I don't mind spending good money on good quality products but here I really feel we've moved into the emperor's new clothing territory. This cable suggests that excellent sound quality is achieved by not using shielded cable. Maybe I should have trusted my own logic in the first place, but I tried it and yes, the only noticeable consequence of not shielding the cable is a loud hiss. I tested again and the hiss was gone when using a EUR 5 standard, shielded cable of otherwise similar specs. It is really a mystery to me why anyone would want to spend this kind (or any other kind, for that matter) of money on a product that just doesn't do what a cable is supposed to do (i.e. noise-free signal transfer). One star for the attractive vintage looks.