I do my best not to believe the hype and to listen to my ears. I think I have better-than-average ears for this kind of stuff, but I also think most of that is mental attentiveness (and, in turn, a desire to listen closer), not some physical difference in people (though my dumbo ears probably help
.
Anyway... As it turns out, I currently have my left channel running through a Hosa balanced 1/4" to XLR, and my right channel is Monster (I lost my other monster at a show a few weeks back =(. I can't hear a difference with them both playing simultaneously, but if I pan or mute L/R then it's quite noticable. The Hosa cable also isn't shielded as well and I can hear white noise through that channel at low volumes.
I have higher end components in this setup (motu firewire card and mackie monitors), so that Hosa cable is the weakest link in the chain. A lower end setup may not be able to tell the difference.
As they say, "X" is only as good as the weakest link in the chain.
Will it matter to our poster? Maybe not. He is making an effort to upgrade, so I'd like to think he will =P
damn, I have the flu and I'm rambling... so... ciao...