Are cables really worth their high price because of their geometry?


They’re some pricey cables that have claim to fame because of the high tech geometry used in their cables.
Many of these cables have patents on specific geometry patterns used in their cables and use this as a reason their cables sound so good. For that reason, many say the reason their cables cost so much is they’re so complex . The man hours to make a pr results in their high price. That maybe true for some cables, but I’ve seen very pricey cables using the same geometry reason that look like a thin piece of wire rapped in outer jacket no thicker than a pencil. So,Is all this geometry just another way to justify their cost or is it true science that we are paying in the end?
hiendmmoe
Mr.  speedbump6
I understand about speaker cables more than any other.
It was always left to charlatans who has no idea what cables the customers need. 
The BS around it, went from weird to bizarre.  
It was a trend, waves of BS and now we are at geometry.
It's a temporary BS till the next one.
The only thing matters with a speaker cable, is it's relative resistance value to the Amp's Ro or DF.
The other parameter that goes in, is the cable length.
Put that in a calculation, would generate results of some thicker cables that you would find on the market.
Most cable on the market are of #12 or #14 awg, as it is easy to work with and they fit into most banana plugs and spades.
What about some thicker cable, required for Amp's with DF of 400 and above, at a 10' length? They should be of #0 awg or more. 
No geometry, no cryo, no directionality, no purity, no silver over cooper, no, no, no...even the bi wire is a BS. Run a simple simulation on Spice and you will realize that a single wire, with the same resistance of the two (bi wire) is better.
But who will give up a double sale over a single?

@b4icu

Wow, taking about a strong opinion, I say!

Colour me daft, but I still possess 3 kinds of speaker cables, in my system since a VERY long time, and always coming back to it! A Straight Wire WaveGuide, using teflon insulated solid copper wires 4 each for plus and minus, wound around a teflon string type centre core ~2.5mm ø , both ends using good quality (Furutech) cable shoes.

Nothing soldered, which earlier on was mildly degrading performance, since very hard to get good solder joints even with a high wattage solder iron.
Something I really only learned after de-soldering! 😒

Second, a very noticeably DIFFERENT sounding set, also 5 foot long, pure silver strand litz (many strands) clear ABS coated cable.
Rather bright sounding, ok tight bass but ~puny~ midrange, to put it quite simply.

Third, thicker copper strand ± same gauge as the silver cable, again using waxy ABS type insulation but seperate round strands, red and black pigmented ABS, running next to each other straight, but all embedded in cotton fibres! (damping?) and finally coated in a white PVC outer layer.
Not as bright as the silver litz, but not as coherent sounding as the StraightWire, which sounds overall more natural by comparison.

I had also listened/tested in my system a *very* elaborate construction Kimber copper SC, about 1½ inch thick! with lots a of ’fancy’ inner foam damping etc. and found no real difference to the StraightWire. At all.

So, in my learing, speaker wires, different makes and constructions, *can* absolutely sound noticeably different - yet some, even of mightily different design/construction .. don’t necessarily do so. 
Ergo... it ALL depends. Why? 🤔
That’s another story. 😊

PS: I do not underestimate the influence of the speaker’s x-over, design and construction as all has an influence too, and of course NEVER MIND your power amp’s damping factor! 🙃
@justmetoo - Thanks for that info - I've not heard of that cable, but from your description it sounds very similar in some respects to my Helix Cables.

Another very similar cable I am aware of is the Interconnect from Anti-Cable
http://anticables.com/interconnects/analog-rca-interconnects

But I have no experience with what they sound like. Reports on this forum seem to be very favorable though.

The problem with cables like these is the time to fabricate them and they become difficult to make when you get up to 2-3 meters long, making them more expensive to the customer

Regards - Steve


@williewonka

As to 'anti-cables' I had some tested some time ago, that were offered to me free of charge for a trial periode, 1-2 weeks. 
Seeing them, I right away had a suspicion they were made up by some not so very professional folks - do they give franchises to some 'operators' ?!? 🤔 

In any case, they were made up (rather crudely) of two different thicknesses of lacquered transformer wire and ever so terribly stiff! with very cheap banana type connectors, and badly fitted to boot. 

The sound... not very coherent and quite bright - in my system, and apparently a *very* long time of burn-in required. 

This whole 'episode' reminded me more of a scam than anything else. 👎

But - I can imagine, also given the most affordable price, some folk will find them A1 OK, now who am I to argue about it ? 🤔😏
Mr. justmetoo
At the bottom line, all that matters is the resistance of your speaker cable vs. the Amp's DF (Ro).
All the descriptions of yours about the three cables, are good for Fri. eve, to tell around the coffee table, or to put asleep a kid.
None has any contribution to the facts of electricity and electronics.
As the speaker cable is an extension of the Amp's Ro, the speaker load is of no significance,  and so are all the BS that the cable makers and sales guys spread (as a pandemic).
When you get the right cable (calculated) the sound is so much better.
After that, no matter what you put there, it wont match or improve.