Interconnects:Dazed and Confused

Excellent advice from both of the prior posters. I'd just add that the more expensive interconnects in a company's line generally do less "damage" to a signal than the less expensive offerings, but will consequently be more revealing of flaws in source material and source components and may wind up less musically satisfying. I would never advise anyone to get interconnects that are vastly above the quality of the rest of their system for that reason--you should listen to music rather than what's wrong with your equipment or the recording. Start simple and moderate, get used to your components as Warren says, and then experiment if you really need to, but I think you'll find that well-designed, modestly priced cables will more than suffice.

Good advice from the "seasoned audiophiles" above. I would only add that as a neophyte, it is easy to confuse "different" as being "better". As such, the advice to become familiar with what is taking place is very important. Many folks mistake "highly coloured but exciting", "highly coloured but extremely detailed" or "highly coloured but very warm and smooth" as being "better" upon initial introduction. While cables of this nature can come in "handy" for specific situations, knowingly going into a specific colouration is a personal decision that should be made with all the variables considered. One component or cable change down the road could now make the "colourization" no longer such a good deal.

I would also encourage doing as much reading, learning and experimentation as you can regarding DIY ( Do It Yourself ) audio. A little research and elbow grease can pay off in big dividends with DIY, especially when it comes to cabling.

Having said all of that, buy and use what sounds good to you and helps you to enjoy your music and system. Having a bunch of fancy crap and big brand names is no good if you can't enjoy it. Having a "trophy" to show off and talk about is cool and all, but most of the time, all they do is collect dust and take up space. Since the mass majority of audio gear only goes down in value, taking such an approach is neither enjoyable nor monetarily wise. Sean
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You should try to establish a relationship with a local audio dealer. They can loan you broken-in cables to take home and you can actually MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND. Differences should be immediately discernible. Some people call high-end cables "tone controls" and there's truth to that. You might prefer copper over silver, for example. It's not about right or wrong. If you're going to lay out the serious bucks on cables, you should be happy about what you get!

One thing that you should know. The market dynamics are changin due to the internet. Small companies that sell direct are not only have the best values, but sometimes their products also have the best performance.

Aside from this, I would recommend high-purity silver for interconnects. There are several companies that make good ones. Beware, cheap silver cables can have significant high-frequency sibilance, often confused with "brightness". Avoid these. Also, with interconnects, the lower the capacitance per foot, the better. You can hit the top of the performance curve at about $500-$800 per 1 meter pair, but beware the companies that spend a ton on advertising. You are mostly paying for advertising with these guys.

If you can, get a few cables your interested in, determine areas of performance or asthetics you want to evaluate, list them out on a pad and keep your pen handy. Then have someone a/b blind switch them while you record your impressions and preferences, and then compare your notes and final grade for each. Only then have the other person tell you what you've been listening to. The results of this kind of testing are always pretty surprising.