possible I guess thpugh no real way for me personally to know which illustrates a the dificulty I have translating my thoughts to a mostly UK based crowd that has experiences/needs differing from my own.Not a HUGE problem but still a bit rough when even standrds are a bit "off".
My assumption is all wire is pretty much from a few large manufacturers which is then lablelled with the customer logo and all the "hype" about how certain wire is better than anothers is just that because the wire is in fact identical except for cosmetic differences.
The trick is to identify the ones with superior performance then purchase the generic "no name" versions at rock bottom prices and even if not as "pretty" give you the same performnce level as the megabuck cables.
BUT !
Becuase the audio specific cable market is so full of pure 100% bullshit it is hard to separate the pretenders from the constenders unless you have unlimited resources and can then buy/evalaute all for direct comparisons.Add to that the reviewers who by being exposed to so many high priced cables they would not know a bargain even if they were strangled by that wire it gets to be a real bitch trying to wade through all the crap and know what is and is not actually better than the stock cables that come with products "in the box".
I try very hard to come at such things with a common sense real world use attitude that is not audio specific but according to just what the hell it is we are trying for.
In AC cables we have those who claim it makes zero difference and any cable will do and make the statement "it is only AC !" dismissing it as having no impact on the audio signal while conveneintly forgetting EVERYTHING is predicated on the power source which IS the signal in reality which in turn is manipulated by the ciruitry to do whatever it is we are trying to do be it amplifying,equalising,whatever.If it has a line based power supply then everything connected is impacted in one way or another.
the other group are those who will claim their entire system was transformed into a higher class of sound quality by the simple introduction of ONE AC mains cable !That this single $500 garden hose size gold adorned cable made everything sound better and they could hear things never before heard and so a bargain even at halk a K note
What a bunch of hooey !It is guys like that who give audiphiles a bad name becase a thinking person would know this is pure crap right after the first line and because they are so extreme in the statements the practical mind usually dismisses ALL audiophiles as being a bit "off" using the extremest view to prove the point.
As with most things the truth is in the midle of the two extremes and usually based on practical provable theory or real world use examples.As saiad earlier if you want to do a thing right look to the medical industry where failure rates mean someone dies and where "good enough" is anything but.
Another area where lives/jobs depend on
performance are the military and the aerospace/aeronautic industries and finally there are research labs where test equipemnt can teach us a lot about signal quality and contact integrity.
Look to these areas and you will usually find the origins of most of what the high end of audio has repackaged,relabled and hyped as the "second coming of" while claiming "after extensive research and years of testing yadda yadda yadda......" as if somehow they discovered fire and are now willing to share the results but only for a price "yes folks,our fire really IS better than the generic fire you would get from your typical lightening strike induced forest fire.We go to great lengths to make sure our fire only burns pure so you can sleep comfortably tonight knowing we have tamed the fire beast and can now bring it to a store near you at the ridiculously low price of $$$$$$$$$$$$..."
My way is to always look to the professionals first.to look at industries where if something goes wonky something bad happens at worst or at best heads roll.What do roadies use ? What does the local radio station use and what has been their experience ? The recording studio ? local hospitals ?
All those pretty overpriced replacement wall outlets and mains came over to audio from the medical industry when someone realised they has better contact integrity than anything available in the consumer audio market and the first offering were gathered up as quickly as they could be made until someone in a forum somewhere said "hey ! the same thing is at the local hardware store for 1/10th that price !" then provided the details which in turn meant the company smart enough to "discover" something already widely known in another industry would no longer have a monopoly thus limited sales to those who have not yet gotten the "word",
what to do ? Hell,that one is easy.Throw some gold on the already fine connections,maybe cryo treatment,some pretty heat shrink with a cool logo and if wire a fkn cover thick enough to be considered armor then tout this through ad copy as being "improved" thus worthy of the big dollars asking price.
BULLSHIT AGAIN !
this is not a better product way just a better way to keep market share intact and so full of holes usually they NEED to have a shitload of techno bable and graphs to facillatate the con going on then they send out samples to be reviewed so those assholes can tell you how their entire system was improved by the logos and heat shrink additin and how the $500 asking price is a piddling amount considering the performance level and they LINE UP LIKE FKN DRONES money in hand perpetuating the lie !
the new one is to add wood to the actual connection and while this is something that has actual sonic/technical merit in my opinion (the less metal the better) it is NOT another few hundred dollars worth of improvement !
$2 worth of wood part and 10 minutes at the lathe does not equal another $200 in retail price and in fact should be CHEAPER than using those overpriced "name" boutique connectors we all know by heart because they are hypoed so much as "features" in other gear so they too can gouge you on price (share the wealth folks !)
But
We are much smarter than that right ?
Look to just about every single AC cable not labelled "Beldon" and you find what ? Three wires in a triple braid covered with an overall "colorful" jacket to hide what it is connected to jewelry....I mean terminated with high quality audio grade connectors
Not three wire braid ? Maybe four.Not a braid at all ? Then two wires twisted together,covered,the ground wire spiralled over this and covered again,then another "outter" sheath with the pretty cross hatch pattern which in the end is damn near as thich at the ends as the actual AC connectors and this all meant to give the
appearance of a cable capable of mega-amp current delivery when the truth is they use common 14 guage solid copper wire,the same AC wire used in the commercial industry and available in bulk spools for pennies on the audio dollar.
all bulshit meant to get into your pockets and when we catch on they come out with a new twist to keep the profits rolling.Said "twists" having zero to do with actual in system real world [erfprmance but everything to do with deception and profit.
My opinion is you can use damn near any 600V rated solid copper wire in a three wire brand and have it meet or beat just about every single aftermarket cable out there on the sonic merits
You need a more flexable cable ? Then 16 guage or stranded though be aware there WILL be a perfomance falloff.Not extreme but there.The reason why stranded wire was invented was because the consumer needed flexable cables and not for any performance gains.One of those areas where comprimise is made for a desired end result and in this case means allowing cables to both lay flat on the floor and not stich out at odd angles at the back of equipment and for no other reason.
You need shields due to being in a high RF feild ? Fine,Beldon shielded or slip an after market shield braid over the assembly but be aware this WILL and DOES add inductance so choose your poisong.For every "fix" there is a side effect that must be weighed against the initial problem and when the bandaid is worse than wound better to leave it off............
High traffic area such as at a live performance where you KNOW someone will run over your cables with a road case then PVC or armored Teflex cover is in order.This will protect the actual cable but again introduces additional capacitance so again could be a "fix" that introdeuces as many problems as it cures so must be weighed on the "do i really need to do this" bassis.
Finally I have directly asked the question "considering all that extra cost is 99% cosmetics and those cosmetics actually hurt performance not improve on it why would you purchse that ?" many times and every time the answer is just about the same yet still surprising each and every time :
"because they look cool and I can afford to" 
no way to argue against that type of mindset and my only followup question would be "then hy the fk are you saying the sound is improved when that has zero to do with anything that was part of your decision ?" which usually gets in response.........................................................................
still waiting
However, I would be hyper-critical if I was to say that I have never bought expensive cable. I have and do use expensive interconnects, although not Kimber.
What, so no-ones going to be sending me a Krell to hike up my electricity bill or a valve amp so my cats can sleep on it during the winter? Bummer!