As I’ve already written, I think that the subject "hifi cables" is extremely "shifty" for a writer of an hifi magazine: it’s a difficult subject because if on one side I’m sure that there are differences even very significant, between cables (been them of signal, for speaker or AC) and this difference is as much significantly audible, on the other side I think that nothing is as subjective as the evaluation of cable performance.
Many variables are at stake: personal taste is of course important, but the equipment used to test cables is important too and so is the difficulty to state that observations made in a certain condition can be applied to every equipment and interface.
And still few arguments are as fascinating to investigate for me as cables. I think that few add-ons can modify the sound of an equipment like cables do and I understand, as audiophile, how much this search for perfection of our personal setup may fascinate the reader.
I plan, in the next issues of VIDEOHIFI, to submit a set of cable trials. My house is literally full of cables from all over the world, and I’m trying to compare them to propose may impression of compared listening. I hope that, with all the limits I’ve already explained, these could prove to be representative of clear trends and therefore be interesting for the reader.
Just because I consider this task extremely serious and difficult, I’d like to go on step by step: first of all, I’m beginning with this series of interviews to cable manufacturers. These will allow the reader to know the people behind the products and to compare their opinion on similar topics. The interview con be, in these terms, a very useful tool to approach step by step the discovery of how different technologies, ideas and people, could have produced different, but in certain ways necessarily comparable, results.
I’m honoured to present altogether interviews to "historic" figures in this field such as George Cardas, Ray Kimber, Tommy Jenving and Jon Rish next to up-and-coming independent manufacturers that, with the birth of global market, supported by the net, appeared on the market and become popular just like more famous and well-established firms.
I’m as much convinced that the "Gordian knot" of this field is basically the quality-cost ratio. In other words, given that there are differences between cables and that it’s not right, as someone says, that differences between well built cables are marginal and not audible, the price you have to pay for a certain cable is "right", i.e. honestly comparable to the intrinsic value, consisting of materials, technology, research, of the product we buy that can therefore be a valid purchase to improve our setup? It doesn’t make sense to consider cables as elements disconnected from the global value of audio equipment. I believe that the search for "good sound" has to pass through the individuation of the right cables for our equipment, but always with an acceptable ratio between the "even sound" value of equipments and the "even economic" value of cables. I’m convinced that it’s certainly better to find, for example, the best CDP according to our budget, and then search for the best cables, always according to our budget.
In other words, I think that few fields in hifi are fit for "snake oil" like the cable field, and therefore I think that we should be very careful in purchasing. For this reason I’d like to end this introduction with the anonymous evidence made by a very important insider in American cable industry, who grant me this interview bound under the warrant of anonymity:
"High-end audio cable products are interesting from the both the technical and price perspectives. While the technical merits of a given product may be debated the price structure is more easily analyzed.
Within the highest performance class of cables the price does not always directly correspond to performance or manufacturing costs. I once investigated a couple of 6’ power cords from high end manufacturers. The first cable’s total parts cost was approximately $35.00. The suggested retail price was $3500.00. A second cable rated superior to the first cable by most users, dealers and reviewers had a total parts cost of approximately $50.00. The suggested retail price for this cable was under $400.00 for the same 6’ length. Labor and other associated costs were approximately the same for both cords. Interestingly, the lower priced power cord was also made with better "fit and finish" and looked much better than its expensive counterpart. This is just one of many possible examples.
Why does this happen? I think there are many reasons why high-end products are priced the way they are. Excessively high markups are possible because some audio hobbyists are willing to pay the ultra high prices these cables command. They may even believe the more expensive cables must perform better based on price alone. Perhaps they wish to impress their friends by telling them how much they paid for their new cables. Maybe they believed some dubious technical claims made by the manufacturer. If the cosmetics are right and the price is high enough the actual performance may not be so important to every customer. The "aura" of exotically priced products can actually affect the perception of performance when the cable is auditioned. Even experienced reviewers and dealers are not totally immune to this. If it looks great, and costs too much, it must be the best! This is all it takes to make us think it sounds better than it does when we audition it. This pricing philosophy is called the "let’s price it a high as we possibly can" method.
If the "priced as high as the market will bear" products find customers willing to buy I suppose that is OK. However, this makes it more difficult for manufacturers whose pricing is based on a product’s actual cost and use proven, responsible markups. How could it be as good as a competing cable that costs ten times as much? Those looking for the best cables regardless of price may not even audition the higher performance, lower priced product.
This is not to say that every expensive cable is just a rip off. High-end products are manufactured in much smaller numbers than equivalent mass market products. Small, high end manufacturers do not enjoy the benefits of large quantity buying and there is frequently more labor necessary to make an equivalent product. Higher prices are to be expected. The problem begins when prices are beyond any reasonable justification. Which should you buy? Will it be those exotic, high end cables or a new Mercedes E Class?
I suppose if you prefer higher prices you should have the right to pay them. For example, a well known cable manufacturer once confided in me that a few of his dealers asked him to offer a silver cable. He had no desire to make silver cables and told them so. He continued to get requests for silver cable so he decided to offer them but at a ridiculously high price hoping the dealers would be discouraged. To his surprise when the price sheet was released he was immediately flooded with orders. At the price he was asking he didn’t mind making silver cables at all!
I’m sure there are many more illustrations to cover the subject. I believe these examples sufficiently portray some of the pricing philosophies in this crazy field of high-end audio."
