I think that paying a premium for cables (after auditioning in your system) makes sense if you have a good system. For someone who has invested in a good system, the cost of an incremental improvement makes sense.
I have a pretty good system, Harbeth Anniversary 30.2s, Line Magnetic 845 Premium, Feikert Woodpecker with Koetsu Black Gold Line cart, Audio Research PH9 phono stage, Gold Note DS-10 streamer. I auditioned some Nordhost Frey2s and hoped they would not make a noticeable improvement. Unfortunately, they did. I bought them. Music sounds better. My wallet is lighter. I try not to think about it.
I couldn't put in a dedicated 20 amp line, so I auditioned some conditioners and power cords. I got an Isotek EVO3 Aquarius power conditioner and a bunch of EVO3 Optimum power cords. They made a difference, sounded better to my ears. Nordost sounded a bit better, but they are really pricey.
I've used different speaker cables in different systems. One of the best sounding systems I've had used a 5 watt per channel SET amp, a pair of speakers no one has ever heard of, and the Mapleshade Double Helix Plus speaker wire. They worked very well together. In that system, the Mapleshades sounded better than any other speaker wire I had at that time for comparison.
Anyway, trust your ears, and weigh your purse.