why do people feel the need to buy expensive cable

I agree with many of the comments, particularly "what is expensive?" In the context of my modest system, a $50000+ cable loom of Crystal Cable Dreamline or Nordost Odin say, would be insane, but in a $500000 system, maybe not. It is quite another subject, whether a $500000 system is insane, I think it is, but I am not a Hedge Fund executive, with to much money and not enough to spend it on.

There is no question in my mind, that cables make a difference, sometimes only a difference, not an improvement and that takes time to judge. That is all cables, I was initially sceptical about Power Cables, now I think they can make a massive difference. So I am prepared to pay in the region of $500 to a 1000, retail for cables, preferably a lot less second hand. That to me, my wallet my system, is the comfort zone. It will be different for others and that is for them to decide, it's their money.

Two big areas of advantage in the cable area as opposed to other equipment. Firstly, cost of entry is low, so there are many one man and his dog outfits out there, selling direct, with minimal advertising and non fancy packaging, that I have found are better value for money than some of the bigger outfits. In no particular order, WyWires, Morrow, Silnote and Sablon Audio, come to mind.

Secondly, second hand prices are often very good, particularly for a product with a potential very long life. No transistors, Styli, speaker cones or tubes to be replaced.

So to me, sensible purchase of wires, along with other accessories, vibration devices, power supplies etc, can bring a bigger bang for your buck than replacing Speakers, Amps or sources. They can make a good system great and give long term satisfaction, with no need for further tinkering. That is where I believe I am now, I'd better be, retirement means I can'nt go on indulging in new big purchases.

@kijanki. Thanks for you response. I see it all the time. I spent last night listening to a jazz track by Marc Cary called 7th street North and changed power cords and interconnects out. I had three different power cords and sets of interconnects. I listened to the same sound for about 3 hours while doing the switching. You get all different flavors of sound it's depends what you personally like and can hear. I enjoyed almost all of them but like some better than others. I went by my friend Bill's house yesterday. He used to have a carpeted room now he has hardwoods and it changed the entire sound of his room. I have an odd shaped room with high ceilings and wood floors and I know that's part my challenge room acoustics. There is not a lot I can do because it's our main area. I make the best of it.@david12. Your answer is simple and well thought out. Very informative on ways to look at your system and what you are willing to spend as well as other things you can do to tweak your system. I'm actually going to change my rug position in the room and do a couple of tweaks as well. Has anyone here ever used still points? @others we are all crazy accept it. Lol. We are not normal!

you guys are still equating price to quality , or being good ? It is fine to live in a fantasy land . Those of us in reality realize price and fancy jackets do not provide sound . The natural elements of the earth inside the cable do . So why charge someone a ridiculous amount for these elements ? Because a fool is born everyday LOL

Calvinj, replacing AQ Indigo with Acoustic Zen Satori brought, in addition to more refined sound, fuller lower midrange I was looking for with my class D amp (try to explain this in terms of R,L,C). Cello now sounds real, male voices have "chestiness" etc.

Acoustic Zen Absolute replaced my AQ King Cobra. Even with short (0.5m) XLR cable I was able to hear increased dynamics, cleaner sound, darker background and more "space" between instruments. Perhaps it was overkill for my modest system (I bought it cheap), but as David12 mentioned it is non-perishable component that will stay with me until I kick the bucket. Would I benefit from even better cables? Perhaps not, getting older, I'm at the point of diminishing returns, have to be careful with the money and my hearing is not going to get any better in the future. Would I tell other people what they can or cannot hear, or would I start thread like this? Hell no.

@kijanki. Well put. You are righ on the king cobra. A long time ago I replaced them with a Nordost tyr and it wasn't even close. They do make a difference. You just have to decide what it's worth. At the time I got the tyr used so I got a deal. I understand. It depends on want your hear and if it meet your own requirement.