The cable upgrades I have made in my life were:
from the stuff that came with a rack system to Monster (I din't notice any improvement, but that does not mean that there was none)
then from Monster to RCA Kimber PBJ (hard to say what the improvement was because at this time I also went from an integrated JVC Dolby Prologic integrated amp to Cary's entry level push-pul tube amp and a B&K HT preamp
then, after upgrading to ARC tubed monoblocks and a Cary preamp I went from the PBJ to balanced Kimber Silver Streak. With this "upgrade" I did hear a noticeable difference, particularly with the greater articulation of detail. But I wouldn't go so far as to type that it was like a new component upgrade, but it was noticeable and it was better.
I've been going with the Silver Streak for around 26 years or so, and I'd love to listen to some other options, but I think there are other things I should spend money on before I get to playing with interconnects. However, one thing that I did do (experimentally) was to insert a pair of RCA PBJs in between the preamp and amp, while leaving the balanced Silver Streaks between the CDP and the pre. I don't think that I like the sound of that configuration as much as I liked the SS all the way through. I am just about to switch back.