why do people feel the need to buy expensive cable

Good comments earlier in the thread about personal preferences, music listened to, sonic signature desired and system synergy.  All of this is so purely subjective 90+% of the time that I think we all MAY forget that from time to time.  There are alot of great cables out there costing less as well as more.  I would love to find cables at lower prices that give me the sound I'm looking for and regardless what's already been spent, I already have by some measure due to 2 reasonable dealers and 3 manufacturers who pack a hell of a lot of punch in their cables at a given price point when there are cables out there that cost 2, 3, 4, 5+ times more that claim to deliver the same thing. Believe me,...I never set out years ago thinking I'd have to allocate high-end component-level budget numbers to cable purchases....

calvinj, I'm not downing people who don't spend on cables, but certainly I know that some more expensive cables sound better than any cheaper cables I've heard. 
zephyr24069, I have often said that talking about sound is largely worthless given the variety of tastes, rooms, etc. What I have said about HFCables would be basically limited my ears, room, taste in music, and whether one likes to be present at the recording or rather to listen to nice music. But a great many agree with me. When I first heard the HFC CT-1 ics, I was immediately thought "wow these are quite different." I now have listened to complete looms of the Enhanced, Ultimate, Ultimate Reference, Ultimate Reference Rhodium, Ultimate, and once to the Pro Series. With the exception of the last, all were in my room. Each is seriously better than the preceding. I wish I could say otherwise, but cannot: more magnets are better than fewer magnets.

" have often said that talking about sound is largely worthless given the variety of tastes, rooms, etc. What I have said about XXXXX would be basically limited my ears, room, taste in music, and whether one likes to be present at the recording or rather to listen to nice music...."

Definitely agree and see your points; it's all conditional and involves a lot of variables. Human beings tend to want to boil things down to "X is better than Y" which is virtually impossible in many less-complicated categories let alone Audio Cabling!

It seems that the OP got more than he bargained for, soliciting input on the perceived value of cables.  FWIW, I have really tried very hard with lamp cords, DIY cables but there is a limit (mechanical, metallurgical, chemical) that is reached when you get beyond a mid level system.

Not unexpected, some religious wars and some kind of flaming started...some pointed comments are refreshingly true, some soaked in sarcasm on the other hand made my day! I needed a napkin.

Similar to Amazon comments, posters should have the "verified purchase" icon so it would be easier for the casual peruser to see who has bought some cable of value ($-wise, not always sound wise) and who has not, who has a great system and ears, who has supposedly a $24k cable and some JBL speakers (sorry, couldn’t resist that).

Let your ears be the judge and, as always, the beauty (of the sound) is in the eye of the beholder and taste certainly differ.

What’s next: does the thickness and the polish quality of your amp front plate make a difference?

I would like to add some cables bring me closer to the music. Some of the cheaper cables sound like you threw a blanket over the music. That is usually the case when I have compared. It just depends on the what you've heard I've heard some really great stuff. Some people never have the opportunity and I'm thankful that I've had the ear candy that most people never have the chance. We all have different experiences. Enjoy yours.