My experience is mostly in regards to headphones, but as an ASR-pilled audio enthusiast, Audio Science Review has been nothing but a great resource for anyone hoping to escape the audiophoolery nonsense that plagues audio "hobbies". I don't necessarily agree with every sentiment expressed there, but having a community that prioritizes objective, reproducible testing results as the basis for evaluating gear seems to be a rare thing these days.
this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2026
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While I agree and appreciate the spirit of the article, fuck Amazon, if you're going to buy cheap cables at least buy Hosa or something like that, don't give money to that shit company.
I have a bunch of Hosa cables for music creation and also just for normal headphones and such. They haven't let me down yet!
Yep, same here as well, Hosa and Cable Matters, which I was buying from Amazon until I cut off Prime 2 years ago. I wish I could find the Cable Matters cables elsewhere because they are good quality and cheap, back to Hosa.
The thing about audiophiles is that you can’t tell them anything, they have to listen to the wires themselves.
Lately I've been going to bat for audiophiles. People get really shrill about how unpractical their gear is and how much smarter they are for knowing that cheaper cables exist. But ultimately it's a hobby. They like the exotic expensive stuff because it's fun. The value is largely extrinsic.
Is a really nice fountain pen worth a couple hundred dollars actually 2000 times better than a bic? Is a collectors vehicle safer, faster, or more practical than a modern one? Is the story better if it's a first edition?
Ultimately audiophile stuff is more like collectibles than tools. Sounding good is important, but also important is just geeking out on something. And don't think there aren't function-first audiophiles who buy purely utilitarian gear and get super deep into room treatment and such. But there are also people who value aesthetics too. Branding, finish, novelty. And ultimately they're rich. Splurging on audio equipment for them would be like a regular person splurging on expensive stadium food or something. Or perhaps even more appropriate, stadium beer, which is the exact same beer that can be purchased much more easily and cheaply under different circumstances.
There are some really elitist audiophiles who think they always know best and that their preferences are "objectively correct"
Then there are people like z-reviews who fall in love with $30 headphones and mention in the same breath as $3000 ones. Another thing I like about him is that he also recommends buying aftermarket cables quite regularly, but I don't think I've ever heard him talk about them effecting the audio: it was always about aesthetics and comfort/feel, like how the sheathing feels or how soft and flexible a braided rope cable is over the stiff and scratchy out-of-the-box factory-cheapo one
I started making my own cables. Now I only have to worry about my own shitty craftsmanship. And boy is it shitty.
But hey I get cables at less than half the cost. And it’s fun.
Is this like crimping your own network cables? Or are you talking more rudimentary?
Heh. Industry joke: why does thunder come after lightning?
Because, even God has to wait for the fucking sound guy.
former sound guy here. yep. needy high maintenance "talent/artists" are the reason every sound guy is permanently annoyed
Underrated comment right here
I've never seen audiophiles actually care about cables. The discussions are around speaker accuracy, room acoustics and treatment, listening position, and recording/mastering quality.
You haven't gone far enough down the rabbit hole then. Good, keep it that way.
I've seen some wild takes that get propped up by some snake oil lovers like "breaking in" their cables for a few hundred hours before they sound ideal. The rabbit hole goes deep