Easy. Sadly not complete. Snake oil salesmen are nothing if not creative.I wonder to what extent ASR is capable of providing a decent guide or heuristic to separate nonsense from reasonable applied science in this field.
- If the word "quantum" is used at any time in the description it is BS.
- Quantum physics is quite real, and of course none of our equipment would work without it, but you can be sure that anyone pedalling speaker wire and invoking quantum physics would not know a wave function even if it bit them.
- Any assertion about skin effect.
- This includes any assertion about special weaves, separately insulated strands, weird geometries, flat ribbon cables.
- Any assertion that the audio frequencies separate out in the conductor, or travel at different speeds.
- Any assertion about special metallurgical properties of the conductor.
- Includes, micro crystalline, linear crystal, cryogenic treatment.
- Any mention of micro-diodes.
- They don't exist.
- Any mention of radio frequency physics applied to audio signals.
- Includes transmission line effects, reflection, impedance matching.
- Any mention of directivity in cable other than for grounding/shield management in interconnects.
- Good sources for large quantities.
- Appropriate cable for permanent outdoor use or use in challenging environments, such as concerts.
- Easily pulled cable for installation in walls etc. Might want to include vermin resistance.
- Flat cable for under carpet and the like.
- Help with termination. All the above warnings apply to connectors.
But really, the single most easy way of determining if someone is either lying or stupid is to see whether the cable costs more than a few dollars a metre, plus a reasonable allowance for labour and termination if they are made up. This is a 100% guaranteed bulletproof test. Someone is pitching to divest you of your money for no reason other than they want some of it.