$$ are not the immediate main driving force behind your choices: Some cables sound better with your gear than others - facts, pure and simple.Because if this, you are relagated to a journey to find out which work well, and which can even make your gear sound like crap.
Start by investigating (a) what the dealers use; and (b) better still, what the manufactureres use at the major shows. Then compare that to your own experiences and your budget. .
Next comes the "rule of fifths": once you hit a certain quality and related price point, you can lay out 5 X the money to get a further 20% increase in performance. Is it worth to you? That only depends on the individual. HEW nailed it in the reply above:
" ... If your system is revealing enough there is no limit to how much you should expect to spend other than your budget. Every step up or change will be evident and in many cases as significant as major component changes. Best though to try different cables in your own system and develop a sense of what to expect for your dollars..."
There is no escaping that swapping in and swapping out alternatives will the only litmus test as to what sounds best in YOUR system. Most of the testimonials in A-GON are only biased personal opinions with no basis of fact or measure of assurance that their choices will actually work in your system. I have personally experienced where a $1,000 power chord sounded inferior to a $250 power chord, and the differences were not subtle. Conversely I upgraded my speaker cables and ICs to the $6K range because of the quantum inprovements just as HEW highlighted above.
Suugestion: get your audio buddies involved and try to get a loaner from the dealer or a friend for the week-end to experiment. Let's remember that this is a journey and rarely -- if ever -- a destination.
Lastly, a blind cheapo swap-in is usually just that at best, and may actually work out worse. You do not have to blow the wad, but the time honoured axiom that you get what you pay for generally rings true.
