What do you mean by "better" when it comes to cabl

I have read a number of posts here and on other sites regarding cables being good or better or great or whatever. Once you use a pure copper or silver conductor, wrap it in a decent, effective insulator and terminate with quality RCA connectors, then what is it that an audiophile is looking for the cable to do? In other words, how does it become "better". Is it a matter of adding colorations. Or are people suggesting that there is some signal loss over 1 meter which degrades the sound and can be restored through better cable. and how does that restoration occur, or is it simply a matter of reducing loss. Is the cable being used as a tone control? an equalizer? Are we trying to achieve something more than what a preamp or component is putting out in the first place.
I am not in the camp that claims that cables dont make a difference, because I have heard a change in my system with a different cable, but it wasnt something strong enough for me to even articulate the change accurately. It sounded "better" but I dont know how or why. what is it that the better cable is supposed to do?