why do people feel the need to buy expensive cable

Obviously not everyone with a lot of money spends it on expensive wires. Its an interesting question how much or which ones are worth it, but not why do people buy them. People spend money on lots of things that others would consider wasteful. Nothing new really there. I doubt there will ever be any broad consensus that megabuck wires are smart buys, not that it really matters. But if you have the money and nothing better to do with it, why not? Especially if you do not care what other people might think.

I must admit to general skepticism when it comes to cables, however I had to rethink this after a demo at a local audio salon with a popular and expensive power cord. The improvement in sound quality was apparent to all present. I have since reverted to my normal state of lazy agnosticism since I can't afford them....

jam,

Which ones and how much?

if you are starting with "stock" quality cords, there is a good chance you might do similarly better with something else you could afford.

I've found that to be true using pangea cords on my line level gear. Those will not break the bank. There are others I have taken notice of that might as well that others could probably expound on better.

EBM clearly can afford "the best". Good for him! This means he does not get paid per word written here of course. Or if he does he gets paid a lot per word. :^}

EBM may be Donald Trump. Who knows?

Mapman,
Thanks for the response. They were upper level Transparent, so quite expensive. I tend to be one of those who is quite happy with whatever I have, just listening to the music.
Having said that, the skeptic in me was not prepared for what "wires" can do. It really was an eye/ear opener.