cable brand question

[mjnoles1]

I purchased GE component video cable, GE s-video cable, and the normal cheap radio shack audio and video cable. I was searching online and on ebay and came across someone selling new "RCA" brand component video cable, new "RCA" brand s-video cable and new "RCA" brand audio cables and video cables for cheaper then I purchased the GE cables at circuit city and radio shack. I bought the "RCA" brand cables I needed from the guy on ebay and going to return the GE cables and the cheap radio shack audio/video cables. Did I make the right choice? I am not able to spend a fortune on the cables so on that note, how are the "RCA" brand cables overall? Are they pretty good cables?

Thanks for the help

[okiemax]

I purchased GE component video cable, GE s-video cable, and the normal cheap radio shack audio and video cable. I was searching online and on ebay and came across someone selling new "RCA" brand component video cable, new "RCA" brand s-video cable and new "RCA" brand audio cables and video cables for cheaper then I purchased the GE cables at circuit city and radio shack. I bought the "RCA" brand cables I needed from the guy on ebay and going to return the GE cables and the cheap radio shack audio/video cables. Did I make the right choice? I am not able to spend a fortune on the cables so on that note, how are the "RCA" brand cables overall? Are they pretty good cables?

Thanks for the help

I wouldn't worry about it. Unless one kind is shielded and the other isn't, you probably won't notice a difference. If the cable is shielded, the package should say so. If the cable isn't shielded, you may need to keep it away from power cords to prevent hum and interference.

How are "RCA" branded cables overall? I have no experience with them, but see no reason why they wouldn't be OK. I have stopped paying attention to the RCA and GE brand names, since I can't keep up with who owns what anymore.

[mtrycraft]

I purchased GE component video cable, GE s-video cable, and the normal cheap radio shack audio and video cable. I was searching online and on ebay and came across someone selling new "RCA" brand component video cable, new "RCA" brand s-video cable and new "RCA" brand audio cables and video cables for cheaper then I purchased the GE cables at circuit city and radio shack. I bought the "RCA" brand cables I needed from the guy on ebay and going to return the GE cables and the cheap radio shack audio/video cables. Did I make the right choice? I am not able to spend a fortune on the cables so on that note, how are the "RCA" brand cables overall? Are they pretty good cables?

Thanks for the help


You should be just fine. But, if you are paying for return shipping, it may cost you more on the long run, no?

[Beckman]

Video cables must be shielded because of this:
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cable-tv2.htm

So as long as the video cable is shielded it should work fine.

[mtrycraft]

I appreciate you reading my posts :) but I think you keep responding to others under my post. They may or may not read your post thinking it is for me and I think you are responding to me :)

[SHAWNSY]

Dear A/V Friend,

Better for cheaper is easy in my opinion. I had a 13ft pair of Tara Labs Prism Bi-wire cable set up for single run. I paid $180 for the pair 7 years ago. Last month I bought a 100ft. roll of CL rated XPHP from Best Buy (click on link below). I ran a single cable of this stuff to my surrounds and a double run to each of my main speakers and center channel speaker. Of course I used Monster Banana Jacks and Flexi-Pins too. The double run of this cable to my main speakers blew away my $180 Tara Labs Prism Bi-wire. I couldn't believe it! What a difference. Even my wife who doesn't have an audiophile ear could tell a BIG difference. This compact In-wall/Out-of-wall design employs nearly all of the significant technology of the more expensive Monster Cable. I'd bet a double run (i.e. a single cable for ea. "+" and "-") to each Main speaker,of this stuff, would blow your M1.2 away! As for actually bi-wiring your speakers, I think using a double run of speaker cable to each speaker would do just as fine a job as actually bi-wiring them. For $129 for the wire and maybe $100 for 5 sets of jacks you can't go wrong. Oh yea, it'll take you 30 minutes per cable to install the banana jacks to the cable carefully. Also, just so you know how much mark up there is on Monster Cable products, my nephew gets a 60% discount on all Monster Cable products as he is a Best Buy employee. High end stereo stores that sell Monster products have room to deal--believe me! My whole project cost was less than $100 because I knew someone at Best Buy. Best hundred bucks I have ever spent in my life. The sound quality difference was breathtaking. I bet Monster wouldn't like this cheap secret to get out that a double run of their cheaper cable sounds better than a single run of their more expensive stuff. Hope this helps. I can't imagine you could go wrong with this advice. Remember to click the link below so you know exactly what monster cable I'm talking about. There is a cheaper version of this cable that looks similar but uses a smaller gauge wire. I wounldn't want you to confuse the two. Good luck and tell me what you decide.

Sincerely,
Shawn Watson
http://monstercable.com/custom_install/productPageCI.asp?pin=1447

[SHAWNSY]

Well, I thought I was posting to a different thread. I hope this helps someone anyway!

[JSE]

I have one pair of RCA Brand cables in my setup. They seem to be made well and I have never heard any difference between them and my normal Rat Shack Gold Series, not that any audible difference exist between decent quality cables. They will be fine. BTW, I got my 9ft cable on clearance at Target about a year ago for something like $7.

JSE

[Thatch_Ear]

I bought some 16 AWG OFC HT speaker cable in clear insulation and it has discolored even in the middle of the 25' runs. I plan on replacing it but just haven't decided on what I want to use yet. My total experience with cabling labelled RCA.
As far as quality of S video, inteconnects, speaker cables etc it usually isn't the wire, it's configuation or if it is shielded or not that really determines the quality of the product. It is the terminations. Most every brand has brass with a thin skin of gold on it. While it works brass just isn't the quality conductor that copper is and the gold is there to protect against oxidation and keep a good contact, not as the main conductor.
In other words the differences are slight and the termination usually makes the differences less. Buy for build quality and for price. Cheap might work as well as expensive when new, but if it doesn't last then you haven't saved anything.
If you want the best but not at outragious prices then learn how to build your own and make what you need with the highest quality parts. This does not mean the most expensive parts, so do some research.