Expensive computer cables are a big extra upsell point for retailers, I have known this for a while since I was in retail in 2003.

Makers of audio, video and computer accessories have taken advantage of the naivety of audiophiles and movie buffs who are sitting ducks for cables that cost ten or twenty times what they should do.   Brands like ‘Monster’ who make video cables and funny phrases like ‘oxygen free’

Today I read the worse possible example of this when a so called audio expert mentioned on his blog that replacing the SATA hard disk cables in your PC would give you better quality audio.

http://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/10/08/19/1916236/Calling-Shenanigans-On-Super-SATAs-Claimed-Audio-Qualities

The blog post was removed in a hurry, but you can see a mirror of the original post here.

Here all the 1s and 0s transfer around at the same fashion in any cable, any interference in this and your computer simply won’t work further than ‘non-system disk, press any key to boot’

I worked for a well known mail order computer store who sold USB cables for #7.99 (PC World charge #14.99)  the cost price for these from the wholesalers is 39p.  Cables with gold and funny coloured insulation don’t cost that much more to manufacture.  Sorry my keyboard doesn’t have a pound sign.  Grr.

As someone who has made cables for myself, my employers and to make a bit of beer money for friends, its high time the consumers realise they are being deceived by the retailers, with clever spiel with no truthful facts.

Some outrageously priced cables on Amazon here:

http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AKDL1-Dedicated-Link-Cable/dp/B000I1X6PM

$2499 or $999 refurbished.  Hmm, I wouldn’t want a used one, someone’s dog hairs could of got on those delicate pin connections could cause the brass ensemble at the Vienna Concert to lose its delicate clarity.   On the other hand on this item on Amazon are pretty darned funny actually.  Maybe audio enthusiasts should have their house rewired by electricians in sterile foil suits.