I also use Canare Quad Star from Blue Jeans for the mains, generic 16 gauge for the center, and flat 16 gauge for the surrounds. No particular reason for the quad star other than the fact it looked cool and DIY sounded kind of fun.
It wasn't fun. I'm no good at heatshrinking or terminating cables.
+1 Same here.
I won't get into the argument of sound quality, as it's just way to subjective. But the Canare cables look good. That's why I wanted them. I also bought some of the flexible sleeve stuff and nice plugs. Took me an hour or so to cut, install the flex, and terminate them, but they add a nice touch to my setup. I think they look good, anyway. BJC is a great place to buy cables, though their stuff is a bit on the pricier side. If you're going for a bit cheaper stuff, I'll offer another vote of praise for Monoprice. Super cheap prices, and all of the cables and wiring doo-dads I've bought from them have exceeded my expectations as far as quality goes.
While I don't believe in absurdly-priced cables (AudioQuest, Nordost, Kimber, etc), I also don't like just using generic cables. Something about buying nice speakers and nice components and then just connecting them with lamp cord doesn't sit well with me.
