gdhal, based on my experience, everything matters at varying degrees. When I recently replaced gold plated locking banana plugs with silver plugs on my 6 gauge speaker cables, the clarity and detail improved exponentially. The benefits to my recently added ISO Regen and LP1 proved beyond what I could have predicted. I really wasn't expecting a difference by changing my banana plugs from gold to silver.
However, it seems as if dealers and distributors will tell us that what we need, are whatever cables they just happen to be selling. In other words, I believe it to be difficult for hobbyists to determine exactly what they want or need in their stereos, especially in an age where most consumers will make purchases via the internet rather than making comparisons in the dealers show room. As funny as it might seem, I recommend that audio enthusiasts read about aesthetics and music theory in order to find their solutions in equipment, tweaks or upgrades. After all, isn't this about musicality? Happy Holidays.