why do people feel the need to buy expensive cable

Before you spend crazy money on cables this is what you do first:

Open up your speakers and check the wires that connect the binding posts or the crossovers to the speakers inside. 95% of the time it's cheap no name, no brand, nothing special, basic copper wires inside the enclosure before it reaches the woofer or tweeter.

FYI...

That is because....proper copper is all you need!

“Proper copper” is all you need to pass the signal along...with all the noise present and intact.  Transparent cable will remove it and lower the noise floor dramatically.  Everything else is just cable!

@joeylawn36111 if you choose to use chicken wire that’s fine but the right cable makes a difference. 

Calvinj - I agree it can make a difference, but most likely only on quality systems like yours ;)*   My gear is mainly "mid-fi" stuff.

I think one can acknowledge that some technologies are better, for example, vinyl being superior to digital/tubes to transistors, etc., but Choose not to go that route for other reasons.

I like listening to music also, but I also have another related part to this hobby. I also dabble in modifying stereo gear, and am also a collector of stereo electronics I like. I'd rather spend my $'s on 'gear' than wire, for example.

*You do have a really impressive setup, BTW.