speaker cable prices


I read plenty of articles on the demise of high end audio and have been an enthusiast for 40 years and worked at a high end retail chain for ten years back in the 90's. I still own several systems and buy and sell gear to keep tweaking my systems. Nonetheless I'm pretty shocked at the prices of cables in particular- I look for a decent pair of speaker cables to run from a Pass amp to a good pair of speakers and can hardly find a pair of 8 ft cables for less than $1000- most are commonly 2-3k for a pair of cables. 

Is it me or is this ludicrous? 

What are people buying for an average pair of cables ? Can a pair be had for $300?
128x128cowan217
I have a lot of money in my stereo, but only a hundred in the speaker cable.
Kimber 8TC.
The connectors cost more than the wire.
WBT speaker banana at the speaker end.
(cheap crimp terminals at the amp end. LOL
River Cable... The purchase comes with all relevant measurements of your specific cables tested before shipment.     www.rivercable.com
Also crutchfield cables... you can choose from 18 to 10awg OFC, they are figure 8 in a black jacket; I know some high-end cable makers stay clear from black jacket because it deteriorates the sound, but for less than $2 a foot, it must not be all that bad.