Cable congestion vs. "the ideal"...

Many of you have likely heard the notion that the cables in your audio system should be a minimum of three inches (or five, or six) apart, or at least only cross each other at right angles. There are products available to assist with that goal, but honestly, how many of us can possibly achieve that in the real world?

I recently updated my older, non-HDMI multichannel components (Bel Canto) with new (Bryston SP3, Oppo BDP-105D). Apart from eliminating a few coaxial and optical digital cables thanks to HDMI, I still have a butt-load of cables behind my equipment stand, and a lot of them are approximately zero inches apart and cross each other at a multitude of angles.

Q: How have you pursued this goal? (with religious fervor, I'm sure)

Q: Have you found that it makes an audible difference? (I kinda hope not)

Q: Should I instead find a "solution" in a bottle? (single malt, not Kontak)

I'm listening.