Originally Posted by 3dit0r
Obsess implies a negative connotation which may not represent the reality of audiophiles who simply incline towards open-minded experimentation.
The FUD associated with aftermarket cables plays on audiophiles sensibilities, that said, taken as a hobby, it gives them something to do.

Originally Posted by 3dit0r
Minuscule assigns a value to the relative importance of room treatment implying it outweighs other changes, but this might depend on the system, room, furnishing, and many other factors, including (perhaps most importantly) which change the listener finds more satisfying.
The effect of analogue noise on a digital interconnect in a well designed system is minuscule to the point of irrelevance.

Originally Posted by 3dit0r
Over 25 years of experimentation with such things has aligned my personal view with Bob Stuart - that above a certain level of performance [i]everything[/i] makes a difference, including cabling (even digital, as his post suggests), supports, room treatment, etc., etc.
I infer that he means the analogue side, where noise that gets onto the signal will become part of the signal's waveform and is either in the audible range (easily heard) or can effect the circuits in a deleterious way (intermodulation distortion for example).