>> Given that speaker distortion amounts to full
>>> percentage points of the input signal, can gold-plated
>>> cables etc. really make that much of a difference?
>>
>> Differences between speaker cables include their
>> capacitance and inductance too but the effect is pretty
>> minute.
>>
>>> Are there other considerations, beyond that of quality
>>> construction/cable longevity?
>>>
>>> Some people swear there is a difference, certainly the
>>> mfr of Monster cables, who appeared on The Big Idea,
>>> and is apparently making millions.
>>
>> People are gullible. That's where Monster et al. score.
>
> Has there ever been a double blind test of cables?
Larry Greenhill did something like that about 25 years ago. I recollect that it was reported in The Audio Amateur. Results? Random guessing.
I attended a Stereophile conference about 15 years ago.
> They compared 2 amps, blind, randomly switched to a
> variety of short music samples. One $3000, the other
> $700; neither a tube amp, as I recall. The audience
> voted on their individual score sheets. The final
> tally: indistinguishable.
Everybody who is surprised can find themselves a pointed hat and sit in a corner! ;-)