Who thinks $5K speaker cable really better than generic 14AWG cable?

My dear @dynaquest4 may I assay an attempt to make a case for "expensive" cables while working within the logical framework you ascribe to

If we accept that fancy cables are nothing other than tone controls (I don't believe this btw) then it still may be a sensible value proposition for someone with say a $500K system to drop $5K on such a cable if they want to tailor/change the sound of their system in some way while minimizing any negative affects on other aspects of the system performance (as the introduction of an active tone control would surely do).  In that context $5K may be a very cost effective and high value way of tailoring the sound in a way you want. In fact many cable manufacturers (e.g. Synergistic with their bullets, MIT with their adjustments etc) provide tools to do just this as part of the cable design.

The audiophile with a $500K system will already have worked on the room and all the other things you discuss so a cable change is often one of the best ways of adjusting the sound if needed. Achieving the same changes via swapping the speakers or amps would cost much more, and you may well like other things the amps and speakers do just as well and not want to change them

Presumably you have no problem thinking that their are differences between different $100K speakers and that audiophiles may have a preference for one over another -- why not allow us to see value in doing the same with cables as well

Finally if you accept this logic then it works in reverse -- you could just as well select the cables first and then build the mix of active components around them to suit ... 😏

sigh......these threads are like......https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfBG0d5Oj3c

I totally disagree. I have bought blue jeans cable and several high end brands 
Not all are worth  the extra Mark up.
I have found Silnote to have dome exceptional aufio cables .
And refinement, as well as nsturalness do found.
If you have any Ear st all just throwing a new cable in cold is not sound st all
The cable - circuit needs to reengergize  and stabilize,  if you just put in a new cable and play the scrappy cable bass big advantage .the scrappy cable will have minimal change,  the hood cable gets more refined .
Power cords also can make a profound improvement, but some engineers 
Say wire us wire.  Fuses are another item that is cumulative . 
Just look st metals resistance index high number the better ,silver,Copper 
High 60s, steel 8.  Bottle neck . Wire flow of electrons  their geometries 
Can and do dictate the sound,as well as types of metals ,shielding .
It can be very complicated.  All cables sound the same year may be in a cheaper 
Non resolving system but not a  quality well thought out aufio system .
I ran a audio store and ran Many experiments blind tests with several testers 
Some times ,not always their can be a profound difference . 
Just as in a Loudspeaker crossover  capacitors are not all the same quality 
Or character. Look st Humblehomemade high capacitor test . I have followed this for over 12 years very accurate . I have spent 35 plus years doing it all in Audio.
Believe what you will .dome people are do cheap they just cannot justify cables 
Can make that much of s difference. I sold s $50k system to a man who had 
600 worth of cable . I challenged him to take Th labs bedt cables home and power cords listen for a week compare yours. If it is better you buy them .he refused 
He  could not justify spending any more money . I just shook my head .
Penny wise pound foolish. 

You can never tell the difference in cables if your system or the dealers is crap and not resolving enough. No disrespect but it is what it is. I don’t care what the retail price is - my system with those cables being swapped out would smack the listener right in the mouth. It’s not someone’s ears and/or the ability to tell a little differences. To the contrary it’s pretty simple when you get smacked in the mouth you know it. Not much blind testing needed for that. Whamm - smack - "oh ok - I see what you mean now". Simple simple stuff. The Audioquest were most likely Chinese knock offs but no matter - even those are way better and will be heard x 10000 in my system. I dust the room and after you can hear a difference are you kidding me. $5k cables that’s a ton of money because I have owned plenty of $5k cables but never paid that. I bought/own HIDiamond D8 with nice Furutech locking banana’s and they were a nice upgrade over my PAD cables. My Upper model PAD were over $6k new I paid $1500 used for them. My HiDiamonds were $3,200 and I paid $1,000 plus my PAD cables. I’m a guy that likes buy top quality stuff slightly Preowned or Demo at around 40% to 70% off retail. It’s just too expensive to buy everything new. Who does that? Well I know a lot do but I don’t. That said, to name just a few I’ve had Cardas Golden Reference - Cardas Golden Cross - High end PAD cables - name too annoying to remember Provo revision 3 this or that and many other but all are a thousand times better than cheap basic crap cable. Heck my first great cable upgrade was a pair I still own today in a box in my basement somewhere - Audioquest Type 4 and those were a thousand times better than the typical copper looking on one said and silver on the other kind total crap you get from RadioShack. You could put Audioquest Type 4 in a Home Theater in a box and hear it for s--- sake. That stuff is pure crap and sounds like pure crap and anyone that’s says different is full of crap or there system is total crap or they are just clueless - no offense. I did not read all posts but if someone - anyone says cable doesn’t matter they are probably right because their system is so dull sounding and lifeless it doesn’t matter or the room interaction is just so horrid but they matter and a ton but the rest of the gear needs to corespond. If your spending $5k on cable you best have $15k in amplification and pre - $15k in a source and transport - $15k in speakers and $15k in power cables, Condition and IC’s or it’s a waste. Resolution brother it’s all about resolution. Spend $1,200 on a quality used pair like some Audience AU24SE or Cardas Reference something or another if you have only a little money then get some Audioquest Type 4 for $150 but don’t use that crap. No the power cable doesn’t matter on a VHS player with that I agree. The triple blind test is crap! Please excuse the mad Type-o’s texting while driving is kind of tough :)

@fsmithjack   

No disrespect but not everyone wants a system like yours. I am interested in accurately producing the source music without having to dust the room to get the system to work properly. I don't want to have to be concerned about the coloration of cables. I also like realistic sound - so the speakers need to be more linear in performance than a typical car audio whizzer cone.