Eric the Mac Guy said:

My question is this: do you think there will be ayn benefit to buying
speaker cable that is better than the standard chintzy cheap cable sold
at all electronics stores? Would Monster cable produce better sound on
this setup? Are there any OTHER types of cable that you would recommend?

You should get 16 gauge at a minimum (14ga is better) for the
surrounds. It's a tiny investment that will safeguard the fidelity,
however limited, of the signal going to those speakers.

And finally, the speakers can accept a variety of connectors: banana
plug, pin, spade or ring, according to the description. Any
advantages/disadvantages to any of these?

Bananas are the easiest to insert and remove. Anything else requires
loosening and tightening if you change anything.