High-end cables for surround sound systems are a waste of money.
Search for speaker cable on amazon.
com and you will see that there is speaker cable ranging from $23 to $70 per 100ft of cable.
You would expect with that sort of price difference that the more expensive cable would provide you with much better performance, right? Nope.
You will hear absolutely no difference between the two cable setups.
The manufacturers will claim all sorts of advantages, but when it comes down to it, copper is copper.
The only way to get better performing cables is to buy ones that are a wider diameter.
Even this works only up to a point.
For any home theatre application, you really only need 16 gauge wire.
You can buy 14 gauge if it makes you feel better, but 16 gauge is sufficient for cable runs of up to 200 feet.
HDMI cables are in a similar boat.
You can spend $100 on a cable that has a ton of advertising and fancy packaging, or spend $10 on an unbranded cable that does the same job at one tenth of the price.
Granted, HDMI being a digital signal does mean that there is a bit more involved in making a good cable.
But again, for almost every home theatre set-up, you won't notice the difference.
It is only in really high end or unusual systems that there is actually a benefit in buying more expensive cables.
If you are trying to buy a cheap surround sound system, then cable should be the lowest item on your agenda.
If you can save $50 or $100 on your cables, then you can spend that extra cash on better speakers, or a better receiver.
I can guarantee you that you will notice the difference between cheaper speakers and more expensive speakers much more easily than the difference between cheap and expensive cables.