Community Newsletter: Q&A: Home audio and video: Premium vs. generic cables
- 6/15/07 6:51 AM
HDTV Cables
by wayne-bonomo - 6/3/07 1:58 AM In reply to: Home audio and video: Premium vs. generic cables by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Digital cables will provide superior picture and sound over analog cables. I find this a noticeable upgrade and I think you will too. Do not waste your money on expensive cables. I have found quality digital cables on line for less then $20. I can attest specifically with HDMI cables you will not notice a difference in the picture on your HDTV. If there is a difference you would need highly sensitive test equipment to measure it and state of the art equipment providing the picture. I did an extensive A/B test with a high end Mitsubishi HDTV and could not tell the difference. Save your money. Don't go ultra cheap, but anything moderately priced should work fine.
Go to the apple store and save BIG BUCKS
by bob strongstein - 6/3/07 3:28 AM In reply to: Home audio and video: Premium vs. generic cables by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Stores make far more from selling "add-ons" then selling you your HDTV -
Profit margins on these cables are almost as outrageous as they stories the salespeople tell about what will happen if you don't buy hundreds of dollars of things you don't need. You are terrorized with threats of "Destroyed experience", "Fried equipment", etc.
Go to the Apple Store - 6 foot HDMI or component video for $19.99 versus $189.99 at circuit city for monster cables - actual cost to store is around $ 30.00 according to former employees
HDTV Cabling
by the_shelton - 6/3/07 8:42 AM In reply to: Home audio and video: Premium vs. generic cables by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Cables and connections for stereo, HDTV, or any electronic media can be compared to hoses for moving water around your house. If you have a pump that will deliver 50 gallons of water per minute and you need to deliver 75 gallons per minute to some plants or a fountain, sorry. It will deliver 50 gallons max and your fountain will not chirp merrily, it will just slog along.
Cables have a maximum delivery capablity and if you don't meet or exceed that your media will suffer. But on the same line of thought, if your plumbing will deliver 200 gallons of water and your pump will supply 100, you have wasted a lot of capability (which you paid for and will never get). Same with some of the monster cables that are around today, they are built to deliver ear shattering amount of wattage to speakers that if you did deliver, would soon reduce your ability to hear it to deafness.
The idea behind HDTV is that they are now sliding more data down the channels, and you can't do that with the old cables (maybe 25 gallon pipes). Same with HD DVD, Blue Ray and all the new things. You need to have a pipe that will deliver the amount that is being sent. You definitely need HDMI or better when using any HD device. You can use the other cabling (component, s-type, etc) but there is a difference. Some things won't even work without the proper cable, like upconversion to an HD set.
As for the price, that is something else entirely. Just because you pay $100 for a hose, doesn't mean it is made to stand the pressure of delivery. It is almost a matter of 'You get what you pay for', but not quite. There are connections at both ends of the hose and there are connections at both ends that belong to the other components, like your TV and the HD DVD. They are just as critical as the cable, they could be below par so that needs to be checked in the buying phase. I will say that buying cable from a reputable source has always made sense (when money is no object). I have however, bought from many different sources and compared and find that workmanship, and a quality product is not guaranteed by price.
What I have done is buy a great cable at a high price (you are going to need many cables by the way) and then bought a few from other sources at reasonable prices and compared them. Most have a return policy anyway, so the ones that didn't perform, I just sent back. Some times the ones that went back were the high priced ones. If you can't see or hear the difference, what are you paying for?
DON'T SKIMP ON THE HDMI CABLE
by robzan - 6/3/07 12:27 PM In reply to: Home audio and video: Premium vs. generic cables by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I myself just bought a 37 inch HD LCD TV.
I am lucky because my best friend does A/V installations for a living.
I asked him the very same questions about cables. He said, most all the cables are going to do the job without buying into the high end stuff. ie. Monster etc. Radio Shack would work fine or any place that sells component and composite cables. You won't hear the difference.
The one cable he said you should get a high end one for is the HDMI cable. Hope this helps, it saved me some doe.
Rob
bottom line
by gcalegan - 6/9/07 12:18 PM In reply to: DON'T SKIMP ON THE HDMI CABLE by robzanHere's the bottom line, people.
For digital cables (especially HDMI), get the CHEAPEST possible. Digital is digital no matter how expensive the cable is. NO DEGREDATION with digital signals.
For analog cables, get a medium quality cable, because quality matters. But for god's sake, you don't need Monster Rip-Off Cables. I say medium quality because mainly they're better shielded (that means less interference when the wife is vacuuming).
THE BEST PLACE TO GET CABLES IS MONOPRICE.COM. YOU'RE WELCOME. I'VE SAVED HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS WITH THIS SITE. I HAVE 6 HDMI CABLES FROM THEM IN MY A/V SYSTEM - $6 EACH. THE QUALITY IS GREAT. I DON'T WORK FOR THEM I SWEAR.
no monsters please
by pablito2525 - 6/3/07 2:29 PM In reply to: Home audio and video: Premium vs. generic cables by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It is quite simple. Go always for the best posible connection. Type of connectors on your components will dictate the connection. All modern devices have HDMI and I would recommend sticking to it. If you have to (older components), keep your connections digital.
For video: for digital HDMI or DVI, and for analog composite (red, green, and blue cable)
For sound: optical or coaxial.
Generaly speaking, shorter the cable better the connection. Decent store should not sell you "thick" cable that is only 3ft long. Thickness translates into less signal loss, but you need it only for cables longer than say 12ft.
Always check monoprice.com for all your cable needs. You might end up paying up to 50x less than for identical cable from retail store.
