Just curious, James, but where do YOU draw the line on cables?
I already said all this above. A cable heavy (core gauge) enough for the task at hand, good build and one that's shielded enough for your needs or insulation well enough depending on the indented use.
It does not need to carry a brand name, and it certainly does not need to say Gold on it anywhere.
Is there a level below where you won't go?
The level I won't go below is anything that does not meet the needs listed above.
And is there someone, somewhere trying to tell you that they can't tell the difference between what YOU chose and those that are cheaper?
If I where to read between the lines I'd say that you where trying to have a little dig at me there. I'm not trying to tell you what to do Diki, I'm simply trying to open your mind to the idea of the tests that where completed with low grade wire compared to Gold standard premium cables.
Given that there are JUST as well documented tests where listeners CAN tell the difference between cables of different quality, the only thing left is to balance your needs against your budget.
When you get to the stage where you have to use an oscilloscope to show an image of sound on a screen thrown over huge distances like Monster do to prove your cables are superior they have already lost the argument.
The human ear will simply not heard half the extreme cases these guys through out there. Heck most people can't even tell the difference between a high quality mp3 and a wave file.
I do work for major labels, sometimes at home, sometimes in large facilities (sometimes in bedroom studios!), and the LAST thing any studio wants to do is waste time while they track down a tiny buzz to your cheap cables... Time is money.
There are many reasons why noise can get into lines but audio cables are way down at the bottom of the list as the root cause. It's nearly always the electrical power and ground loops.
Come to my studio and you will see proper cable trunking that separates the different categories of wires and fibre optics as well as UPS and power conditioners.
Proper planning is more important that spending a fortune on cables.
If your needs are less critical than this, pick anything you like. But be prepared to sit and nod patiently while someone tells you that, however little you payed for them, you could have done it for less. No doubt you COULD have. Apparently, you didn't want to, though
A dig at me for what ?.
James.
[This message has been edited by Irishacts (edited 05-23-2009).]