The cables do matter. Assigning an appropriate price is another matter. I am guessing that I have invested about 10-20% depending on the system they are in.
I can't imagine spending the kind of money I see spent. I think a more interesting question is how much is the most you have spent on an individual cable. In my case it's the speaker cables on my main system about $650 for entry level used Jena cable copper braid. To people outside the hobby I am sure that sounds insane. When I see speaker cable for ten times that -- well that's clearly over the top!
I can't imagine spending the kind of money I see spent. I think a more interesting question is how much is the most you have spent on an individual cable. In my case it's the speaker cables on my main system about $650 for entry level used Jena cable copper braid. To people outside the hobby I am sure that sounds insane. When I see speaker cable for ten times that -- well that's clearly over the top!