Let's discuss.

I'm out with my old man looking at TVs today and we get to talking about the cables he'll need for his TV. The sales guy runs and grabs two HDMI-HDMI Monster Cables. The M400 and the M1000.

M400 - http://www.monstercable.com/productPage.asp?pin=2371

M1000 - http://www.monstercable.com/productPage.asp?pin=2402


$250 for the M1000. I nearly fell over. However, both of the sales people my Dad and I were taking to were adamant that this was the BEST. Obviously, it's their job to try and move product. Interestingly, a guy was walking by and overheard our conversation. He stopped to join in and said that he bought the M1000 and it actually did make a difference, and it was noticeable.


My Dad doesn't really care as he wants to make 100% sure he's going to get the best picture out of his TV. I see the M1000s are going for about $175 shipped on eBay. Worth it?

 

http://www.pccables.com/cgi-bin/orde...ch&search=HDMI

A lot of people feel that different HDMI cables don't make much if any difference, its just 1's and 0's. I purchased a modest priced 50' HDMI cable and it is better then my big buck component video cable - fwiw. As long as it has decent connectors and good insulation you should be fine.

 

First of all, I don't buy into the Monster hype.

Second, HDMI is sending digital signals. 1s and 0s. You can't really degrade a 1 or a 0. So really I don't think any cable is going to be any different than the others as long as the ends were put on properly.

I would up-spend on any analog cabling (starting with the speaker wire) before going crazy on digital connections.

EDIT: also to clarify on the up-spending on speaker wire. I don't buy into any hocus pocus the mfgs try to push. Just get a decent size wire gauge.

 

Monster is overpriced and not worth it - digital or analog. I wish I would have realised that before buying so many of them

 

I completely agree with you on digital cables, as long as you have a decent cable and the signal is making it there it shouldn't matter.

Going cable crazy else where is all up to the listener, if you don't hear/can't justify the cost of high end cables consider yourself lucky. I use cables that most people think are insanely expensive, yet to my ears, in my system its worth it.

I was using an analog XLR interconnect that retailed for $1100 for a 3 foot pair, it was my refference for a long time and I still think its a great cable for the money, I wouldn't hesitate for a second using them if I was shopping for a cable in that price. However, I arranged an in home audition on a cable from the same manufacturer, except this time it was there top of the line cable, it retailed for $6000 for a 3 foot pair of XLR interconnects. The difference was amazing, I was not expecting the level of improvement that I was experiencing. I thought I was being fooled by pyscho-acoustic phenomenon, so I had a few audiophile friends come over and didn't tell them what I changed and they were as shocked as I was. So I kept the cable, though most will admit is foolishly expensive, but to me it was worth it at the time.

Speaker cables are similar, they can have a HUGE impact on sound, I typically don't like silver cables - though there are a few exceptions if your using a silk dome tweater, forget silver with a metal tweater. I've auditioned more cables then I'd like to admit from the low hundreds to the $30k range and they can make or break a system.

 

For short runs, go as cheap as you can when it comes to digital. The only thing that can screw you over is a bad solder or something that causes a ground loop.
My DVD player came with an HDMI-HDMI cable which does the trick just fine. The upconverting DVD player (Panny S97) cost less than the cable they're trying to sell him.

 

Just got a HDMI cable (6') from www.l-com.com . Think it was $40 shipped. Works awesome and picture is as good, if not better then Monster.

Don't buy into the Monster Hype. I spent over $300 on Monster cables when I first got my TV this past summer... but never again. I'll either buy from l-com.com or pccables.com in the future... no question...

 

Anybody that spends alot of money on something is going to SEE a difference even if there isn't one.

Sort of like, when I was painting my house, I bought $8/gallon Olympic paint on sale at Lowes for one room, and $60/gallon Sherwin Williams paint for another...

To me... it made a difference... I thought it was easier to apply and looked better. Everybody else that helped me paint or has seen the finished product has no fucking clue that either of the paints are any different.

In reality, its all the same shit. It looks the same, applies the same, etc.

But I wasted $52 so I make myself feel like I got my moneys worth... and next time... I'll probably do the same thing. It's just the way I am.

 

I still don't think it's worth it. Go over to the AVSforums and do some reading. Someone actually disected a cable from l-com.com and the shielding and build quality was the same as monster. Picture was the same as well.

I'd be willing to be that a $40 cable from there would be just as good, if not the exact same as the $250 Monster Cable. Remember that Best Buy is selling standard consumer goods. Nothing incredibly high-end. So that cable is just an overpriced consumer good. If you were talking high-end stuff like Tireguy... then that would be different.

