What do $2500 speaker cables sound like?

Of course cables make a difference the signal or power passes through them. Whether your system can reveal the difference and you can hear it is what matters. The best ones, like the best components should be neutral and let the music come through, not emphasizing certain frequencies.

One caution - they are the biggest markup of any product (not including hocus focus tweaks) possible as the cost to manufacture is much lower than any other product. The law of diminishing returns is quicker IMHO with cables than anything else.

Saying proper cable management is crucial is making it sound complicated @jasonbourne52  it’s really not. 
Keep cables off the floor. Avoid having them touch each other, but if they must, make sure they intersect perpendicularly. Don’t let them loop around.

Pretty simple. Violating any of these rules impacts the SQ from a purely physics standpoint by creating interference because of the magnetic fields created by any flowing current (or wire for that matter). You may or may not be able to hear it, and as you know, some people hear better than others (or listen better).

Hey @nonoise 

Any idea what the reason is for needing to have cables 8" off the floor? The need to have them off the floor is due to vibration from the floor from the speakers, which need to be touching to affect the cables. Unless maybe with static electricity from carpets? I just have mine off the floor with little wood trim pieces attached to the back of my credenza or held up by shoeboxes behind it. Why 30" off the floor?

I keep mine off the hard wood floors especially the speaker cables. It certainly can't hurt, and the vibration from the speaker right there is definitely not good for the sound.

I like the cable company too - they have everything and don't oversell

And most are somewhere in the middle. We know they make s difference, considering the law if diminishing returns,and listen to music and appreciate how good it sounds and when it gets better. Of course it’s a journey, because it can always get better.