If anyone can get Great RCA interconnects for $100, why would someone ever pay more.
No, is the answer.
You can get filtered water from your tap (assuming you have a simple filtration system), yet some folks are happy to pay several dollars for a glass of branded, marketed designer water (with or without bubbles). You can buy a pair of Levis at Costco for around $24, or find a pair of jeans with some designers stamp of approval on them for several hundred. Why people are willing to pay more is a far more complex answer than you are suggesting it might be.
As far as your further response to the question asked; I'd disagree to any such blanket response. It is entirely subjective, not to mention system and synergy dependent. You may get a hundred different suggestions, but the best advice I can imagine is just to try them out yourself in the application(s) you are wanting to use them in. A difference someone else claims to be able to hear, may be one that leaves you scratching your head wondering if you need better Q-tips. Either buy used and resell, or try the Cable Company's lending program. The answer to your question is entirely up to you.
Marco