You couldn't be more wrong in your thinking. I've been buying and listening to high end gear since I was eighteen years old. I'm fifty five now and I can tell you I've spent many, many hours with my colleagues listening to every homemade cable and piece of electronics that has crossed our paths. Some of the cables fashioned by said colleagues with recipes garnered from amateurs and online groups. Without fail, the professional gear and cables always sounded better. In fact much, much better. If we could we would love to save money buying cheaper cables and equipment but we've become accustomed to reference sound. You seem to have some sort of insecurity with people spending more money than you in a hobby they enjoy. I can tell you that people who enjoy skiing don't skimp on their equipment or fashion homemade skis to save a couple of dollars. The same can be said for most hobbies. The professionals are almost always going to do it better.