The truth about cables

[talon1189]

I just purchased a new Sony KDF-60XS955 LCD TV set. I just subscribed to Voom also. I have been reading some information on Monster Cables and picture issues if these overpriced cables :shocked really make a difference in picture and audio quality or not? I am just setting up my home theatre for 5.1 and need to know if there are any known facts if better cables really make a diffence in video and sound quality or if this is just a hoax? Would I notice the difference between Monster Cables compared to a gold cable setup from Radio Shack or not? Thanks in advance for all opinions

 

[Kevinw]

No reason to buy over priced cables. My rule of thumb is to spend 10% of the purchase price of the object being connected. If your Av receiver cost 500 then 50 dollars worth of speaker wire.
You will receive hundreds of recomendations for cabling. Keep within YOUR budget. All the testamonials in the world will not make a 150 dollar DVD player produce a picture comparable to a 1000 dollar one by using 200 dollars with of wire.

 

[talon1189]

No reason to buy over priced cables. My rule of thumb is to spend 10% of the purchase price of the object being connected. I your Av receiver cost 500 then 50 dollars worth of speaker wire.
You will receive hundreds of recomendations for cabling. Keep within YOUR budget. All the testamonials in the world will not make a 150 dollar DVD player produce a picture comparable to a 1000 dollar one by using 200 dollars with of wire.

Thank you for the quick reply Kevinw I paid $3,460.00 for my TV By your allowance of 10% per item being hooked up that means that I should spend $350.00 for cables That is way more than my budget can afford :shocked LOL!

 

[TuxCoder]

Whatever you do, stay away from these guys:
http://www.cableburner.com
http://www.russandrews.com/static/Cable_Burn_In_Service.html

That just has scam written all over it.

Also, out of principle and stubbornness I'll never buy a Monster Cable.

 

[Kevinw]

Thank you for the quick reply Kevinw I paid $3,460.00 for my TV By your allowance of 10% per item being hooked up that means that I should spend $350.00 for cables That is way more than my budget can afford :shocked LOL!

Not the TV the Connections to it.. $200 DVD player= 20 dollars worth of component cable , and a 20 dollar optical cable. 500 dollar A?V receiver- 50 dollars worth of speaker wire....

 

[talon1189]

I am still looking for more opinions about cables. Are Monster Cables worth the extra robbery? Does anyone really know if they truly make a difference or not?

 

[Grandude]

I am still looking for more opinions about cables. Are Monster Cables worth the extra robbery? Does anyone really know if they truly make a difference or not?

IMHO, Monster cables are a TOTAL waste of money. Stay within your budget and get 'good' quality cables. One source I like is www.comcatusa.com for AV cables at a reasonable price. Pacificcable.com is a good source for DVI cables.

 

[Ilya]

Welcome to the forum, talon1189!

Good cables and high quality connections do make a difference! Especially for analog signals (e.g. speakers). This has been proven in many tests and back-to-back comparisons. Having said that, Monster cables seem a bit overpriced. I don't think you can go wrong with them, but you may end-up paying premium...

 

[peano]

Monster cables are made in Taiwan or China and are massively overpriced. UltraLink are made in Canada and are very good.

http://www.ultralinkcables.com/index2.html

I have no affiliation to UltraLink. I just like to keep my money in North America wherever possible.

 

[talon1189]

So..........what I am being told here is....Monster Cables are over rated, and over priced? I would be getting the same quality video and audio in my soon to be setup 5.1 home theatre setup with a cheaper quality cable? I do not wanna waste money on something that I do not need to as I am on a tight budget after my new Sony 60" LCD purchase. All opinions are appreciated Thanks!

 

[red hazard]

For quality cables at a good price try http://stores.ebay.com/HDTV-Supply

Other members of this forum swear by them.

Monster's claims defy the laws of physics.

 

[Kevinw]

Whatever you do, stay away from these guys:
http://www.cableburner.com
http://www.russandrews.com/static/Cable_Burn_In_Service.html

That just has scam written all over it.

Also, out of principle and stubbornness I'll never buy a Monster Cable.

Hmm Think they can make a set of Philllips cable from Target sound better

 

[Kevinw]

So..........what I am being told here is....Monster Cables are over rated, and over priced? I would be getting the same quality video and audio in my soon to be setup 5.1 home theatre setup with a cheaper quality cable? I do not wanna waste money on something that I do not need to as I am on a tight budget after my new Sony 60" LCD purchase. All opinions are appreciated Thanks!

Radio Shack Gold or AR are great affordable wire. No matter what, High priced wire is not going to make a low priced DVD or AV receiver sound or look like a high end piece.
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/newsletter/147/cable_survey2.html
Do not be suprized at what the 'Experts" find to be the best bang for the buck

 

[slacker9876]

I have been an av hobbyist for about 4 years now. A substantial portion of my system is wired with MonsterCable. The key with MonsterCable is ANALOG .... no one does it better! If you are talking digital (TOSLINK, DVI, HDMI, IEEE 1394 ... whatever) there is NO DIFFERENCE in performance between a monster cable and the thin little piece of crap that comes in a box. Digital is not subject to interference as analog is, anything can screw up analog.

Based upon personal experience I would recommend a mid-grade MonsterCable for all your analog connections. You do not need the best, as with everything the higher up you move the less value you get. For Composite, Component S-Video, and analog audio there is no better cable.

 

[peano]

For Composite, Component S-Video, and analog audio there is no better cable.

Perhaps not better, but certainly there are many manufacturers that are less expensive and equally as good as Monster. And some are made in the United States or Canada and not China.

 

[Claude Greiner]

The quality cable really makes no difference 90% of the time, I believe its all in the quality of the connector.

 

[bing]

Check this out...

Check out this interesting article.
http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

 

[DarrellP]

FWIW, I've bought $5 cables online from Parts Express and saw ZERO difference between them and the high priced spread. There are bad cheap cables and there are bad expensive cables, YMMV.

 

[RichardF]

Video is a system of standards so all you need are the connectors and cable designed for this application.

http://www.hdlibrary.com/viewtopic.php?t=310

http://www.hdlibrary.com/viewtopic.php?t=199

 

[Mark_AR]

I got a set of gold component video cables from Radio Shaft for 5.99 in their bargain basket closeouts. Worked fine.

GOt a DVI-D cable off of ebay for a buck. Works like a charm.

AS DarrellP sez... YMMV