I'd like to second Peter on this one. Please, take it to PMs if you must. And before certain people jump on me, yes, I am a hypocrite--who has learned to try and tone it down.
I think what gets lost in all of this noise is something important for us "brain trusts" to remember--many high end cables attenuate the signal, or otherwise modify it with increased capacitance, etc. Some people like the sound of this; it's often called warmth. Me, I like my warmth to come from the original artist, but that's a personal feeling. I know that JohnK feels the same way. However, it is certainly valid for someone to like different sound provided by cables that in fact do not have the same electrical properties as higher gauge straight copper. Now, the question becomes how much of a move away from that copper electrical properties is audible. I'm pretty sure that can be measured.
On the other hand, some high end cables are a total scam.
