Thinking out of the box here. It might make some defensive

well then use your coat hanger and be done with it...

Fascinating discussion.

Ponderings:

Some posts suggest that their may be benefits to soldering your speaker wires directly to the crossovers in a speaker and avoiding the influence of the mechanical connection between speaker cable to the binding post.  (The same exact logic should concern audiophiles at the amplifier end, off the PC board to the binding post on the amplifier face)

What is shocking to me is how many people say that "its a hassle" because they change cables often enough to make it problematic.   And yet.....

You can't throw a stone in here without hitting posts that describe the huge efforts that need to be expended on speaker placement, room treatment, turntable set up, (plus many more topics) and all are items that "must be done" if you expect to get the most out of your system, and make audible and significant differences.

Seems that some kind of work is ok, and needed, but not other types?  Or, are some people more closed minded than they want to admit?

It is not a silly discussion at all.  From a technical aspect, the people that maintain you can hear significant differences between cables really have to admit that the material be it metal, wire, or solder between the crossover and the speaker wire likewise HAS to have an affect on the signal.  Can everyone hear it?  Probably not. Is everyone willing to experiment and take the time to SEE if they can here it?  Probably not.  Can you measure it?  Probably not.  Doesn't mean the difference isn't there for some people.

I'm reminded of my favorite story about situations like this:

A new Rabbi is confronted by leaders of two factions from his congregation.  The first says... 
Rabbi, confirm for me that the tradition is to sit during the Shmah. (a prayer).
The second says, 
Rabbi, confirm for me that the tradition is to stand during the Shmah.

The Rabbi is unsure what to do.  He has seen it both ways, and wants to please ALL the congregation.  He suggests they visit not the newly retired old Rabbi, but the oldest surviving Rabbi... still hanging on at the nursing home, and still of clear mind.  They all go there, and crowd in the room.

They ask him:  Is it the tradition to stand?
"No"
They ask him: Is it the tradition to Sit?
"No"
The young Rabbi out of exasperation starts up....  "But Rabbi, for years we have been arguing, bickering taking sides and.....

The old Rabbi brightens up, and exclaims loudly....

"YES" THAT is the tradition..........

XY, that was FUNNY. Thank you.

XY, I doubt if very many people doubt that differences between cables exist. I suspect that many doubt (a) the correlation between cost and quality, and (b) the bang per buck.

As has been mentioned, connectors do not share the same characteristics as speaker cables or interconnects. As long as there is a secure and clean connection, wither using quality spades or pins or just direct connect with the cable, IMO and experience that there is no good or ill affects of the connection/connectors, as related to the sonic qualities of of the cables or components. Over the past 40 some years as an audio enthusiast, even though I'm not a snake oil kind of guy, I've come to the conclusion that there is a difference in both speaker cables and interconnects and it's not necessarily  a matter of biggest or most expensive, but the ones that are most sonicly invisible in your particular system and imparts the least amount of their own personality or coloration into your system. In this new age, where everything is going wireless, maybe the best cable is no cable.....Jim