Pricey A/V Cables? Don't Be Fooled
Mon Jun 25, 2007 8:24AM EDT
See Comments (102)
If you've ever been shopping for an HDTV at a big electronics retail store, you'll know the drill—basically, once the pushy salespeople hit you up for the $500 extended warranty, they steer you toward the $100 (or more) HDMI, digital audio and coaxial cables. Usually, these cables come in fancy packaging, the connectors are dipped in gold (literally), and you're told that if you're buying a $3,000 TV, you might as well throw down a couple hundred more for the very best cables. Don't fall for it.
Don't take my word for it, though. The experts at Ars Technica would be the first ones to tell you that a $100 Monster-brand HDMI cable delivers a better picture than, say, a $15 off-brand version. Their verdict? "Cabling is something of a racket, and while there probably is a difference between the medium-quality cables and the Monster Cables that cost $100+, I'm guessing none of us have systems that will let us tell enough of a difference to make the price worth it." (Read the full story for more details.)
I couldn't agree more. I recommend you pay no more than about $20 for an HDMI cable, $10-15 for an optical (or Toslink) digital audio cable, $10 for a component-video cable, and $10 or less for regular RCA-type cables. The sales dude may look appalled, but do yourself a favor and save your money.
Related:
Shopping for HDMI cables: who do retailers think they're kidding? [Ars Technica]
Comments on Pricey A/V Cables? Don't Be Fooled
Post a Comment
Join in the discussion. Here you'll see the comments in the order they were posted.
-
2 Posted by sklroy on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:26PM EDT Report Abuse
The thing is that some of the chains like Best Buy don't really stock non-premium cables or they do so in limited quantities. Eg. The previous question about PS3 cables - you can find less expensive versions online, but the big stores tend not to carry those.
-
3 Posted by paul_soares on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:03PM EDT Report Abuse
The same can be said for USB cables, Ethernet cables, etc. but it's not even the BRAND that makes the difference in price, it's merely where you buy them. FOr instance, a 7' network cable at Best Buy is $20 but you can get the same thing at Home Depot for about $9...or less.
-
4 Posted by leo4yourloan on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:49PM EDT Report Abuse
While I would agree that MOST people don't have the high-end type of equipment that can be improved by using premium cables, I would have to imagine that there are systems that actually could benefit from these pricey pieces of wire. I used to be of the school that wire was wire and that if you couldn't show me the difference on the bench, then there was no justification for spending the money unnecessarily. Then I got into the very expensive world of high-end audio. Trust me when I tell you that there really IS a difference in cable. Better yet... DON'T TRUST ME! Go to one of those really snooty "audio salons", the ones you need an appointment for and pretend that you're "considering a cable upgrade for your stereo system". They'll go to the trouble of hooking up 2 or 3 different brands of cables for you to audition. Don't pay any attention to the fact that you have probably never heard of any of these brands (Esoteric Audio, Nordost, Transparent Audio, etc.). Just pay attention to the SOUND. They will all have their own unique sound. Some differences will be subtle others will be quite drastic. The whole point of this little exercise is just to show that with certain pieces, the lowly interconnect cable or speaker wire can become a system component. And I'm guessing that this works for video in the same way as it does for audio. Bottom line... If you've opted to spend an obscene amount of money on a top-of-the-line home theater set-up, you might want to consider plunking a few extra $$$ on cables to make sure that your data stream isn't being compressed with a resulting reduction in signal quality. It's kind of like buying a brand new Corvette Z06 and then trying to save money on gas by using regular. Then wondering why the car doesn't run right. Remember, "A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link".
-
5 Posted by scottrbees on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:08PM EDT Report Abuse
I love this emotional debate. How about some facts? Take a read at www.monstercables.com. Monster has amazing capability and wonderful bandwidth. As leo4yourloan mentions above, why compress your A/V when you're chasing HD? This digital race for optimum sound and picture should not be stalled by cables. Buy the best cables and upgrade your components (TV/Audio) as the technology improves. Monster connections are warranted for a lifetime -- how about your HDTV?
-
6 Posted by scarlettatl on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:07PM EDT Report Abuse
Try monoprice.com, Bluejeanscable.com or ABCcables.com. Monster is indeed a ripoff (though I applaud their marketing genius) and unfortunately they thrive on some of the thinking posted here. Heed gauge of cabling (particularly with regard to length of cable) and seek out manufacturers that are gaining a reputation in the industry. "Credible" audiophile mags/websites cover this regularly and can tell you what to look for. The average consumer is paying 5 to 10 times what they should be paying for cabling.
-
7 Posted by serveace69 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:14PM EDT Report Abuse
scarlettatl is correct. Most consumers have completely bought into monster/best buy's theory that it really is worth the extra 5-10x price increase. I doubt that any of you could hear the difference between a $15 cable and a $150 cable. If you want some good cheap cables, check out http://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/index.htm. They have some good articles on cables, and if you still don't believe them, buy them and do a hookup test yourself and see if you can tell a difference (if anything, I bet their's are better.) The most outrageous cable I've ever seen by monster is a ~$300 gold-plated optical cable. Think about that for a while. Has light ever cared whether whether its connectors were gold-plated? I think not.
-
8 Posted by thrill350z on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:08PM EDT Report Abuse
monoprice.com and eBay have cables fairly priced. There is no need for monster cables but they do have a good marketing technique. They try to make you think a $100 cable is better then a $10 one and if you are buying high end equipment it's easy to fall for this. I have purchased $100 HDMI monster cable and one on eBay for $12.99 and I can not see a difference on my 1080i HDTV.
-
9 Posted by moose6299 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:26PM EDT Report Abuse
Lets put it this way....HDMI and Toslink Optical are digital sends. They are zeros and ones. No amount of RFI/MFI is going to degrade a 0 or 1. So 150dollar cables dont really matter on those cables. Analog and Composite can be effected, I tend to spend a bit more on those. As for Monster Cable - If you spend that much you are getting ripped off, and investing HORRID business practices (I.E. http://monstervintage.com/Monster%20Cable/Boycott%20Monster%20cable%20products.htm) Also cables I have seen packaged under the 'Monster' Label are usually just rebranded from some 3rd party company that makes 'high end' cables for every company who wants to buy them and slap a label on. 6
-
10 Posted by hollymcatee on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:20PM EDT Report Abuse
"pricey cables" are better cables. You do see a hugh difference in picture quality and sound quality. Try it yourself, buy the cheap ones and the nice ones, hook them up and see if you do not see a difference. You wouldn't buy a nice car and put cheap tires on it, you would buy the nice tires. TV's are the same. You get what you pay for.Upgraded cables are digital , regular cheap ones are analog. Do you remember when there was bag phones? Then digital cell phones came out? "pricey" cables provide better color streams and less noise,(static)True High definition is also effected by the kind of cables you purchase. If you need more info. go to Best Buy's website, they have a cable guide to explain the technology of cables and why upgraded ones are better.
1 Posted by clreed1986 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:27PM EDT Report Abuse
What about cables for game systems. I need a component cable for my playstation 3. Do they make bargain cables for gaming systems? So far I have only seen $80 Monster Cables