Home audio & video: Monster Cable - good or evil????
There was a searstv_guy a while back
by jcrobso - 2/16/07 2:57 PM In reply to: If you bought an Aston Martin would you use cheap tires? by sears_guyare you the same one??? John
no...I don't think so....
by sears_guy - 2/16/07 9:02 PM In reply to: There was a searstv_guy a while back by jcrobsohey guys i'll give you my honest opinion on things...besides i'm not at work right now.
Monster Cable - evil
by edfredfred - 2/13/07 1:17 PM In reply to: Monster Cable - good or evil???? by keman58My son has told me - though I did not measure it myself - that Monster oversizes its connections.
Once your outlet has been deformed by Monster, the "regular" cables don't fit right, and therefore give a bad connection, hence bad sound/picture/whatever.
As long as you don't start wiht Monster, the regular cables work fine.
kh
Monster is not worth it
by cceinc1 - 2/14/07 5:27 AM In reply to: Monster Cable - good or evil???? by keman58I've worked with several AV contractors on a couple of installations and asked them about Mojnster cables. All of them have said that it really does not make a difference for the kind of viewing that you and I do. For what we need, the standard cables are fine. The stores just try to intimate you to buy Monster so that they can make more money out of it.
Monster Not Worth It
by Pops77 - 2/14/07 6:17 AM In reply to: Monster Cable - good or evil???? by keman58I have had both Monster cables and other brands (Acoustic Research, Phillips). I have not noticed any performance difference at all! AR is the better value. As an aside, when my son worked for Comp USA he was able to purchase products at a discount. The discount for cables, including Monster, was about 60% compared to other items. That should give you an idea of the profit margin on Monster cables.
Monster Cable - Overpriced!
by aborbeau - 2/16/07 4:26 AM In reply to: Monster Cable - good or evil???? by keman58Monster Cable products do have good quality, but they are tremendously overpriced. I have been dealing with audio and video cables for the last 35 years, and have in the past purchased Monster cables. About five years ago, I was turned on to an outfit called Blue Jean Cables, and now that's the only place that I will buy audio/video cables from. The quality is as good, if not better than Monster, and the cost is ridiculously less. It is a very reputable company with an informative and descriptive web site. Check them out before you get pressured from a boxstore salesperson to buy Monster.
It's all aesthetics and marketing
by vatoDETH - 2/16/07 6:21 AM In reply to: Monster Cable - Overpriced! by aborbeauI know that expensive speaker wire and RCA cables are a huge scam in the audio world. I would have to say that expensive cables for video are also a scam.
Before wasting your money on garbage, you should really challenge the sales persons claims. Ask to have a cheaper cable of your choice and a Monster cable hooked up to a TV, or two side by side. You won't know which is which, but you have to choose the better quality picture. Then have them randomly changed a few times (8-10?).
If the picture quality is so much better with Monster then you should obviously choose that cable at least 80% of the time, which you won't. He'll probably try and feed you a line of bull, but don't listen to lies. Instead do your research and understand that a conductor is a conductor. The only difference is when you are using a voltage signal, it is a good idea to run a shielded cable.
Here is an example of a misleading speaker wire setup provided by Monster to trick you:
http://www.theguruguys.com/news/the-truth-about-overpriced-cables-again
Some more articles:
http://sound.westhost.com/articles.htm (go to the cables section)
http://2eyespy.tripod.com/id3.html
http://www.verber.com/mark/ce/cables.html
Don't pay for fancy looking, crazy designer cables. They may look cool for the first few days you have them. Your friends may think that you are cool too, but it's total waste of money.
Guess there's not a difference between hdmi 1.0 & 1.3 huh?
by sears_guy - 2/16/07 8:34 PM In reply to: It's all aesthetics and marketing by vatoDETHDon't need to say anymore. period.
OK, I plead for reasonable people to contribute, whereas why
by NM_Bill - 2/16/07 9:46 PM In reply to: Guess there's not a difference between hdmi 1.0 & 1.3 huh? by sears_guyeven bother posting cheap shots. Yes, yes, I understand the reaction as some people really do miss the point.
Of course HDMI 1.0 & 1.3 aren't set apart by asthetics.
We're all trying to post in good intentions to learn & guide folks towards the best solution for them.
These are interesting times in the areas we discuss here. If one factor isn't in the middle of technological change, another is.
I feel I would enjoy what the 1.3 standard promises. Broadcast at 1080p or beyond - a big why. Movies have long enhanced the entertain illusion with soft focus. Aside from privilege for some creative talent, the up front actors heavy makeup shields us from the reality of skin imperfections much like most of us have. Super hi res will do nothing good for human visions.
Oh, sorry for the soap box. I too drift from the original question.
that was a cheap shot...i apologize
by sears_guy - 2/17/07 7:15 AM In reply to: OK, I plead for reasonable people to contribute, whereas why by NM_Billit was late and i was annoyed with some other threads
Hey, Ok, you're one of the good guys
by NM_Bill - 2/17/07 8:17 AM In reply to: that was a cheap shot...i apologize by sears_guyI just occasionally comment about trying to have a higher proportion of the posts contribute positively. That's not to say we won't disagree & stand firmly by our take on something.
