Cable vs. Electronics: biggest bang for the buck

In my experience, I have seen customers go two ways, depending on their components:

In the first case, their components are accurate and have low-impedance output drivers, particularly the source CDP. In this case, cables with lower reactance (capacitance and inductance) generally improve the system sound, particularly the image focus, soundstage and detail rendering. They get improvements that are worth the money spent on cables.

In the second case, the components/speakers are adding some coloration, usually high-frequency harshness or bass bloat. In this case, they are tempted to use inferior cables designs as "tone controls" to the get "sound" they are looking for. Unless they identify and eliminate the inferior component, usually the source, but sometimes the preamp or speakers, they will continually chase their tail, often dismissing excellent cables in fovaor of inferior ones. This is the "garden path", and unfortunately many audiophiles go down this path. Some finally discover the error in their ways.

Ah... but if inferior cables (less expensive) can benefit the sound of an inferior component vs. a continued degradation in the sound with a superior cable, wouldn't that make the inferior cable the truly superior cable in that instance? :)

I would gladly dismiss excellent cables in favor of inferior ones if the inferior ones make my system sound better.

Bwhite there is a huge gap in your logic. Not to mention the fact that you make a completely unsubstantiated statement :(
How can the poor transmission of an inferior signal benefit it? If this logic is true wouldn't the best playback source be putting your ear to the cartridge of your turntable and skipping the electronics? Maybe you could run the cartridge leads into a stethascope.
The circular reasoning of your second paragraph evacuates it of any meaning. Inferior cable is cable which degradates the sound, it has nothing to do with price. The concern is solely with the sound and the point of this thread was intended to be that $$$ were not the issue. What makes a cable excellant?
I understand that there will always be a divergence of opinions but this reasoning makes no sense.

What I have learned through personal experience is that without question cables are components and no less important than any other in the rig. For example, I went from MIT high end series, 330 shotguns to reference 350's and EVO's and the improvement was beyond significant, low level detail, bass, hearing so much further into the recording and most of all accurate tonality, sorry, sounds like a review...I've got very good components but not reference level but until I put in these cables I never heard what the rest of the system was capable of, and I've been through lots of cables, brands, etc. No doubt with my years of investment in components, yes that especially includes wire, I do have some knowledge of what works well together and that's the only way you will ever get that magical synergy unless your very lucky. It sounds like Nrchy is getting the same results with the Purist wire; eye opener, interesting hobby we have chosen wouldn't ya say...

Nrchy - it seems you just don't get it. I was referring to the statement made by Audioengr where he wrote,

"...are tempted to use inferior cables designs as "tone controls" to the get "sound" they are looking for."

What is superior and what is inferior are relative to the application in which they are being used and not always governed by measurement. If a cable noted as "inferior" sounds better than one deemed "superior", wouldn't that make the inferior cable superior in this instance? Guess that depends on what's important to you as a listener. To me - sound is what's important. I don't give a hoot what the electrical properties are...I only care that it sounds good.

There is a lot more to the sound of a cable than the electrical properties. Unfortunately at the level most of our systems are at, this usually equates to more expensive and hence perceived as "superior".

The PAD Dominus you tried is a great cable - sounds great! but I seriously doubt it has the best measurements of any cable out there. So does that make it inferior? Some would say yes because they believe that measurement and electrical properties are the silver bullet of audio. Likewise - very few (if any) cables that measure better than the Dominus will actually sound better.

Why do you suppose that is?