What type of cables make the most difference

It depends on the quality of cables you are comparing in your blindfold. (good cable vs good cable......Or trash cable vs good cable.....good cable vs good cable can get very difficult to discern)

Some digital cables can make a very discernible difference. Otherwise, speaker cables (most times)...

Interconnects...barely...a lot of you will be pulling teeth a lot to pass that blind comparison.

Power cable upgrades are nonsense mostly if you already have a high quality power conditioner.

P.S. "I heard a difference" means nothing....it’s weak, a very weak statement...Don't be weak...You need to "hear that difference" 23/25 times, 18/20 times, etc in a blindfold....a.k.a when the going gets tough, the tough get going...

I'm a geezer audiophile and I have experimented with cables for decades. So far I have never heard a cable that makes a difference. One possible reason for this is that I use a control whenever possible. For example, I have multiple digital components hooked up (two DACs, two CD players, two transports) and my method to test cables is to compare two components, let"s say two CD players, with my standard cables which come from Blue Jeans. I do my best to identify any differences (which are small when comparing digital sources in my experience) with the same cables and then I swap out the cables on one source. I will leave this arrangement in place for a month or two and compare the two sources a number of times using the same CD on both making sure the volume is the same.

I hadn't heard a difference on the cables I tried but I had read over and over that silver cables have a particular character. Some people love them and others not so much but they had a reputation for giving a distinctive sound. So I went ahead and spent several hundred dollars on a pair of Audioquest silver interconnects and did my test. Same result. Bupkis.

I think it's very enlightening that nobody has produced a controlled ABX test that shows that listeners can identify different cables when they don't know which they are listening to. If anyone on this thread knows of such a test please provide a link. It's particularly important that no cable manufacturer has produced such a test. If a company had a cable that could reliably be identified in blind testing they would be filling every audio magazine and every internet ad crowing about this information.

I realize that you asked for personal experience and I fully accept that if someone says they can hear a difference between cables then they hear a difference. All I can say is that I've saved thousands of dollars over the years that I have put into DACs, speakers, amplifiers, and especially recorded music.

@8th-note 

Thank you for sharing your experiences. What is the equipment you are using. The effect is highly dependent on your system. There is a place to show photos and ID your components. Which is really helpful for forum members to understand where you are coming from. 

Have you ever borrowed some really good cables or interconnects... for instance something in the $2K range? Cardas, Transparent, top of the line Audio Quest. I have found that cables and interconnects in the shallow end often are just not very good. I think Nordost is known for this. Their high end stuff is spectacular, like the Valhalla up to Odin 2 are striking, but the lower end are pretty unremarkable. 

As far as silver vs other. The character of the sound of inexpensive intereconnects is often very material driven... but high end ones are not... all the components have been carefully chosen and any deficiency in the metal are offset by other materials, geometries and other factors. 

Signal cables deliver the most noticeable tonal impact. While this difference may fade into the background over time, the underlying quality always shines through.

Power cables free components from performance constraints. High-quality power cables allow your devices to operate with consistent excellence, creating a positive ripple effect across your entire system.

Speaker cables can choke your sound if chosen poorly. Selecting the right speaker cables is critical to unlocking the full potential of a high-end audio system..

8th-note, I appreciate your explanation of the trouble you have hearing differences in cables. I have a few suggestions based on my principles for building superior systems. 

Ignore break in or settling. You will not be able to ascertain reliably a difference in sound over longer periods of time. To the others on this thread, I am not interested in arguing my advice. 

Second, work with entire sets. There are confounding variables such as two different brands of cables which are made similar, i.e,, similar conductor and AWB, which will sound similar. The characteristics of cables are far more discernible when used in sets. A great deal of the arguments about cables could be laid to rest if people would compare sets rather than individual cables. 

Finally, regarding your claim, "I think it's very enlightening that nobody has produced a controlled ABX test that shows that listeners can identify different cables when they don't know which they are listening to. If anyone on this thread knows of such a test please provide a link," you are speaking with a reviewer who voluntarily subjected himself to ABX using the Van Alstine ABX Comparator. I included cables in the testing to see if I could reliably select the proper cables, and I did. I am forbidden as a reviewer to put a link there, but you can find the article if you conduct a search for "Douglas Schroeder Van Alstine ABX" or similar.

If you come up with excuses why you will not accept my findings in the article, then know that I have no interest in debating my findings.