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

The best test is your ears, if you can. If someone can’t hear a difference, no need to believe it, or wonder, save yourself the $. As MC hinted above, its no members job here to convince otherwise. Go discover.

I compared four different low, mid-grade, and higher grade bi-wire speaker cables to the budget builders Home Depot zip cord for fun, even ran it in bi-wire configuration, with and without connector ends. The HD cord is grainy sounding at best, not good in my system. Might be okay for some in lower efficiency speaker systems, if you want to convince yourself its good.   The result with the HD zip cord is missing some high and low frequency.  A limited design, limited conductor, limited insulation (dielectric), resulting in added NOISE. The opposite of clean, clear, smooth, or even dark sounding cables. If you like this HD zip cord sound, or can’t hear a difference, save your $. Some people like added salt in their ice cream, have at it! We all hear differently. Enjoy! 

If a Individual purchased a Branded Speaker Pair of Speakers Cables
Five Years ago as a used Cable for $500 Dollar for 2 x 8ft Lengths that originally retailed at $1000.
Then after owning the Cable for the Five Year Term sold the Cables for 
$300 Dollars.
The Cable will have cost the Second User $40 Dollars a Year to own the Cable.

If a Person was to enter this Thread claiming they had invested $40 a year into their Speaker Cables the statement would not seem to be in keeping with Hyped Expensive Wire, but more closer to a statement about Cheap Wire being Purchased from a Home Depot.

If a Cable is creating a Interest to a Individual to try using it.
It can investigated for user feedback and see how it performs with a particular Interface.
If it still appeals, the Cable cab be sought out to see if there is a option for it to be purchased at a Cost that is heavily reduced from the Retail Value.

From my experience not much will be lost on a resale if the Cable is bought prudently and at a later date is sold.    
In a few cases the Cable has realised a small profit.

My other Hobby being photography has much more increased levels of depreciation on purchases, whether Prudent Used Purchases or as a New Purchase.

There is a thread of prejudice woven into the fabric that is the HiFi Community stretching across the Globe.
Every Forum and Country will have occupants who do not in any measure welcome the idea that Cables are worthy of a High Retail Value.
This is most likely because the view is that the Cable does not produce a important role in the System, it is an umbilical that is a necessity to enable the System to Function.

Cables which have a High Retail Price are met with the uncomfortable welcome, that is regularly seen expressed. 
Users who make their use of the High Priced Cables known, 
are commonly disregarded as Discontented Neurotics, who constantly exchange Devices and Ancillaries with Too Much Disposable Income and are always in search of the next big thing to brag about.

My own personal experience with Individuals who are content with the idea of exchanging Cables at Different retail Values does not reflect the above.
The Individuals I spend time with are likeminded to myself, and are quite content with their Systems and see no need to exchange a Device or Ancillary to create any further improvements.

Their use, as well as my own use of a Cable or Permutations of Cables over a period of time, is to see how the best interface can be created for r much wanted to be retained Devices and Ancillaries.

As New Cables are also known to need a time to settle, some choices of a Cable can remain within a Interface for a very long time and commonly remain almost permanently.

+1 stebut - I agree with you! If there are actual  sonic differences between wire it would have been measurable long ago! I blame Noel Lee with his Monster cable for starting this. Before his subjective claims of Monster's superiority everyone used zip cord - and nobody complained! For interconnects it was gray Switchcraft from Radio Shack. Nobody complained! The whole wire business is built upon the unscrupulous preying upon the neurotically obsessed and insecure.

If anyone needs scientific proof with cables, do the first step with anything scientific and do some direct observations for yourself.

Lots of supposedly scientifically oriented people have gone to great lengths to provide themselves with results that match their beliefs. The internet is littered with them. The naysayers who post here rely on them. It's what trolls do. 

All the best,
Nonoise