Home audio & video: HDMI cables (cheap vs expensive) "Monster" vs no-name
:)
by sgopiani - 12/9/08 10:56 AM In reply to: "Cable changes - breaks in with usage" by jcrobsoYes I agree with you man just go to a shop and get a gold plated on for like £6.99 thats how much mine cost me and really do you want to spend like £69.99 for one cable i can buy like 2 Ps3 games for the money i save with that. I think that it is a waste of money to buy a monster cable come on what could you do with £63???? Just think.
hdmi cable
by mjcarpo - 1/31/07 9:57 AM In reply to: HDMI/DVI cables by HankP88monster vs. generic. any differnce
HDMI cables (cheap vs expensive) "Monster" vs no-name
by jcrobso - 6/10/05 12:56 PM In reply to: HDMI cables (cheap vs expensive) "Monster" vs no-name by jcr0911There are people are people who say they can see or here the difference. But the best test equipment can't tell the difference. So be glad you saved a lot of money and enjoy. John
it's all about the money
by iknowstuff - 12/3/08 2:07 AM In reply to: HDMI cables (cheap vs expensive) "Monster" vs no-name by jcrobsoWhen it comes to hdmi cables, GPS is very important. Monster gets all their wires ISF certified and places the specs all on thier box. The reason that people can't see the difference in their picture is the fact that the tv is probably not really good enough to harvest all the capabilities the wire carries from the source.
Chances are if a salesperson put the monster HDMI cable and the no name brand in front of you and told you that you can have either one for the same price, you would probably take the Monster one.
The best question to ask yourself is "how important is picture quality to you"? chances are if you feel it is very important, then you probably are the customer that will shell out the extra few hundred to get the higher performing tv models. If you are that customer, then you will see the value in getting a monster HDMI cable.
it's all about looks
by pmeaster - 5/24/09 1:20 AM In reply to: it's all about the money by iknowstuffYes of course Monster HDMI cable looks "better" than standard/economic HDMI cable and anyone would choose Monster if they were just "shown" the 2 given the same price. What you don't understand is that HDMI is a digital cable; either it works or it doesn't. The only time higher end cable matters is when you are running several yards+ of cable, like from one floor to another or throughout an office building. This is because of the increased possibility of electrical interfernece; the thicker, more insulated cable will help this. Even in this case it's still either it works or not. There is no "it looks better". The few feet from a DVD player to your television has pretty much 0 interference. The only real time "cheap" HDMI cable may be "bad" is if it was so poorly made, the actual connector isn't the right size and becomes loose and falls out, but I have never seen this happen.
Basically if anyone tells you expensive HDMI cable is "better" for home use, they are making more money/commission by selling you expensive cable or they do not know what they are talking about. Period.
Of course: That all depends......
by respiro - 6/11/05 10:59 AM In reply to: HDMI cables (cheap vs expensive) "Monster" vs no-name by jcr0911The best way to buy cables is to stay within about a ten percent rule. While you cant get $7 component cables for a $70 dvd player, think of your whole system in general. Is it really worth buying thousands of dollars worth of cables for a basic HTIB, probably not.
The internet has many sites that deal with questions like this. One of the better places to learn is www.audioholics.com They have some good articles on how HDMI, DVI and standard RCA (audio, video, etc) cables measure up and what differences to look for.
Finally, what has always been most important to me is my perception of how they perform. The speaker cables I have cost about 25% of the cost of the speakers, but I can hear a tremendous difference (enough to keep them). Bottom line...that all depends.
HDMI carries digital signals. Cheap is fine.
by elbaso - 6/24/05 8:57 AM In reply to: HDMI cables (cheap vs expensive) "Monster" vs no-name by jcr0911From what I understand, HDMI and DVI cables both carry digital signals. Since all that's being transmitted are 1s and 0s, the quality of the cable isn't as important as for analog signals (e.g. speaker cables). So, while you probably don't want to use a 2-dollar cable, using a 15-dollar cable instead of a 150-dollar cable for digital signals is fine. I don't use Monster cables for HDMI and DVI cables, but I do use a high-quality high-gauge speaker wire for my surround sound system.
