A butt-load spent in cables - how much improvemt?

I agree fully with Shardone that a good properly matched gear should not change presentation dramatically because of a different piece of cable.
In the 60's and 70's there were several very musical sounding systems (Thorens/Marantz/Quad ESL 57) around, while people were using ordinary... zip cords! Why should we replace cabling with super expensive stuff when there is balance in sound?

Chris

$20,000 more spent on cables will give you... 4-5% higher performance. If you have the money then you should do this.
I think we live in a crazy world: some audiophiles are spending more money on cables than on their equipment. The biggest improvement in sound can only be achieved with the right equipment, system synergy and good quality AC power!! My buddy's FM Acoustics amplifier sounds already great with ordinary 14 gauge copper speaker cables. Using "top notch" and pricey speaker cables yields only a small improvement (somewhat higher resolution and a bit more extended treble).
Imho to spend on very expensive cables (let's say $10,000 for a pair of speaker cables) is the least beneficial step you would make with regard to sound. Of course there will be audiophiles who think I'm talking bullsh**.
Disclaimer: I'm not saying that expensive cables are useless, so don't get me wrong.

Chris

Hi Ted, I'm not saying all cables sound the same. Cables could bring out the full potential of the system (provided there is already a musical sounding system and excellent system synergy), but it is unlikely they will add much more "musicality" to it. In case of a sytem with bad system synergy you cannot expect from cables (no matter what they cost) that they will "transform" the entire sound into something "magically". It is a fact that most cable advertisements are giving the impression that cables are capable of elevating the sound of a system, whatever the system and whatever the synergy, to a higher level of excellence, but this is absolutely not true.

Chris