Does raising speaker cables off the floor really make a big difference?

Absolutely not. It is just a way of showing off your over priced cables. The best way to deal with speaker wires is put your balanced mono amp right behind the speaker keeping your speaker wire as short as possible then run long balanced cables to the amps. If you want to put them on cable elevators knock yourself out.
Geoffkait go to Wikipedia and read about static electricity. Then look up triboelectric series. But, you are right. Cable elevators can not fix static electricity nor can they fix anything else other than the finances of people selling them. I would never buy anything from a store or web site selling cable elevators or any other patently obvious BS.

bdp24, you misunderstood me, that was heavily tongue in cheek. I do believe I am on your side of the argument.
Williewonka, there are three camps here. Those that are right, those that are wrong and then there is geoFFkait who has no idea what side he is on. 

audiozenology, this is a good example of why you should never trust anyone's hearing. I have also seen instances in which these "AB" comparisons were rigged by someone switching EQ curves or phasing.
If you can not think of a reasonable reason why something should work it usually does not. Cable elevators are a good example of this. There is no reason and they don't work, not even a little except in the minds of the easily influenced.

Just think. Our politicians come from the same mix of people.

Bdp24, facing both directions? And I suppose one direction will make a fabulous, incredible improvement in image depth or some such and the other will not? Shit, you learn something every day.