Cable septic

It is so funny to hear people say that cables don’t matter much but you see them using $50 or higher priced cables and not using the .10 cheap cables that are found in the cheaper equipment boxes. If anybody makes a statement that they can’t hear a difference in cables, then they shouldn’t be using anything more than the cheapest cable found. Anything of higher quality, they are just blowing smoke, and then it boils down to a few reasons why they bad mouth more expensive cables: their system doesn’t allow them to get the full benefit of a better cable, hearing issues, or they can’t afford or just don’t want to pay more for a cable.
I can/have heard differences in cables and in most cases it boils down to do I want the spend hundreds/thousands more for a cable that gives me 5-10% more? 

@rbstehno  - Correct - but maybe even less than that in some systems depending on how the AC is filtered in the components.  Hope all is going well with you my friend.  

I can only say I wasted some 25 years by not believing that cables make a significant difference :-( I have physics and electronics background and I thought that with rather small lengths, acoustic frequencies, and smallish voltage/current, all non-faulty cables should sound the same -- be a commodity. I am kicking myself now for not even experimenting once! Long story short, I first replaced stock w/ thick Monoprice: significant positive difference already! This year I replaced everything with Audioquest in the price range $41 to $450. Again a definite positive improvement, eg. in tonality. Even AQ Tower more the tonal difference that impressed me; perhaps I should stay at that level.
That said, I am quite angry with audio cable companies for creating 'ladders' of tens of progressively more expensive cables that I believe are designed to squeeze money from perfectionist audiophiles who yearn for that elusive "step up".
This week I got a good beyerdynamic 1.4 m balanced cable made of OCC N7 copper, made in Korea: $100, no nonsense, ultra simple packaging. In contrast, my AQ Colorados came in a pretty large beautiful box, complete w/ an etui (that I have no use for), but that enhances the image of top-class, luxury good. They sound *minimally* better than BJC RCAs.  
Last thing: I simply don't know why cables do sound different. Our ears are EXTREMELY precise instruments, that's for sure.

Go to other forums and there are fanatics against anybody that can hear a difference in cables. They claim its a waste of money, only fools would buy them, on and on, but when you look at their systems, they aren't using the real cheap cables that you get in a $25 dvd box. They are using $20 and a little higher cables. Why is that? If they are dead set that there are no differences in cables, then they should use the cables that most of us throw away.
IMO, if the audiophile has any decent system or the ears to hear a difference, it boils down to: do you want to pay more and maybe a lot more $$$ to get a different sound. I'll admit, not every jump in cable price is a better cable, it will sound different, maybe better or maybe worse, but there is a different sound to cables and if it does sound better, then you have to make a decision if the price increase of the cable is worth it.
Same goes for other audio components, cars, appliances, pretty much everything.

That said, I am quite angry with audio cable companies for creating 'ladders' of tens of progressively more expensive cables that I believe are designed to squeeze money from perfectionist audiophiles who yearn for that elusive "step up".

They are just as likely to be worse. I've heard many demos where the High Priced Spread was clearly wrong for the equipment, yet the salesman prattled extolled the faults as virtues. And it's not a matter of opinion because I recorded the material!

Last thing: I simply don't know why cables do sound different. 

It's in the math.

Read http://ielogical.com/Audio/CableSnakeOil.php and the Garen Galeis papers linked there.