why do people feel the need to buy expensive cable

If one has settled on on a single core, solid cable (which I have) then there's not much that can be done that others have. Get a good enough purity, use bare ends, anneal it a few times, even cryo it, and the only variable left will be which gauge to use along with which sheathing works best for you.

As much as I love the sound of some multi-strands (Supra Ply and Zu Mission) and the lovely, melodic presentation they are capable of, they tend to only capture about 80-85% of the extension and air of solid core. They capture probably best, the sound of a live event, to a point. Some detail is missing along with the air and extension mentioned but if that's all I had on hand, I could happily live with them. But I like the detail, tone, texture, extension, definition and presence of single, solid core. There is no glare, hype or etch, just a much better focus and clarity.

Having said that, I know there must be some brands of stranded out there that close the gap on solid core and all the R&D and material needed to justify the cost but in the context of my system, single, solid core gives a mighty fine, dare I say, excellent, acquittal of what is possible, desirable, and satisfying.

It's all system dependent.

All the best,
Nonoise

How do you go about annealing your own cables?

I should have been more precise and say that when purchasing, go for a make that has been annealed, cryo'd, or anything else that can be done to suit your needs. It was implied on my part.

Oh, the nature of these threads.

All the best,
Nonoise

I wasn't finding fault. I've annealed metals before, but not cables. I just wanted to find out what you used to heat the cable uniformly and at what temperature.

Lol. You have to figure out how to keep enough of your own. In Texas, you get it or you don't. Anyway. Thanks for telling us we are all fools we didn't know that. You are so smart. Pure unadulterated genius!!! We are so gullible. We can't spel or cownt done here. Lol. I'm glad we got people like you to tell us how foolish we are with the money we make. Obviously we can't hear either.