10 percent for cables ???

I wouldn't focus on numbers. Buy cables that work well with your system within a budget you can afford and that sound good to you. Take advantage of a good dealer if one is available nearby, who may let you try out cables with a deposit (It would be a nice follow-up to buy from that dealer, of course). If you don't have one then try the Cable Company's lending library (again, requires a deposit). You may want to see if you can tell the differences between extremes, and whether or not those differences are ones worth the price you may have to pay. You may even find that you like the more affordable cable! Then again, you may not be able to live without those $3000 interconnects with the mystery boxes attached. I don't think you should be running zip cord in your system, but I also don't think you need to determine your investment by a percentage. Especially on an accessory where markup can run the gamut right up to the most ridiculous extremes. Per the previous post, buying used and reselling is a good alternative too.

10% is good maximum budget guideline - although you can spend a lot less and it will often be just fine. If you have spent more than this on all your cables and interconnects then you might have been better served by upgrading components /speakers/room acoustics instead.

Buy used and keep the cables that work best in your system and that you can afford. Don't worry about the percentages.

thank you all very much. i wasn't concerned so much with the exact percentage per se, but as stated above 10% seemed to be a good guidline as any more and one might want to begin looking into upgrading components(and then cables, and then components, and then, and then...). i do understand how everything is system and room dependant, but getting 5 sets of speaker, 3 hdmi, 4 power cords, and 5 interconnects for under $400 is is proving hard to pull off. and as far as a new kitchen, i wouldn't put a $100,000 kitchen in a $250,000 house. i'd never get a return on my investment. i'd buy a better house.