Hi Nick

Excellent question to pose, and you are doing a sterling job of chairing this debate!

A few thoughts, offered as conjecture and nothing more.

*Varying degrees of RF shielding from each of the cables.

*Varying degrees of containment of EM field from each cable to reduce any effects on other nearby system cables (analogue, digital, mains)

*The final 6ft of cord to your components is the crappiest, thinnest cord in the entire chain from power station to hifi component. Your street gets 415V in armoured cable to the substation, your house gets 240V armoured cable to the fuse box, your ring circuit or spur gets 30A (2.5mm twin & earth) rated cable to the sockets, then you put on a stock manufacturer's cable (3x1mm cores in the case of Meridian) which is probably good for 10A (bearing in mind that we're not allowed above 13A due to fusing anyway.) I don't find it too surprising that replacing that final 6ft worth with heavier duty rated cable makes a difference. It may be a duff analogy, but if you use a power washer to clean your car/patio etc and use a skinny little hose, you may find that the washer stutters on and off, as it's supply requirement is not being met by the restrictions of the hose. Put a wider hose on, and the machine works properly and consistently. Same water supply, same end equipment being used. We all accept that massive torroidal transformers in amps are a good thing to supply ample, fast power when required, so why wouldn't the same logic apply to the cable feeding the transformer? The transformer acts as a reservoir in some respects, so the faster it can be replenished, the better? I'm not proposing changes in the speed of electrons here, I'm proposing changes in the quantity of electrons moving at the same speed. (doubtless hokum wink )

*Perceptual issues wrt our brains! Once any of us have learned a thing, it is very difficult to unlearn. In our hifi systems, we interpret the sound, paying particular attention to certain aspects of the sound, and less to others. The first time you listen to something, your mind has "made sense" of it, and further listening will tend to follow that initial interpretation which you have (unconsciously) made. Changing cables (any variety) can cause your mind to reinterpret, and certain aspects of the presentation may now be "attended to" where they hadn't previously. The same information was there all along, just that your attention has now been drawn to it. We may well prefer a particular one of those interpretations, hence the perception of having upgraded. It's rather like using yellow, orange, red or blue filters in black and white photography. The same image is in front of the camera, but changing filters dramatically alters how we perceive that image.

Right, I think I'm satified now, having put a foot in both camps: "Yes, they do make an objective difference and here's why"; and "No they don't make an objective difference and here's why"

How was that Nick? laugh

Cheers

George

PS Isn't it great when the rest of the family are out on a Sunday afternoon, and you have time to indulge such whimsy?!