I used to think pricey interconnects were snake oil...

My favorite speaker cables are 10 AWG, cloth covered, 32 strand tinned copper with a pvc liner salvaged from a 1980's telephone transfer station and had relatively high voltage going through them on a daily basis for years, ie they were very thoroughly "burned in." I don't think there is anything more important than a very thorough burning in.

"Snake Oil"

Refrain from what? I thought I was being amusing. So called "snake oil" does have some therapeutic properties however minimal, Perhaps we use that word recklessly and impertinently when we bandy it about in audio land.

I went through a variety of xlr interconnects from the likes of Audioquest, Moon Audio and others. They were okay, but it wasn't until I got some AntiCables gold/ silver alloy that I found what really worked for me and my system and at a price I could afford.