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No system is complete without the cables that connect everything. Most components come with free cables that allow you to hook up your system and get it running. In most cases, though, these cables are worth what they cost. Upgrading to higher-quality wire can make a noticeable difference.
The same is true of video cables. Low-resolution signals, like NTSC, don't require thick wires. A decent-quality S-video cable, for example, can run up to a couple of hundred feet. Poor-quality cables, on the other hand, don't. There are plenty of affordable, decent-quality video cables. Upconverted or high-definition signals should only be run over short lengths, though, with regular, not mini, sized cables. Digital audio signals can use the same wire as composite video cables. You should also keep line-level audio cables as short as possible, unless you're using balanced cables, which can be longer.
Acoustic Research
Apature Products
AudioQuest
A/V Link
Belden
Belkin
BetterCables
Blue Circle Audio, Inc.
Canare
Cardas Audio
CinemaQuest
Cobalt Cable
Coincident Speaker Technology
Dreamlink Video Cables
Esoteric Audio USA
Ethereal Cables
Gemini
Goertz
Harmonic Technology
HAVE, Inc.
Impact Acoustics
IXOS
Kimber Kable
Liberty Wire & Cable, Inc.
MIT, Inc.
Monster Cable Products, Inc.
Musical Fidelity (Kevro)
Nordost
Parts Express
RadioShack
Recoton Home Audio
R.E. Designs
River Cable
Russound
Signature Wire
Straight Wire
Synergistic Research
TARA Labs
Transparent Audio
Tributaries Cable
Ultralink Products Inc.
Vampire Wire
Westlake Audio
WireWorld Cable
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 Sponsored Technology Center
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Assuming you've sorted out what types of cables and wires you need, you're left with a bewildering assortment of brands and quality levels to choose from. Does any of it make a difference? In some cases, yes. Larger speaker wire passes more of the amplifier's signal on to the speakers themselves, assuming that the length is relatively long (25 feet) or the speakers are hard to drive (less than 4 ohms). Cable runs of less than 10 feet might make less of a difference.
You might consider spending five to ten percent of your home theater's budget on cables. From there, the only thing to do is to audition different brands available from your local dealer. Many dealers offer an at-home trial period for the brands they carry. Trust your eyes and ears, though. If you don't see or hear a difference, don't pay the extra money.
