Cables and reviewers

The sonic performance effect of one's cables (that means all of ICs, speaker, and power) is:
(a) entirely directly (emphasis added) audio system dependent in the first part;  and, 
(b) the effects are further signigicantly influenced by the unique characteristics of one's unique listening arena with all of those strengths, limitations, and warts to boot.

There is no "best" or other biased and subjective ranking accordingly; one size does not fit all. Intuitively, there is no consensus nor will there ever be any consensus in such a totally variable and extreme subjective arena .... be it brand, price, construction, design, length, etc.

You can only trust your own ears via actual  hands-on experimentation with your own system and in your own listening environment ... Full stop. 

This is hobby is a complex journey and never contemplated to be a easy destination.

I don't recall seeing any consensus on anything in this hobby. Cables, speakers, amps, digital choices, analog choices, you name it, no consensus.
Consensus has no place in this hobby, and why should it?
Do you really NEED someone to tell you what to buy?

There's no consensus regarding what music is the best either. Maybe the music isn't all that important at any given pricepoint.

My reply was meant to be to the OP......

To the OP:  Your logic seems good, but I think there are too many variables in each one's system, room, and hearing to draw any conclusions.  I was happy believing that cables were all the same until I tried a $4000 per foot cable(Okay, I couldn't resist since that was so silly above), make it $5 per foot Audioquest Type 4 speaker cable in a bulk by the foot purchase.  The improvement over my stranded #12 speaker cable was noticeable, and superior.  But you need speakers capable of more detail.  Vintage speakers from the 70s or 80s need not apply.