Interesting question. For myself the cost for cable came to 3% of the system's total value of $35k. 0% went to power cables, but another 8% went into power line conditioners/filters. It's my opinion that too many audiophiles over spend on cables. Their systems are good enough to reveal the differences between cables, but that still begs the question whether they are a good value. I use Discovery +4 interconnects and Sumiko OCOS cable. Both are very good products, but I recognize that there are superior, and far more expensive, products out there. I'm not knocking expensive cable products, but I think the money can be better spent on music software, front end equipment or room treatments. BTW, I use an integrated amp (w/ phono). This contributes to keeping interconnect costs down.
Cable Costs Relative to System
Since making a spread sheet with my audio system prices, I have been thinking(shocked) about my total investment in cables. My total system retails at $67,000 (Digital and analog front ends included). I purchased all of it here on Audiogon so my investment is about 50%. Of that I have about 10% invested in interconnects and cables and another 10% in Power Cables (Shunyata Hydra included). That's $13,000 worth of wire. I'm starting to question whether it might be more effective to put some of this budget into acitve components. It would take forever to listen to all possible combinations, but would like to hear others experiences with relatively high end systems and cable selection. It would seem to me that the point of diminishing returns would be reached sooner with cables than with speakers and amps. Do most of you follow the 10% "rule" for cabling? How do PCs fit into this rule? Are there any super bargain cables capable of keeping up with highly resolving electronics?