And too I'm guilty as others for contributing to a thread taking a different path by responding to responses & it gets away from the original question. In that case a fresh thread seems a good idea.
Our HDTV topic here is not going to go away as we're just at the beginning of HDTV sales accelerating to be the mainstream. As quoted in the current Fortune magazine short article about this area, they state the technology has now stabilized. That must be only a relative statement as we continue to focus on the change. How good is business magazine reporting on HDTV? Well, I guess we don't really know. Reporters for a big time business mag, if they're doing their job well, sometimes get access to important guys at or near the top of these companies & extract quotes candid & revealing.
HDTV standards stabilized?
by sears_guy - 2/17/07 8:26 PM In reply to: Hey, Ok, you're one of the good guys by NM_BillCablecard? 1.0 or 2.0? ...Will it become standard on all tv's?
Oh and would the cable company ever accept it?
or just make it free to everyone with a HDTV? (wouldn't it be nice?)
HDMI 1.0 or 1.3?
HD recording rights??....yeah right!
Will DLP and LCD flat panels become the norm?
oh...and HD-DVD or BLU-RAY?
God I wish!
From an electrical engineer
by viverito - 2/16/07 6:02 AM In reply to: Monster Cable - good or evil???? by keman58First, let's get to the point: HDMI Monster cables are not worth the money. Period. Not for any type of viewing. Not if your TV is on 100% of the time. Not if you watch DVD's. Not if you watch cable TV. Not if you use your TV as a computer monitor. If you pay more than US$20 for a 2 meter HDMI cable, you are getting ripped off.
Why? HDMI is a digital signal standard. As long as the transmitter (DVD player, cable box, etc.) adheres to the standard (most notably the voltage levels for the signals) the cable has little to do with the picture quality. See this link for an informative discussion about cables: http://pcworld.about.com/magazine/2309p111id121777.htm
Keep in mind the the cable just sits there. You hook it up to your TV and video source and that's it. It doesn't move. It doesn't get wet (hopefully!). It doesn't get yanked (again, hopefully). It just sits there. Any sales pitch about the Monster cable being sturdier or having gold-plated contacts is meaningless hype.
One caveat: Make sure the cable has the HDMI logo printed on it. This is all the assurance you need that the cable you buy will work with all HDMI devices AND IS BUILT TO THE HDMI STANDARD.
I have a 2 meter HDMI cable I bought for $20 connecting my 1080p Sony LCOS TV with my DirecTV receiver. It works perfectly well.
If you need a cable greater than 8 meters long, you may want to do some research. At such lengths, the 1 volt signal level that represents the digital 1 may attenuate (get smaller) so much that the TV cannot tell if it is 1 or a 0. Then, you will get picture degradation.
Also, if you paid more than US$150 for the MKII power bar, you paid too much. Search the web and you easily get the power bar for US$110 at newegg.com. I recommend you return your cable and power bar, get your money back and purchase those items at a web store. You will save more than half your money.
Monster products - monstrous claims, monstrous prices!!! RUN
by Hi-def Jeff - 2/16/07 7:17 AM In reply to: Monster Cable - good or evil???? by keman58Having serviced 100's of Dish Network HD systems in 2006, I have replaced Monster's splitters ($20!), HDMI, component, AND coaxial cables; all to fix picture quality issues. They must have made their name in the audio business, but as it pertains to video, they are expensive AND PROBLEMATIC, and should be avoided. Also, while it is the right idea to have surge protection (WITH insurance guarantee) for your expensive TV's and HD satellite receivers, Monster surge protectors WILL create PROBLEMS for some of you using Dish Network and DirecTV receivers. Many times I have stopped a satellite receiver from losing picture and returning to searching for satellite screen. The answer was to unplug from Monster power strips and go directly to the wall. Problem solved.
Digital=good, HDMI=good, Monster=expensive/bad
miles of cable and the last 6 feet cost hundreds of dollars
by mgason - 2/16/07 7:23 AM In reply to: Monster Cable - good or evil???? by keman58Here is an obvious point to consider that many people forget.
The signal for your tv is travelling over an enormous amount of cable from the cable provider to you. At least from the street to your home and eventually to your cable box, this is simple coax cable without any gold connectors, usually brass, weather proof ones actually.
So why do you neeed super expensive gold plated, gas injected, turbo charged cables to go the last 6 feet!
Just get a decent cable and save several hundred dollars, they probably made more on those cables than the tv. You will never see the difference, which i the point. You could probably measure some tiny imperceptible difference with a pile of test gear. Who cares!
Try checking out a video editing, music recording studio some day, I have worked in both, you will not find a monster cable anywhere, even hooked up to an audio console that cost more than a million dollars you will find good quality 20 to 30 dollar cables.
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