Cardas:
Having owned all versions of past Cardas "golden" series (various), and new version hybrid golden/clear series cables, I can share with you all of these sound different from one cable to the next within the Cardas lineup old or new versions.
Belden:
Two years ago, to see what the excitement was about I had some custom Belden 8402 interconnects made for just under $100, to compare. For the money, they were possibly worth the price of admission. They went to a friend, he used them a few times, and replaced them with Analysis Plus, then on to Audio Sensibility cables he likes more with his tube amps today, and has some high end pre/amps. Neither of us found the Belden 8402 cables to be engaging or special in any way for our primary home audio systems. A general studio and microphone cable, perfect for that use - particularly when longer lengths are required. Makes sense in particular applications.
List:
The list @williewonka mentioned above is a good start, and you can also check out some used cables out there too, people move up the line once they find a brand they like. Also, if you want to resale and upgrade again later, be careful of the fake copy counterfeit cables out there, some of them are total junk, research closely.