 

That was my point. It makes no difference. Anyone who says it does is just trying to justify their purchase to themselves.

 

haha, sorry, a little slow today. 3-day weekend and all

 

Monster has too much hype. I do own a decent amount of them, but i've learned. I use the HDMI that came with my S97 works fine to my sony 50." If I wouldn't have a problem spending 250 on a cable if my whole system cost 20k+.

 

Try http://www.ramelectronics.net/ for some good value cables.

 

A good friend works for Tripplite and that's where I get all my shit from, including cables. However the HT salesguy was quick to say that Tipplite should stick with building surge protectors. "Their cables suck."


I don't have a monster cable to compare it to, but I can't say that I complain about the picture with the Tripplite cable.

If there's no difference from the Tripplite cable to the others that were recommended here, I should just get him one from Tripplite. But he's has it in his head that if he's buying a higher-end TV, that he shouls get the best cables.

 

I wouldn't listen to the sales guy at all. He's just trying to make a buck. With Monster you are paying an extra 30% just for the name. I also hate how they try to push the Monster surge protectors too (my dad fell for this without me being there). I think you know better, but it will probably be hard to convence your dad.

 

haha. They tried to do the same thing to my dad. Luckily my dad called me from teh store. I told him to get all of the pricing in writing and I'd go back to the store with him to buy it.

They were trying to sell him a $299 Monster Power Station and a $130 HDMI cable. Got the cable online for $40 and got a good surge protector for like $20. Those places just try to rip you off on the add-on stuff, and most people fall for it (like my dad would have if he didn't call me).

 

Scrib, Tripplite from my experiences has B quality cables at most. I had a customer service issue with them, it's only ove a 10 buck cable so I don't really care and will jsut return it to Amazon. Just so you know I ordered a VGA extension and one of the 15 Pins is not present. After emails, the CS rep said that that pin does not do anything for Monitors. So I call him misrep of a product and he says he can't do anything. Just thought you should know. I'm using the cable to extend the control unit for my logitech speakers.

 

I am probably late, but as an fyi, check this site out: www.cablewarehouse.com

I bought all my cables from them on a recommendation and was very pleased with the quality, esp given the price. They are easily on par with Monster Cables in terms of quality.

 

linky no worky, can you fix it? in the mean tiome, monoprice.com also has good stuff

 

its been said already but stating that youll get a better picture etc by using a monster cable when you're talking about hdmi is simply complete

if the cable works, there will be zero quality difference between different types of hdmi cables because it's a digital signal.

i've long thought that monster cables are the biggest scam in mainstream A/V sales.

 

What pin(s) were missing? The person was correct, and really you only need 6 pins to get the correct video signal. The rest just tell the video card what is hooked to it, and other stuff. For example, pin #9 on a standard HD15 connector is to supply +5v to things like inline signal amplifiers, etc. Doesn't do anything for a computer monitor, etc. Most cables labled as VGA/similar will probably be missing pin #9, or if the pin is there, nothing is connected to it. If Logitech was smart, they didn't use those pins so that you could buy a standard VGA extention.

As far as the HDMI/DVI cables are concerned, it is just 0s and 1s. You still need a decent cable as digital signals are very picky and it will just start "dropping bits". I wrote a short bit on this here some time ago. Basically as long as it's not a $5 POS you are fine.

With analog cables, I disagree with Tireguy for the most part. I think Soopa is right, that to the purchaser/believer - the more expensive cable is going to sound better to the person who spend/is spending the money. I'm the same way with many similar things. A $120 dress shirt may not be much better than a $25 Stafford but to me it seems like it so I buy them. With cables though, I'd invite you to take a listen with an ABX Comparator. 99% of tests that I've heard about like this leave it wide open to bias. An ABX Comparator is a device that randomly selects one of two sources, so that noone knows which they are listening to. It gives you the answer afterwards, which you compare to notes of which you thought was better. I've been to quite a few tests of products using these devices and it really opens your eyes. Cables are cables IMO.

But I will say, what is scientifically correct, isn't always best to the human ear/eye...

 

I've never seen you post in the home theater section. Good to have your knowledge here also. Thanks explaining what the 9th pin does. It explains why the Logitech control unit was acting how it did. I'm assuming the lack of the +5V pin, caused the control unit to not power up completely.

 

Just after this wonderful subforum was created, I got quite busy with work. I leave again this Thursday for another week, then I'll have a month or so home. I try to lurk when I can, but I've had little time to post.

Thanks, in the grand scheme of things I know very little but I try to share what I do know. There are plenty of others here that share the same intrests as I.