Much has already been said, so I'll try not to cover the same ground again.

I would add, however, that if you're willing to DIY, it can really lower your cost. Having previously been on the retail side of the hobby, I can tell you that much of what you pay for in cables (especially interconnects) relates to labor. Hence one of the reasons 1/2 meter pairs are not 50% less expensive than 1 meter pairs. Also, the margins for wire are on the order of 60+%. In other words, dealer cost is less than half of retail. Manufacturer cost is probably half of that. That speaks to the issue about salesman incentives in the previous post --I typically got 5-7% commission on equipment, but 10% commission on accessories like cables because of the more favorable margins.

Lastly, this is one of those really touchy topics with audio hobbyists. On one extreme, you have guys who think an old lamp cord is just as good as the boutique stuff -- and will jump down your throat if you suggest otherwise. On the other side of the spectrum, you have guys who fork out huge sums of money on cables and won't bat an eye about paying $1,000 per meter for a pair of interconnects, or even more for speaker cables. I think the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Lastly, some cables will sound better than others on your system, depending upon your associated equipment and/or the level of resolution. This I saw proven again and again; both in systems in the store, my own, and from testimonials from countless customers.

It used to be you could borrow a few cables from your bricks and mortar hifi store and experiment until you found something you liked. You may want to see if they will let you audtion at home before buying.