HDTV Cables Shouldn't Matter
by jrabin - 6/3/07 4:57 PM In reply to: Home audio and video: Premium vs. generic cables by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Because HDTV (and HDMI) is all digital, the cables you HDMI cables shouldn't matter if they are gold or regular. It may make some slight difference with analogue, but because HDMI is a digital interface, it shouldn't make a difference.
HDTV Cabling
by rainman927 - 6/4/07 4:27 AM In reply to: Home audio and video: Premium vs. generic cables by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Yes, Derek the $15 cable will work and the $100 "premium" cable might give you better performance. A good comparison would be a low cost auto versus a luxury car, both accomplish their purpose, and a person would believe that the "premium" you pay for the luxury car is justified in both performance and reliabilty, unfortunately, that is not always the case. The same is true in cables.
I presumed that you have done some research before buying the HDTV. I suggest you do the same on the cabling. There are a number of home theater/av magazines, as well as web sites, that test, evaluate, and/or review the various types and brands of cables, you might be suprised. By during this you, you can insure that the "premium" cable being offered is just that. My preference has always been to use a good "quality" cable, not a cable with premium price and recommend that you do the same.
Cables
by dokken2 - 6/4/07 4:49 AM In reply to: Home audio and video: Premium vs. generic cables by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
A year or two ago Consumer Reports did a test of A/V cables, comparing good quality cables to the premium brands. Rather than rely on subject observations of perceived picture/sound quality, they used electronic test equipment to measure signal degradation, noise, impedance, etc. Their results, you don't need to spend $100+ for a premium cable (ie: monster cable), as there was virtually no measurable difference between expensive cables and good quality ones in the $15-30 range. By the same token, don't expect a 99-cent bargain cable to be as good since the connectors and construction will not be of the best quality.
Consumer Reports
by agb100 - 6/4/07 12:39 PM In reply to: Cables by dokken2CR also reviews audio equipment and most of the time they hear no difference. Anyone marginally familiar with high end audio knows well that speakers, amps, wires, and even solder, do not sound the same, one to the other. Just because you cannot hear it does not mean it is not there. Just because you cannot measure it, it is possible you are measuring for the wrong things. Just because you have an emotional investment in your point of view does not mean that your point of view is reality. Reality does not care what you think or believe. Reality only cares for what is.
A video cable may meet its specs until the terminations are attached. Sometimes they will not meet their specs afterward. Sometimes the terminations will deteriorate after time due to metal fatigue and corrosion. There are other factors, tightness of fit, metal-to-metal contact integrity, etc.
If you cannot hear or see the improvements between cables, buy the cheapest you can find. You'll only lose 10 bucks if things don't work out.
You should experiment with component video and discrete audio cables for your sound. Believe only your eyes and ears and good common sense. there are NO free lunches, no cheap video or audio.
It's all a scam!!
by wizardb - 6/4/07 6:21 AM In reply to: Home audio and video: Premium vs. generic cables by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
There is no physical reason for one of these cables to be better then the rest.This myth has been debunked so many times it's getting ridiculous.Scientific test show there is no difference but these expensive cable makers (monster etc.)plus people who need the status of a $100 plus cable will wax poetic,about sound depth and picture clarity it is all in their minds.
Cables worth the price
by lsjames - 6/4/07 10:23 AM In reply to: Home audio and video: Premium vs. generic cables by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
First, the units, like (gasp!) VCRs, used to have the cables in the box with the unit. This seems to have gone by the wayside.
Now, every thing regarding home entertainment, needs cables and I truly believe there is a large markup, especially with the high end cables.
Do the more expensive cables transmit any better?
I really don't think so. After all there are only so many electrons traveling down the wire at a time.
The Gold is the Big Thing
by baddawgg - 6/4/07 4:26 PM In reply to: Home audio and video: Premium vs. generic cables by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The biggest advantage of more expensive cables is the very thin coating of gold on the connectors. The tinned copper or steel on inexpensive connectors is subject to oxidation, which degrades signal quality and creates nonlinerities (distortion) in analog signals. Gold-flashed connectors (which have a very thin--less than a millionth of an inch thick--gold plating) are not that much nore expensive dueto the very small amount of gold used. Any ""video" cable will have a 75 ohm impedance regardless of cost. Likewise, all the other wires in a cable will have the correct electrical characteristics no matter what price point the cable sells at.
One other area where more expensive cables are better is the shielding. Cables with 'spiral-wound' shield conductors can let in interferance that cables with foil or braided shielding would keep out. The best shielding is a combination of foil (or foil-coated mylar) and a cross-braided braid, which can be either copper or aluminum.
Once a cable has these features, more expense does not matter. You can find properly shielded cables with gold flashed connectors in the middle price ranges ($20-30) and these are totally adaquate.
Finally....
by mpmacal - 6/8/07 5:27 PM In reply to: The Gold is the Big Thing by baddawggAn answer, accurate and concise.
Gold thickness should actually be 3 millionths minimum, but who's measuring. Nickel plating passivates, and other metal surfaces oxidize, all contributing to signal loss.
And yes... shielding. Your answer is hitting on all cylinders.
TV Cables
by Whispertoo - 6/4/07 6:14 PM In reply to: Home audio and video: Premium vs. generic cables by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Over the years I have installed and used a number of TV Systems up to my present Samsung DLP HDTV and I have never been able to see a difference in Picture quality from Premium vs inexpensive cables. Of course, the very cheapest with no shielding can be questionable- but I would try the low cost brand first and if you see some picture problems, step up to the next level. I doubt that you will ever need the Monster type.
Having said that about cables, there is certainly a difference in the Input methods- HDMI is better than component which is better than composite which is better than than RF. In summary, I would try the cheapest cable you can get for the best input mode you have.
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