I can't comment on the value of high priced cables because my money would be better spent buying better gear, but I suspect they can tweak sound one way or the other. In my mid-fi priced system, 12/2 Romex unterminated sounds good. Easy to find too.
One question I have: when you crack the cover on your gear, have you seen the wiring on the input/output terminals? Does it look like Purist or Anno Domini or Cantibile Beatificus or whatever? Mine looks like 14 gauge automotive wire. I then wonder why I would finish the circuit with an expensive cable when it starts and ends with basic copper cable?
One question I have: when you crack the cover on your gear, have you seen the wiring on the input/output terminals? Does it look like Purist or Anno Domini or Cantibile Beatificus or whatever? Mine looks like 14 gauge automotive wire. I then wonder why I would finish the circuit with an expensive cable when it starts and ends with basic copper cable?