Do you really need ultra expensive cables?

IMHO, I don't think we "need" anything in any hobby. But, I do think that some people just want the ultra "good for the job" cables. As we all know that the price is somewhat related to the quality (and also marketing, blah, blah, blah..) of the cables, getting the ultra "good for the job" can mean getting the ultra expensive cables.

Since cable is a passive component, it depends heavily on the components it connects. Having said that, you can make any cable "comparable" to the others. But, if you fix with a good pair of components to connect, I really believe that you'll have a better chance to get a better quality by randomly picking an expensive one rather than a cheap one. How far better chance? It depends on how far the price difference is. This might be another reason to make this hoppy fun. To beat the chances, :). If you can beat that chance by very far, you can hold your head so high that everyone else would want to kick you (or do something similar).

No.

Cables make a HUGE difference. Even power cords.

You don't "need" to spend any particular percentage on cables and you may well find a low cost cable family that suits your system quite well.

But they do make a huge difference.

You might want to use the Cable Company's rental service to experiment with different cables. You can try out the family sound of different brands, and you can determine for yourself what is the most effective price point. The staff at Cable Company (unless they have had turnover recently) get a LOT of feedback about cables and have a wealth of knowlege to advise you. Call 1-800-FAT-WYRE.

I guess I should disclaimer - I don't benefit from Cable Company's success, other than as an audiophile seeing others in the hobby prosper.

Art

Pbb said it all...
And i'll repeat it: NO.

It depends on what is meant by "no". :)