Back on topic, I've made XLR cables via the methods outlined by twiiii and kevzep as well as purchased them from Guitar Center (Live Wire), Kimber (PBJ), and Wireworld (Onyx). Damned if I can tell a difference between these different cables as far as SQ goes. When it comes to interconnecting fully balanced components via XLR, this is how you take advantage of all that the engineers had to offer. Once I went balanced, I had no desire to revert to unbalanced RCAs.
This is kind of my angle. Belden 9451 is used throughout US in broadcast and recording applications, I'd guess that something similar was used around the world. And balanced vs RCA is a no brainer; the noise rejection makes it hard to make a case for RCA. The same Belden cables run line level audio hundreds of feet sometimes with no ill effects. (I've run RCA some distances too, but that's when you don't have a choice)
The point is that all the old masterworks, from Abbey Road studios, or wherever you want to point out, used the grandfather of this cable in the original recordings we canonize today.
Belden 9451 is used for line level audio, as well as microphone level audio today.
But, in those days cables were of necessity, boutique cabling hadn't arrived on the scene yet.
It's sometimes used from the patch panel to the microphones, sometimes not (It's not terribly flexible) but on a set stage it works fine, on a live event I'd use something else.
But from the patch panel to the mixing board...Behind the panel, where nobody is looking...Except me (and Twiiii and kevzep, not that I have their experience levels) is somebody's 22ga 1 pair. (or more likely an umbilical of many pairs). Where the grandfather of 9451 (or 8723 for 2 pairs). I'd figure those guys used 16 pair or 32 pair (up to whatever) telephone wire sometimes.
So I'm interested in reading his findings of anyone's high-resolution cables, should he use them. I'm sending him (may take a week or so) the simple basic yardstick of television audio.
My system's a mishmash, and (like you) I haven't heard any earth-shaking differences between cables. My preferences come from how easily it's worked with, does it solder well, does the jacket hang up on conduit, how easily does it pick up noise, abrasion resistance (if exposed), fire rating (riser or plenum) et al.