Speaker Cables? why all the hype for expensive speaker wire?

I do find speaker cables make less difference than interconnects or power cables.

@jperry +1

   I compared zip cord to several more expensive cables.  It sounded different. In some ways it was fine, but there were things lacking, especially in the lower registers.  If you like the way zip cord sounds, you’re lucky, in a way!   But almost everyone on this site has been through that, experimenting with different cables, and come to a different conclusion.   It’s not just about the cost.   I use Grover Huffman cables now, which are moderately priced (as these things go), but I prefer them to more expensive cables I’ve had before. 
   

My current theory on speaker cables, cables in general, and every other component in an audio system is that they all shape sound into puzzle pieces. The puzzle pieces of that sound connect to the joining puzzle pieces of your ears and brain.  The shapes of the ear and brain puzzle pieces are determined by the frequencies your ears can hear well and the frequencies your ears are failing at, and by your brain that enjoys whatever frequencies it happens to enjoy.  Given all that, not everyone will like the same things or agree on their merits. And it explains why less expensive cables can sound better than expensive cables to some people. 

I should add that hearing things you didn’t hear in another system proves very little.  That happens when I listen to the cheap system in my car, for example, sometimes I can make out lyrics that are not as easily heard on the home rig.  It’s just balanced differently.  Inferior bass brings out details in the mids and highs.  Kind of like stand-mounts do - they aren’t reproducing the full spectrum, so you hear what’s left a bit more clearly. 

@ozzy "I have found that as I improve my components the difference in the cables connecting them together matters."...

Absolutely.