why do people feel the need to buy expensive cable

 
dave_b
(I agree that) most cables are of a similar design and can be had fairly inexpensively.

That’s a patently false statement. There are solid core cables, there are stranded core cable. There are cables that have hollow conductors. There are cables with multiple solid core conductors. There are cables with air dielectric, cables with Teflon dielectric, cables with polypropylene dielectric. There are cables as thin as a human hair. There are 10 ga cables. There are silver cables, copper cables, liquid cables, carbon cables, graphene cables, cryod cables. There are cables that use single crystal copper. There are cables that use ultra pure copper. There are cables that use some gold mixed in with the silver. There are shielded and unshielded cables. There are cables that are controlled for directionality and cables that aren’t. Some cables have carbon fiber sleeves. 

@dave_b :

A forum that involves discussions with countering viewpoints is just that - not an "argument."  And please ...why do you think you are of such stature in this field or on this forum that you can tell us to "stop" having this discussion?

Well, I’ve heard and owned a lot of these designs and they are mostly variations on a theme within a narrow band of performance criteria.  Cable Du jour if you will.  Wire is wire no matter if it’s in a tuxedo or Goodwill attire.  The range of what sounds “good” to any given human is as variable as our genetic makeup.  So...it’s silly and of little value to argue over the minutia between wire manufacturers unless something exceptional is being offered that can actually enhance the listening experience across a broad range of fellow music lovers.  But alas, we are not wired for consensus or even happiness it seems.  We prefer to argue, disagree and dissect that which may even have only the subtlest of differences when we could be discussing great music and it’s importance to our lives.  Granted, that is for another post, but the music we listen to is probably indicative of the type of equipment we use.  

I found the following interview interesting -- clearly Chris has put a lot of time and thought into his designs and his commitment to bringing cables at very accessible prices is admirable (I still fondly remember my Illumanti D60 back in the day). Also I really relate to his business philosophy
https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2018/03/20/black-cat-cable-a-history-with-founder-chris-sommovigo/

Chris IS a Shaman for sure but offers only more of the same variations I mentioned earlier.  Some designs sound brighter, some emphasize bass or midrange etc..