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

It's a valid question. I have had Straight Wire Crescendo speaker cables(and interconnects) since 2009 and they are very good. But I've been contemplating an upgrade.

It took me a long while to sift through all the different speaker cables and their claims and reviews and I still couldn't make a decision.
Then I started looking into Townshend's F-1 Fractals as I was buying many of their vibration isolation products.

The reviews I read about the F-1's were on the side of revelatory and I was very interested in how they treat the copper wires with the Fractal technology. It's a different type of copper wires in a way.

In the end, I bought a pair of the F-1 speaker cables and even their F-1 interconnects to replace my Crescendo interconnects to keep the same loom. I should be receiving all the isolation podiums etc and Fractal in a couple of weeks.

I once was lost but now am found, was deaf but now fondue.

No more speaker cable dilemma’s  for me, 😂
Moved to Grimm active speakers and sqm

focker39

... If speaker cables make a huge difference, and there is a range of cable for each brand, why is it I can’t find a dealer that will take the time to run multiple A/B comparisons within the line they carry ...

Perhaps you are at the wrong dealer. There's always the Cable Company lending library if you truly can't gain the cooperation of a good dealer.

I wear hearing aids and I don't much care whether somebody on the internet thinks I should be allowed to be an audiophile or not.