One of the things I truly will never understand about "Audiophiles" is their willingness to spend money on products that are, from a technical basis, indisputably categorized as snake oil. For instance:
It's an HDMI cable! The video signal has CRC in it and is packetized, it's either going to make it or it isn't. The quality of video delivered at, for instance, 2160p 60fps 10bit color to an expensive 80" 4K TV is going to be literally indistinguishable from the same video delivered by a $16 Amazon house brand HDMI cable.
Or this, it's a $340 cable for 1000BaseT Ethernet:
I can sort of understand methodology and expensive equipment modifications to separate AC power from amplifiers, and shield AC power lines and such, keep AC power runs away from speaker wires, etc. That has at least some basis in technological reality.
https://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-Diamond-feet-Braided-Cable...
It's an HDMI cable! The video signal has CRC in it and is packetized, it's either going to make it or it isn't. The quality of video delivered at, for instance, 2160p 60fps 10bit color to an expensive 80" 4K TV is going to be literally indistinguishable from the same video delivered by a $16 Amazon house brand HDMI cable.
Or this, it's a $340 cable for 1000BaseT Ethernet:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/07/gallery-we-tear-apar...
People actually make the claim that their FLAC "sounds warmer" when transferred through this. How, exactly?
That's not enough? How about the $10,0000 1000BaseT Ethernet cable? https://arstechnica.com/staff/2015/02/to-the-audiophile-this...
I can sort of understand methodology and expensive equipment modifications to separate AC power from amplifiers, and shield AC power lines and such, keep AC power runs away from speaker wires, etc. That has at least some basis in technological reality.
The only thing I can agree is better on a digital cable is increased shielding to avoid ground noise.