basic and best turntable tweak ever.  Maybe it's not always workable, but if you listen to alot of records, it's worth the effort to rearrange and make room for it.