Do expensive cables/wires REALLY make a difference

I just burned in 5 new Nordost Blue Heaven power cords and they make more of a difference that swapping stock Electro-Harmonic KT-88 tubes for 8 matching Gold Lion Genelax tubes. The tubes made a little difference, and the QB4 power distrobution box along with Nordost BH IC's and BH bi-wires helped some too, but not as much as replacing the stock powercords. I don't think wires have to be very expensive, but they should do better than stock. A full loom of Nordost Odins would cost more than a car, so in that case I wouldn't care even if they made a big difference. Maybe they would or maybe not.

You may be higher-end than me--I have a modest system. I can hear a difference between the lowest end cables and better ones. For me it's not worth it to step up to the really expensive ones. If you've got truly high end amp/speaker/source components then you may hear a difference worth shelling out the big bucks for. But for me, it would be a mismatch.

I'm another who would not go the Monster Cable route. There are better options at that price point, and that is not what I would consider high end.

Good luck, I hope you have fun putting together a system worthy of your ears and budget.

I consistently hear differences between different cables in my system. I do not aleways prefer the more expensive cable, there are some expensive cables I don't like at all, and there are some inexpensive cables I like very much. Unfortunately the cables I like the most cost more than the less expensive cables I like. It's a question of proper matching, personal preference, and budget. Whenever I switch cables for music loving non audiophile friends they clearly hear a difference. We each though have different preference and budgets. Remember too that many cables hold their value very well over time, so the cost is not as outrageous as it may seem.

Yes. expensive or not, cables do make a difference. 1st replace your power cords. Live with those for a period of time then work on your interconnects and speaker cables.
Happy Listening!

im fairly new to the hifi worldbut im confused about something.my local hifi dealer/repairman advised me NOT to use a power/line conditioner to plug my gear into,telling me to just use a power strip saying the previous can actually make my system not sound as good as it could/should.is this true?? One more question i have is if the stock power cables are replaced on amps,cd players,etc will it make a difference if you do use a power/line conditioner?? thank you for any info.