What do audiophiles want from a cable?

1. properly advertised with LOUD words of how it improves performance
2. beautiful skin and shiny connectors
3. beautiful walnut case is a big plus

Speak for yourself, please. 

I did.  The OP didn't ask "What do 'you' want from a cable?"

Just my somewhat sarcastic observation from years of trying, buying and constructing cables, reading cable reviews, reading this forum, and observing cable manufacturers that follow well-known marketing trends by introducing new "revelatory" models every 2-3 years - just about the time sales are tapering off from the previous models.  While I certainly hear differences in cables, at the end of the day, it is mostly just wire and, beyond a certain minimum level of compatibility that doesn't cost much to achieve, I believe cables are much less important to the sound of a system than the equipment and speakers.  I understand this is a minority opinion and not helpful to the tweaky and somewhat obsessive nature of the hobby. 

If I were to make a better effort to answer the OP, I would say try cables of different types from several manufacturers (maybe from somewhere like The Cable Company) until you find something that doesn't cost too much but makes your system sound "right" to you.

low resitance/capacitance/inductance, immunity to RF...
Therefore, for a 10ft run,  14AWG or less, OFC copper, starquad or braided or twisted, multi-strands.  
I am happy with Canare, Mogami, Belden, basic Kimber...anything else would be pure folie on my 3K stereo, or a sign of major boredom.

• Very expensive and difficult to use tone controls
• Imaging enhancement (see above)
  
• Endless merry go round
• financial sense of ownership and accomplishment
• The chance to enhance our own discernment of equipment instead of music.
• Social sense of belonging.
  

I built my own interconnect cables from solid silver core wiring, and got off the merry go round. All my equipment plays well with it, or it doesn’t come home.



Best,

Erik

Only broken active components don't care what kind of cables they are connected with. Just as broken hearing cannot know the difference, so the argument hearing is believing does not apply here. And if there is a situation of broken brains, then it becomes especially tough.