Decent starter cables?

Thank you for the feedback. I forgot to include my current setup - sorry first post mistake. Actually, I'm just starting to put it together (no surround speakers or center channel yet):
60/40 audio/home theater
Rotel RSX 1055
Energy C9s
Rotel RCC 1055 cd player
Samsung DVD player (a leftover from my previous setup)

Oh, and my budget...probably no more than $400 for all the interconnects and cables.

Paulwp - I live in Columbus, Ohio.

All - I appreciate the suggestions. Reading the various threads on Audiogon over the past few weeks has really improved my paltry knowledge base.

I am going to go against the grain here. For interconnects, I would recommend you try the Radio Shack audio cable before buying anything more pricy. These are black color cables with gold plated RCA connectors. They are very cheap and sound quite good. I have compared them with Cardas Natural Reference, Alpha-core TQ2, Harmonic Tech Pro-Silway II, and Acoustic Zen Silver Reference.

When I connect my SACD player to my preamp with them, I can honestly tell you that the differences were very subtle if any at all. I heard more profound differences when I use them as tone-arm cables and use them to connect phono and preamp. But in your setup, I don’t think you will hear any difference unless you compare them with something very high-end.

Actually, I have a spare pair and if you want to try it out, you can have it for free.

I will recommend the obvious. Any reputable recipe for DIY cables should yield decent results and will keep you on budget.