Do expensive cables/wires REALLY make a difference

I guess it depends on what you call expensive. Can you buy a good cable for 10 bucks? I'd say no.do you have to spend $500, again, I'd say no. The right cables do matter. There are many other things that factor in. I like to tell people if you take one "tweak" out, you might hear no difference. If you take several out, then you will. Cables are like that. There is some good advice above. I wouldn't break the bank on cables, but, the right ones can be dramatic. Experiment within your budget, and see what you think.

You have some good information already but bear in mind that cables are probably the most difficult part of any system to incorporate effectively. There are a lot of very good inexpensive cables available.There are also a lot of expensive cables that their perfomance doesn't justify their price. I would not spend big dollars on a cable unless your system is ready for it. Spend your dollars first on good gear then go to a dealer or the Cable Company ask for suggestions and borrow some cables to try.Give them some time to warm up and get the kinks out.If you have to strain to hear an improvement they aren't worth your money.Trying out differnt cables and gear can be fun but bear in mind that you may eventually find or try something that creates what I call an "Oh Wow Moment" and you want to keep it. So do not borrow it unless you can afford it.

I just burned in 5 new Nordost Blue Heaven power cords and they make more of a difference that swapping stock Electro-Harmonic KT-88 tubes for 8 matching Gold Lion Genelax tubes. The tubes made a little difference, and the QB4 power distrobution box along with Nordost BH IC's and BH bi-wires helped some too, but not as much as replacing the stock powercords. I don't think wires have to be very expensive, but they should do better than stock. A full loom of Nordost Odins would cost more than a car, so in that case I wouldn't care even if they made a big difference. Maybe they would or maybe not.

You may be higher-end than me--I have a modest system. I can hear a difference between the lowest end cables and better ones. For me it's not worth it to step up to the really expensive ones. If you've got truly high end amp/speaker/source components then you may hear a difference worth shelling out the big bucks for. But for me, it would be a mismatch.

I'm another who would not go the Monster Cable route. There are better options at that price point, and that is not what I would consider high end.

Good luck, I hope you have fun putting together a system worthy of your ears and budget.

I consistently hear differences between different cables in my system. I do not aleways prefer the more expensive cable, there are some expensive cables I don't like at all, and there are some inexpensive cables I like very much. Unfortunately the cables I like the most cost more than the less expensive cables I like. It's a question of proper matching, personal preference, and budget. Whenever I switch cables for music loving non audiophile friends they clearly hear a difference. We each though have different preference and budgets. Remember too that many cables hold their value very well over time, so the cost is not as outrageous as it may seem.