why do people feel the need to buy expensive cable

Taters, you'll never find a consensus in what may be THE most polarizing topic in HiFi. I'm not hear to beat the drum for either camp, but my two cents - Cable costs should be proportionate to the overall system cost. Case in point: Last year I was auditioning new speakers and was listening to a pair of Audio Note AN-E Spe at the local dealer. We started with the the least expensive AN copper cables that were in my price range and it was very nice. If that's all I heard I would have been pleased as punch. Then we swapped in the next step up silver cables and the sound changed measurable (approx 31.56%). I kid, but it was VERY noticeable. Better, worse that's and individual thing but certainly different and more to my liking with increased clarity w/o trading away warmth. Then we jumped to the $$$ silver cables and the sound didn't so much change as you got "more" of everything. Now bear in mind the whole system was $95K+ of all Audio Note gear, which brings me to my second point - System Synergy. You don't put monster truck tires on a Ferrari. You can have uber-expensive gear that simple doesn't work well together. If you've drank the Shindo Cool-Aid (like I have) System Synergy becomes quite important for a myriad of different reason I won't get into here. But because of this they make their own cables designed to mate with their own equipment as does Audio Note and maybe a few others (Terrasonics?) I'm not saying it's the only way to go, but I like the idea that someone with intimate knowledge of my gear purpose building cables to compliment them. I feel if you have a well thought out system you're doing yourself a disservice by not having cables that compliment what you've assembled and I'm not saying they have to be expensive either. If you sat through that same demo with me and you couldn't hear a difference between those 3 speaker cables I'd be suggesting a trip to the audiologist. I know DIY friends that run lamp cord as speaker/IC and they're very pleased with the results. You know what, at the end of the day, screw everybody else, myself included. Just do what makes YOU happy!

"10-26-15: Ebm
Why do people feel they need to buy cheap cables??"
Because they make more sense and largest value per dollar.

We're still arguing about "expensive" cable while failing to define what it is.

Here's my, admittedly extremely subjective, take: $0-$500 modest price, $500-$1,000 medium, above $1,000-stratosphere, expensive.
Would anyone agree with this (yeah right, us agree on anything)?

That being said, looks like I've purchased several "expensive" cables while everything else is in the other two categories.

Rja, I've read recommendation for good inexpensive hotel in Rome. When I pointed out that it was over $1k a night, hardly inexpensive, he said "it is inexpensive to me". I would rather speculate where is the point of diminishing returns. If you still can hear the difference between $500 and $2000 cable then the only question is if you can afford it and how good is your system (can you use this money better).

One thing about cables is that it is non-perishable item. Many years from now I might have different amp and speakers but still the same cables.

I feel the need to hear really good systems with really expensive gear including wires just so I know what they sound like as a "reference" and what I might be missing otherwise.

But I have yet to feel the need to buy any of it.

I have felt the need to make some changes and do some "upgrades" afterwards, but always for a fraction of the cost that the reference systems I heard would have cost.

I'm not saying mine is as good or not. Only that I get as much enjoyment out of my stuff these days as I do from the "very best" when I hear it. For whatever the reason. Probably just me. Same true in comparison to most live performances I hear even though I know my stereo could never reproduce the best of those accurately. But as long as I can close my eyes and believe I am hearing something real, I am happy.