Are cables really worth their high price because of their geometry?

@b4icu

Wow, taking about a strong opinion, I say!

Colour me daft, but I still possess 3 kinds of speaker cables, in my system since a VERY long time, and always coming back to it! A Straight Wire WaveGuide, using teflon insulated solid copper wires 4 each for plus and minus, wound around a teflon string type centre core ~2.5mm ø , both ends using good quality (Furutech) cable shoes.

Nothing soldered, which earlier on was mildly degrading performance, since very hard to get good solder joints even with a high wattage solder iron.
Something I really only learned after de-soldering! 😒

Second, a very noticeably DIFFERENT sounding set, also 5 foot long, pure silver strand litz (many strands) clear ABS coated cable.
Rather bright sounding, ok tight bass but ~puny~ midrange, to put it quite simply.

Third, thicker copper strand ± same gauge as the silver cable, again using waxy ABS type insulation but seperate round strands, red and black pigmented ABS, running next to each other straight, but all embedded in cotton fibres! (damping?) and finally coated in a white PVC outer layer.
Not as bright as the silver litz, but not as coherent sounding as the StraightWire, which sounds overall more natural by comparison.

I had also listened/tested in my system a *very* elaborate construction Kimber copper SC, about 1½ inch thick! with lots a of ’fancy’ inner foam damping etc. and found no real difference to the StraightWire. At all.

So, in my learing, speaker wires, different makes and constructions, *can* absolutely sound noticeably different - yet some, even of mightily different design/construction .. don’t necessarily do so. 
Ergo... it ALL depends. Why? 🤔
That’s another story. 😊

PS: I do not underestimate the influence of the speaker’s x-over, design and construction as all has an influence too, and of course NEVER MIND your power amp’s damping factor! 🙃

@justmetoo - Thanks for that info - I've not heard of that cable, but from your description it sounds very similar in some respects to my Helix Cables.

Another very similar cable I am aware of is the Interconnect from Anti-Cable
http://anticables.com/interconnects/analog-rca-interconnects

But I have no experience with what they sound like. Reports on this forum seem to be very favorable though.

The problem with cables like these is the time to fabricate them and they become difficult to make when you get up to 2-3 meters long, making them more expensive to the customer

Regards - Steve

@williewonka

As to 'anti-cables' I had some tested some time ago, that were offered to me free of charge for a trial periode, 1-2 weeks. 
Seeing them, I right away had a suspicion they were made up by some not so very professional folks - do they give franchises to some 'operators' ?!? 🤔 

In any case, they were made up (rather crudely) of two different thicknesses of lacquered transformer wire and ever so terribly stiff! with very cheap banana type connectors, and badly fitted to boot. 

The sound... not very coherent and quite bright - in my system, and apparently a *very* long time of burn-in required. 

This whole 'episode' reminded me more of a scam than anything else. 👎

But - I can imagine, also given the most affordable price, some folk will find them A1 OK, now who am I to argue about it ? 🤔😏

Mr. justmetoo
At the bottom line, all that matters is the resistance of your speaker cable vs. the Amp's DF (Ro).
All the descriptions of yours about the three cables, are good for Fri. eve, to tell around the coffee table, or to put asleep a kid.
None has any contribution to the facts of electricity and electronics.
As the speaker cable is an extension of the Amp's Ro, the speaker load is of no significance,  and so are all the BS that the cable makers and sales guys spread (as a pandemic).
When you get the right cable (calculated) the sound is so much better.
After that, no matter what you put there, it wont match or improve.

Mr. Justmetoo, why do insist on calling anticables a scam?
He isn’t packaging his cables to cover up anything. If you see his cables the geometry isn’t complex and he doesn’t claim they’re.
What he does do is talk about the actual conductor and how it’s drawn and how they have improved this technique to make a better sounding cable. I’ve been to anticable’s business and have seen how they produce their cables and believe me it isn’t some do at home company.