could somebody help me out on the benefits of expensive phono and speaker cables?

Making up numbers does not debunk anything (of course gk would assert it does seemingly). but it is true that wires have always been one of the most profitable items sold by any hifi vendor at any price. That roll of 16 gauge copper speaker wire you used to buy at Radio Shack had huge profit margin. More money made there than with equivalent electronics for sure. Speakers were somewhat better than electronics but wire and accessories (tweaks) ruled for profit which is of course what all business is about. That might be one reason for some people's obsession in pitching tweaks.

mapman, no offense, but it appears your reading comprehension skills have deteriorated even more than I would have thought possible. One imagines an Amish upbringing might not encourage math skills or reading comprehension skills. No offense to Amish or any other religious groups is intended. I’m sure they have their strengths. Or maybe it’s something in the water where you are, who knows?

10%                               
For a newbie... The best advice is spend 10% of total system cost on wire.                              
If you are not a newbie, spend what ever you want.

drdeth,
You are free to believe whatever you want to believe. The world is your oyster.

numba nine, numba nine, numba nine, num...


seriously, I support Elizabeth’s assertion on this one, that seems about right, though I will say I’ve had very good results with Blue Jeans’ Belden sourced cables and they are a high value bargain. Just an option for not much $$.

Also, consider that the most often-used cabling in professional recording studios, everywhere, is Belden. So, it would seem that the same cable would be just as appropriate for playback as well, right?