The speaker cables were $8,000 apiece. They were hand-woven and about 3-4 in. in diameter.

Can somebody explain to me how the composition and/or size of a speaker wire can possibly have an effect on the sound the speaker produces, assuming the wires in question are of sufficient size to carry the electrical load? Perhaps a six-foot diameter speaker in a football stadium would consume enough electricity to require something larger than standard $0.85 cents/foot speaker wiring... but I cannot believe that a normal home system would.

Has anybody ever done double-blind tests comparing speaker wires? I have to think that anybody who claims to be able to hear the difference in speaker wires is just fooling himself.

tanstaafl.