Are Cables Better Than High Grade Speaker Wire?

"Wires" and cables are the same thing. "Better" is a matter of personal opinion, and the "why" of it is still a mystery to most of us.

I think he's asking if solid core is better than stranded.

What I am really asking is I can purchase high grade speaker wire pretty inexpensively. Say $50, if I choose to put spades or banana plugs on the price will go up but still pretty inexpensive. I see cheap cables for $100's and the prices rise dramatically from there.
So the question comes down to why pay so much for cables when I can simply buy wire and save a lot of money. Do the cables perform that much better?

Thanks

Well, most audiophiles opt for cable that is more expensive than 'off the roll' wires. So presumably they will sound better, or else they would not do it.

I personally have quite a bit of money tied up in cables and I certainly feel it is money well spent.

Maybe you could borrow some decent cables from someone and compare. Then you can decide for yourself.

As roxy54 commented, the why is generally a mystery, but that doesn't make it not true. Personally, I think very low voltage signals benefit significantly from better quality wire/cable.