I'm not convinced of this because experimentation has told me otherwise. Though, I will say "it depends". IME, there can be certain choke points in a system that must first be discovered and removed in order for a single component swap (be it a cable or other type of component) to fully come through. But that definitely doesn't require "full looming". I've found there to be "dominant" positions in my system for interconnects. That is, the position in which I normally hear the greatest impact from a single swap. This tends to be between phono stage and line stage for me, and in this position I can get a very good feel for the character of a new cable. I've also found that the same cable doesn't always sound good in every position. I really like my speaker cables, for example. But the same wire doesn't work well when used as interconnects in my system. The inverse is also true of my interconnects (that company doesn't make good sounding speaker cables to my ears). Etc. The "full loom" concept was most likely put forth initially by the cable manufacturers themselves for obvious reasons. It's also a fair approach for those who loathe cable auditioning, which may be most of us, granted. But it's far from a requirement in order to assess character and performance. And it shouldn't be viewed as guarantee to maximize the latter.
Nice post!
the most disturbing thing about the top of the line Cardas digital cable is that the digital cable is arguably the most important cable in the digital system.
Once you lose the transparency and dynamics and instead get soft, mushy stuff from the source, tye musical detail and aliveness of music are gone forever!
but again, as I mentioned a lot of guys have gotten used to that sound. years and years of conditioning And acclimating.
And they enjoy that. it’s fantastic that they do. This is a hobby after all.
All we can do is state the differences and trade offs and let people exercise their freedom of choice For what they like. There’s no point arguing about taste.