I've been thinking about this lately. For years I've been using a cheap Radio Shack/Sony "gold plated" cable to connect my preamps to recorders. The gear usually is CA-14s > STC-9200 > Tascam DR-2d (line in). I now have an Ugly Pre 2 so I guess the same question would apply to that. I've also got a "monster" cable that I got just because it was a shorter length and looked nice.
So my concern is - How important is this part of the recording chain? Seems like a much lower priority than the mics, pre, and recorder IMO. If it matters substantially, what factors should be considered for the next step up?