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« Last post by Edvard on March 21, 2008, 12:56 PM »
This is a constant topic among audiophiles...
Does type of cables really make a difference?
You are absolutely correct, Cuffy. With digital, the signal is there or it isn't. Period. Noise due to improper shielding or connections may cause artifacting, but a decent cable (not bottom-of-the-barrel) is more than adequate for most purposes.
On the analog side, I have seen wild arguments for gold-plated connectors, solid-core cabling, crystalline copper (?) and everything in-between, but the bottom line comes down to two things (especially for instrument cables that get moved around, stepped on, twisted, pulled, etc.), shielding and robustness of the connection.
Braided shielding is less vulnerable than wrapped, and connectors with strain relief boots tend to "hang on" longer.
For something that is going to hang behind your home stereo for months at a time, it's not so critical.
...And don't use coax for speaker cables...