Feels like Im missing something here..... how much could a pair of cables possibly smell ....?
Unlikely as it sounds, this is unfortunately a real thing that happened to me (with Cardas cables, like the OP's experience) not too long ago. The odor was definitively repulsive when I was close enough to the cables to connect them to my equipment. I have smelled similar odors on a couple of different used components I purchased over the years but never to the level of what I smelled on these recently purchased cables. I assumed the seller was a prolific user of cologne. Who knows, maybe he wore them around his neck to a rave? It it wasn't until I read this thread that I entertained the notion that somebody may have (purposely?) sprinkled stink on the cables. What type of weirdo would odorize their cables?!? Maybe trying to hide smoker smell?
To the OP - the good news is that the odor on the cables I received has become much less over the course of a month or two, so hang in there. I didn't wash them, soak them, cook them, or bury them - just let them air out without getting too close. You might try hanging them outside on a nice breezy day.