Spectral-branded MIT cables - are they different than stock?

I've been having a great conversation on this subject with a fellow newcomer to the forum, and the questions around the Spectral-branded MIT cables came up. So, as the thorough person he appears to be, instead of speculating, he contacted MIT regarding this very question: are the Spectral-branded cables any different than stock, or just repackaged so that non-MIT Spectral dealers can sell them. To be honest, the latter has been claimed numerous times here, and I have been told the same by an MIT dealer. But I remained and remain skeptical.

So here's MIT's response, as forwarded to me by the fellow member:

As for Spectral and like MIT models, the Matrix series was developed in our office soundroom on Spectral equipment. There are slight differences to the Spectral version to maximize performance. The slight difference between the UL60 and Matrix 60 lies within the UL60 input coupler (small network near the input). The UL60 input coupler is virtually the same as the Matrix 60 but with an extra tuned network that helps with reflected energy and to which will you will find lowers the noise floor slightly better than the Matrix 60. Reflected energy can cause oscillation with Spectral amps. This is why Spectral has specific models that are certified and will not affect their warranty. We also have non Spectral UL cables (MIT branded) that have been certified by Spectral and will not void their warranty. You will find that the MIT certified cables will have the CVT coupler on the input end. The UL models will have the CVT Coupler but enhanced for Spectral. The HD60 uses the current CVT Coupler (at the time of development). We used a different enclosure box to give it a different look. The Matrix HD60 has been approved by Spectral to use on their amplifiers.

Click to expand...

Takeaways:

1. Yes they are different, but, based on the last sentence - that the stock Matrix HD60 has been approved by Spectral - my conclusion is that either the Spectral-branded cables are so slightly different that it doesn't really matter, or the HD60 is built exactly the way Spectral wants it (and applies to anyone)... Or I am reading the entire thing incorrectly...
2. You have the option of buying UL MIT-branded cables from any MIT dealer and save a penny, if the Spectral dealer is not being reasonable about the Spectral-branded versions

I hope our friend member will now introduce himself properly...

I am not sure anyone in Sunnyvale has any consternation over any of this (or any dealer, for that matter). The same newcomer member - as thorough, as I said, he/she is - also pointed out to me that in the 300RS video shot at the Italian dealer (that I think a lot of us have seen), the amp appears to be connected with the Matrix HD50 interconnects, and not the Spectral-branded cables (which may well not have existed back then). So I think it doesn't matter that much, but I would be happy to hear otherwise from Spectral. At any rate, information regarding exactly WHICH MIT cables can and cannot be used is scant and one has to unnecessarily go querying about it, when instead it should all be available on either website as well as their dealers', broken down by model. Therefore, the entire MIT cable issue for Spectral amps, in my view, has been completely mismanaged, period, exactly because consumers are [rightly] confused. To get a sense of that confusion one need not look any further than this: use Spectral-branded MIT cables and you will be fine; oh, and BTW, you can also use other certified MIT cables too, though not all MIT cables are certified. And now we have this: MIT has other MIT-branded UL cables you can safely use too.

So if there is any consternation, I think it's on the side of the consumers. UGH!

Here's the video again https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrU4kMcKF4M and the cables can be seen between 20:17-20:30; the video quality is not great and one cannot really tell that they are, but I think the Spectral markings would have been easily identifiable, if they were. The room for error is, however, large. But does it really matter...