My own experience is similar, but with a twist. A few years ago I was using a very inexpensive (really cheap) USB cable connected to my DAC. I purchased an Audioquest Cinnamon and could spot the difference pretty reliably; my wife did the switching and recorded the results. Emboldened, I purchased a Nordost blue heaven (much pricier than the cinnamon) and really could not reliably tell the difference between the two. As far as headphone cables go, the Stellia and Utopia cables are very acceptable but I have purchased gently used aftermarket cables and I believe they are marginally ”better”. That said, I don’t want to destroy that illusion with A-B testing! Obviously there are lots of points of view but this has been my experience.
Actually, it makes a lot of sense for USB cables in terms of shielding. Cheap cables are built for a different purpose, but a decent entry level cable will fix the interference issue. The Cinnamon is great, I think. Once you go higher, the pixie dust gets pricey indeed. I think I do hear differences in headphone cables (e.g. between the Norne and stock) but they are usually subtle. What I really care about is the ergonomics.