why do people feel the need to buy expensive cable

Civilization has advanced over the last few centuries by applying rigorous standards to distinguish between nonsense and truth. Some audiophiles and their obscurantist merchants like yourself (I originally meant Geoff, but it seems Audiotroy wants to join that crowd)  have worked hard to stop that progress in the world of audio.

Civilization has advanced over the last few centuries by applying rigorous standards to distinguish between nonsense and truth.

And yet.....

Well, in advanced economies we have had a roughly 2% per capita growth of income over the last century or more, even though world population has increased enormously. We have more than doubled life expectancy, we have eradicated many chronic diseases, and we have increased levels of education enormously, just to mention a few metrics. And whereas the benefits of all this were originally limited to Western Europe and the US, this pattern is now extending more and more all over the globe.

All true. And yet we still have some of the highest income inequality among developed nations. Life expectancy has gone up for those making over $150,000 and remains stagnant for those who make under that amount. More people are rejecting vaccines. Health care is still viewed as a commodity and not a necessity. Science is being roundly rejected by a large portion of our country. Voodoo and superstition are being forced into some curriculum and claimed to be just as valid as the science being rejected. 

It seems that for that for every two forward steps we take, some take one step, if not more, backwards. We are a curious people. 

All the best,
Nonoise