Wondering if economies of scale apply to high end audio cables - or to the audiophile market in general.
If so, then “boutique” products of comparable quality should be more costly than comparable “mass-produced” cables (Transparent, Synergistic Research, etc.)
There is greater overhead in larger manufacturers, so that may level pricing somewhat.
OTOH, it’s just plain silly to attempt to pin audiophile prices to any rational measure. It’s just “get what you can” from dopes like me.
Wondering if economies of scale apply to high end audio cables - or to the audiophile market in general.
If so, then “boutique” products of comparable quality should be more costly than comparable “mass-produced” cables (Transparent, Synergistic Research, etc.)
There is greater overhead in larger manufacturers, so that may level pricing somewhat.
OTOH, it’s just plain silly to attempt to pin audiophile prices to any rational measure. It’s just “get what you can” from dopes like me.
I do not think so, as the folks that are buying 'Boutique" products are a more mature and economically established. I would hardly call Transparent or SR cables "Mass Produced" as they are all hand made. I would say your mass produced ICPC/SC would be found on site like Amazon with cheap molded connectors and lamp cord type cable.
IME, price is a poor indicator of performance with LAN cables. System matching is the key to better sound.
Ethernet cables mostly affect tonality. Using a bright sounding cable in an already bright system won't be good, but a bright sounding cable in a darker sounding system can be a major improvement, even with a $20 mass-produced cable.
Where a cable is deployed in the network is also important. The nearer the DAC, the greater the influence on SQ.
Since the sonic performance of cables is subjective it is axiomatic that price is going to be a poor predictor of sonic "performance."
Just to make cables even more of a morass I personally think that objective design characteristics (metallurgy, plating, winding, dielectric, sheath, etc.) are not a very reliable predictor a priori of sonic characteristics.
i know with LFD cables made by Dr. Richard Bews in the UK, for his higher end cables the physical efforts, and environment, of building the cables which are hand made by him, has caused him health issues over time, and greatly limited his ability to build them and satisfy demand. and the materials he uses are expensive.
but how many higher end cables are machine made? how many are hand made? not claiming that one is technically better than another. never made a cable myself, or know anything about the tech involved.
i think you buy the cables, and listen, and then do the personal equation. knowing that the price is never going to be popularly accepted. we mostly don't see cables, so we don't get the 'bling-bling' decision reinforcement during our listening. and have to put up with flack that comes with it.
Since the sonic performance of cables is subjective it is axiomatic that price is going to be a poor predictor of sonic "performance."
Just to make cables even more of a morass I personally think that objective design characteristics (metallurgy, plating, winding, dielectric, sheath, etc.) are not a very reliable predictor a priori of sonic characteristics.
