XLR cables for a reasonable price?

The standard addresses grounding and EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) through connections between cable shields/screens, shielding enclosures, and any EMI circuitry.  

I would like some recommendations on reasonably priced XLR cables that give excellent sonic performance.

Start with reasonably priced XLR cables, Mogami Gold from Amazon, or maybe Blue Jeans Cables that use either Belden or Canare wire and then listen and decide whether your choice sounds good to you.  
If for some reason you believe it is necessary to try something different and possibly (or possibly not) better before going down even more expensive rabbit holes, an interesting next level up to try would be Galin Gareis’ BAV (Belden Audio/Video) Audio Cables, which are marketed as an “adaptation of the Iconoclast design work to more conventional materials with higher flexibility”, and which sell for much less money than full-on Iconoclast cables.  

The balanced line standard often comes up here when discussing XLR cables.  Here is the standard and here is an article by Rane that provides additional context.  Also, see Chapter 3 of this article by Bill Whitlock, of Jensen Transformers, Inc. on balanced audio interfaces.

The balanced line standard covers grounding of balanced lines but not the 600-ohm thing that sometimes enters these discussions.  The 600-ohms was for POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) for which maximizing power transfer by matching output and input impedances was an important consideration.  With home audio gear, almost everything has a low output impedance and high input impedance so the cable characteristic impedance is not an issue, unless you are running cables for tens of miles.

If you don’t need the additional noise rejection of a quad cable, consider the twisted pair Mogami W2549, which shares the same materials and shielding of the W2534.

High Quality Balanced Microphone Cable Neglex Type #22AWG

W2549 has been designed using our famous Neglex OFC to provide the highest quality audio reproduction in any recording application. It features #22AWG conductors and extremely low capacitance. The 100% coverage served shield and twisted pair construction is excellent at preventing noise caused by electromagnetic interference. This cable is recommended when extended high frequencies are important or where long cable runs may be needed.

Part No. W2549

I agree with @cleeds 

Having industry professionals like Ralph around here at least provides interesting perspective and, in many cases, initiates discussions that result in me looking stuff up and learning new things.

They all have their own way of doing things, which creates variety in the gear we use, and they are passionate about the industry (a good thing).  There are a couple who stand out for their vehement belief that theirs is the only true path (i.e., Robert from Live-Vibe comes to mind) but I believe their participation is a positive addition to the discussions and I appreciate when they show up.