As a promenant cable designer once stated: "Cables can’t make a system sound better. They can only make it sound worse. It’s all about damage control."
Me: There are some who claim there are no sonic differences in cables. My opinon is that it is impossible for 2 different cables of varying designs not to sound different from each other.
To the OP’s point about the "internals": I published the topic: Thinking INSIDE the Box, which drilled down pretty deep in to what’s inside our speakers, amps, etc. I found that even short cable runs (less than 12") matter and connection/termination methods are critical. That being said, generally, "we have what we have" unless we’re willing to "hack" our components and take out the stuff that makes them sound worse, or improve connection/termination methods. For the adventurous, the sonic dividends can peg the needle on the "sonic improvements meter." Taking all that into consideration, getting the right cables to and from your components is still a good strategy.
My advice is to do some research and try some things at home in your system. If the items are returnable, I’d try some things ABOVE your comfort level as well. Three things could happen here: 1) you don’t see/hear the value in them, which will solidify your decision in the lower priced pieces, 2) you like them and put them on the radar for a future upgrade, or 3) they whacked you upside the head (sonically) and you’ll just have to reevalute how you allocate resources related to the system.
Enjoy the ride. It’s fun. Really.
