Are audiophiles still out of their minds?


I've been in this hobby for 30 years and owned many gears throughout the years, but never that many cables.  I know cables can make a difference in sound quality of your system, but never dramatic like changing speakers, amplifiers, or even more importantly room treatment. Yes, I've evaluated many vaunted cables at dealers and at home over the years, but never heard dramatic effect that I would plunk $5000 for a cable. The most I've ever spent was $2700 for pair of speaker cables, and I kinda regret it to this day.  So when I see cable manufacturers charging 5 figures for their latest and "greatest" speaker cables, PC, and ICs, I have to ask myself who buys this stuff. Why would you buy a $10k+ cable, when there are so many great speakers, amplifiers, DACs for that kind of money, or room treatment that would have greater effect on your systems sound?  May be I'm getting ornery with age, like the water boy says in Adam Sandler's movie.
dracule1
Are audiophiles still out of their minds?
What a loaded question.
Are you still beating your wife?
Cables do make a difference, but different cable (even from the same manufacturer) sound differently when attached to its components.  I used to use Audioquest Everst/Sky which I decided sounded best with my stuff.  I tried some of the Wm F Lowe Signature (top of the line Audioquest) which cost far more, but sounded awful.  Also tried much less expensive ClearCables which sounded even better.  Its a crap shoot, keep trying until you win.
I've used JPS cables over the years, from basic to SC3 (Aluminata top model = too expensive for me). I find there are two factors, do I like this sound profile or not, and then, how far up the chain can I afford to go. Yes, SC3 sounds better than the original SC, although both are enjoyable in my system. This whole process of cable fitting does make the system sound better, but it is no revolution. Better boxes make more difference than better cables, supports etc.
o_holter
I have always wanted to demo JPS cables- what other gear is in your system?
My audiophile friend, who is the ultimate tweaker, calls high end cables expensive tone controls. I have to agree for the most part.