the position in the chain is unimportant
what matters is whether the thing behind the cable can be affected by a cable with complex impedance, the current and voltage level of the signal, etc.
all of those point to speaker cables (kudos to the wag who pointed out that speaker placement was more important than any of the 3 choices)
speaker cables can especially affect the sound of certain speakers
Here is what to do re all cabling (and if you do not understand electronics or science, then it is my special magical secret advice):
rund digital as far as possible, then run balanced as far as possible, then use monoblock amps set as close to the speaker as possible and do not worry about the brand of the wire
speaker cables should be short and fairly thick (usually 16 AWG); use gold-plated interconnects and coat all connections with Caig products
make and break the connections every couple of years and if you are tempted to spend more than $200 on all cables combined (for a normal sized home) then just hit yourself in the head with a hammer