Need help buying new speaker cable

There are many excellent cables in your price range. The most established and highest selling companies are WireWorld, Transparent and Audioquest. Cardas and DH Labs (very cost effective) are also good companies I have used. If you are not hearing important differences, then I would work towards minimizing cost. Companies like Cablco offer rentals so you can compare. Used cables are sold at 1/2 price.

I would start with The Absolute Sound and Stereophile, the recommended products. Established companies like I am talking about have house sound… so if their top of the line is well reviewed and would sound good in your system, then the less expensive version will get similar sound for less money. If you system needs something or doesn’t then choosing the right cables can really be a good move. If my system is perfectly balanced and I want clear transparency I go with Transparent… if my system was a bit too analytical I would look to Cardas. All the brands I mentioned above are highly reputable and make great products (personally Audio Quest has never done anything for me).

But if the differences remain difficult for you to distinguish, then perhaps drop the cost way back and save it for the next component upgrade. Do that well and there will be a big sonic difference.

Please don’t take away the impression that most folks don’t think most cables sound differently. That is false and a minority view. Depending on your system, your listening skills and preferences they can sound very different. I have never heard a very good sounding system in which the cables and interconnects were not carefully chosen and no great sounding systems where the owner has gone a great deal further.

I think most of us with substantial experience have heard “component level” improvements with a cable or interconnect at one time or another although typically the change is more subtle but important.