In discussions of speaker cables what's often overlooked is the gauge of the speaker's internal wiring. I've seen high end speakers with inexpensive 18 gauge wire soldered to the internal binding posts.

Unless it's a long run what benefit is derived from an expensive 9 gauge wire connected to an inexpensive 18 gauge wire? And it's not the same as a fire hose connected to a garden hose.

Tiny gauge cat5 wiring is a favorite among many DIY'ers for certain amp/speaker combos.

Many purist in the full range single driver crowd are inclined to use unbroken speaker wire runs from the amp soldered directly to the driver tabs. My OB speaker builds have been criticized for using binding posts which are considered to be a break in the connection.