Is it all in my head??

Nobody really knows why or how these things work. If anyone ever did then in no time flat everyone else would too and the resulting competition would drive prices to the floor. That hasn't happened. Because no one has a clue. Just stories they tell to customers who haven't yet figured out design don't mean squat. How it sounds is all that matters. So really, they don't design, they experiment. When you have to throw away a hundred that sound like crap to find one that sounds good then of course you have to charge a fortune for that one percenter. But then not all "designers" even get to the 1%. When you can't sell the sound, sell the story. Always some engineer or wannabe who can't hear (or won't trust his own ears- happens, trust me) eager to buy the story. This is power cords, interconnects, speaker cables (everything, really- turntables, speakers, cones, footers, equipment racks, on and on, the whole friggen industry) in a nutshell.

Kimber braided cables presumably reduce external noise, you know, from an engineering perspective. So where’s the beef? 🐂

I don't care what anyone's profession is, doesn't mean crapola!
Just because one can't hear a difference with power cords or any type of interconnect, doesn't mean there isn't a sonic difference with the music one hears.
It could mean they have not perfected how to listen to music and hear differences, they could be tone-deaf and not realize it, or be using equipment not capible of good sonics.

It's very simple.  Just try a set of AQ Storm PC's.   If you don't hear a very clear SQ improvement, write back and tell us about it.

From my own experience, SQ Storm cables (Tornado, Hurricane) have made the most day/night improvement compared with other equipment upgrades, such as amps, days.  

Obviously I want to hear improvements with all audio investments and so I'm probably biased every time I buy something, it's just that the AQ Storm Series power cables have made the clearest difference. Other pieces of equipment, I've been happy to send back.

Back in the mid 1990s I was seeing this young gal and she gave me the old "it's not you it's me" line.  I begged for another shot, she reluctantly agreed but once she scoped out the Monster Cables I was using she was hooked.  I guess cables are like fancy wheels on a mediocre car, it brings it up a notch. I don't know if cables make a difference but I'm not taking any chances!