This has actually been a fairly reasonable and mature discussion! Normally I skip this subject but I'll add my $.02.
To my knowledge there has never been an ABX blind test that showed that audiophiles can hear the difference between cables if they can't see them or know how they were constructed. [If anyone here has information to the contrary please post it.] There are dozens of tests that show that when you test cables "blind" you simply can't hear the difference. Even a few brave cable manufacturers have failed when challenged with this test.
I use Blue Jean and Mogami cables mostly but I decided to try a pair of AudioQuest silver interconnects because I read so many comments that they had a distinctive sound. I have two CD players hooked up that sound identical to my ears and I have several CDs with two copies. I can rapidly switch back and forth and I can set the volume equally between the two players. I swapped the regular cables on one of the players with the silver cables hoping that I could hear the difference. I left the cables in (they are still there) and over the last year or so and every so often I compare them. So far I cannot hear the difference. When I am listening to the player with the silver cables there have been many times that I thought "wow, that seems to sound better than I remember" but when I put the CD in the other player it always sounds just as good. [System is Krell KSA300S amp, KRC2 pre, Thiel CS6 speakers]
On the other hand, if people think they can hear a difference in cables then there is a difference. If the music sounds better to them that's all that matters. They are perfectly capable of deciding where to spend their money. I am the first to admit that the appearance and story behind a component affects my decision to buy and my pride of ownership.
I'm fortunate because I have been able to assemble an affordable system that goes toe to toe with most of the best systems I have heard at several audio shows. In many cases the cabling for those systems costs more than my entire setup. If the cables or power conditioning is causing some sort of magic to happen I can't hear it. Speakers, on the other hand, are night and day. It would seem to me that an audiophile shouldn't spend too much on cables unless they have no upgrade plans for their speakers. An extra dollar spent on speakers is infinitely more effective than an extra dollar spent on cables in my experience.