Hope that helps.
Cheap is Never Fine
by sgreent - 6/24/05 3:19 PM In reply to: HDMI carries digital signals. Cheap is fine. by elbasoWould you rather climb a cheap or good ladder?
Ladders?
by dhancock - 6/25/05 10:57 AM In reply to: Cheap is Never Fine by sgreentDoes it matter if the ladder is gold plated?
Re cheap is never fine
by metalalloy419 - 1/31/07 11:07 AM In reply to: Cheap is Never Fine by sgreentYou are making an assumption that a "cheap" ladder can not be a "good" ladder. The appropriate question should be "would you rather climb a cheap or expensive ladder. and my answer would be it depends on what gets the job done. if the cheap ladder works, you would be dumb to throw money away. WIth HDMI cables, they either work or dont, cables from these online retailers work perfectly. the markup by monster and co is for people who prefer to throw money away. if you do them more kudos to you.
RE: "WIth HDMI cables, they either work or dont"
by ns387241 - 4/8/08 11:43 PM In reply to: Re cheap is never fine by metalalloy419Cars, they either work or they don't. False. Different cars will perform better in different aspects (or sometimes in all aspects). This applies to cables, video or audio, analog or digital.
I'll bet $1,000 one will be able to tell the difference between a Philips HDMI cable and an Analysis-Plus X-Factor HDMI cable (same length). I can say this because I have tested it myself.
Digital signals are less prone to interference, but that does not mean that they are immune to interference. Interference can change the digital clock dictating the signal. This reduces sound quality in the departments of clarity, soundstaging and transients. This reduces video clarity in the departments of on-screen noise, pixel-count resolution, black level depth, and color accuracy. EMI and RFI are very real threats to an audio/video system, don't let them take away from your expreience!
Be sure to have a cable that is ISF certified, as not to take away from color accuracy. Be sure the cable is THX certified (although this is much a joke, if it can't pass these standards, it really sucks). Look at construction (hand-soludered, OFC (silver, gold plate), shielding (two or more layers of differing materieals), dialectric(s), etc.). Lastly, look at bandwith (it should be at or above 10.2Gbps), this will determine its data streaming abilities.
I am not saying MOnster is a good value, but I am saying they hold higher standards than places like monoprice.com. I strongly recommend either Analysis-Plus or Nordost for one's cabling needs.
You must work for Monster
by jostenmeat - 1/31/07 12:41 PM In reply to: Cheap is Never Fine by sgreentWould you pay $100 for a completely adequate ladder or prefer to pay $600 because it is a brand-name ladder?
If I have a car that is great for $10k, would you pay $60k for the same car with a gold hood ornament?
Would you pay $18 for a Blue Jeans cable, $40 for Gefen, or $250 for Monster? Oh, by the way, the Gefen connections are decidely more secure than those of Monster.
One cable that will cost about 10% of your television? And will you still be using it 3-6 years from now with the advent of hdmi 1.3?
I hate people like you.
jostenmeat
hdmi cables
by jasdub32 - 4/7/07 2:50 AM In reply to: Cheap is Never Fine by sgreentI have to concur with hdmi cables being purely digital. That means it functions in binary code. 0 or 1. And as far as I understand, a pound of pure copper that costs 3 dollars is the same as a pound of pure copper that costs 150 dollars.
You're so full of it it's ridiculous. You do get what you pay for but there are exceptions to the rule, obviously they're oblivious to you.
BTW, I purchased a HDMI cable for 6 bucks and it works great. It is the exact same as my $100 monster and I returned those in a heartbeat.
QUALITY HDMI CABLES ARE AVAILABLE FROM "PHILIPS" AT WALMART,
by Riverledge - 4/7/07 6:28 PM In reply to: hdmi cables by jasdub32SAM'S, and many other outlets; including HD-HI-FI stores. MONSTER CABLE is just a "STATUS" symbol for those with money to throw away!!!
Best to all,
river.
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