Results 1 to 17 of 17
  1. #1
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    CT
    Posts
    54

    Comparing cable brands for HDMI?

    I know this is very controversial, but what are everyone's opinions on cable quality?

    Is there much difference between an HDMI cable from samsungparts.com that sells for $18 and the Acoustic Research brand at Best Buy for $50?
    Would there be a noticable difference in picture quality?

  2. #2
    Forum Regular FLZapped's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Posts
    740
    You might see a difference in build/material quality. That might lead to a poorer quality picture if the cable doesn't mate properly. However, the most liekely scenerio is that there there won't be any difference.

    BTW - what length cable are you looking at??

    I would look elsewhere for cables, BB really marks cables up a lot!

    -Bruce

  3. #3
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    CT
    Posts
    54
    I just need a 3' cable. I just didnt know if the cheap ones didnt have shielding and all that "extra" stuff that the acoustic research ones have.

  4. #4
    Forum Regular elapsed's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Vancouver, BC
    Posts
    542
    See this post: Extend my HDMI.

    For a 3ft run I would purchase a 28AWG HDMI Cable from Monoprice for $6 + shipping. This will perform equally to a $150 Monster cable. Enjoy!

  5. #5
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Posts
    153
    This was 1 of my question and the concern from earlier days. It was last month actually. No one could give me the promise answer so I had to find out my own way. I ended up bought 1 set from monoprice $50, 1 from eBay called AmericanAV for $50, 1 of Monster 400 and finally, the AudioQuest Hdmi-X $100. I test them back to back and this is what I got:
    - 13ft monoprice for $50: You would think the color and the details of the picture is ok until you set them next to the Monster and AudioQuest. If you have you less than $200 dvd player, this maybe the best bang for buck hdmi cable for you.
    - The 4 ft MonsterCable model 400: Very clear and details but I find it was very dark and boring to watch.
    - AudioQuest model hdmi-x: For $100, this is just an entrel level of its line but yet I was very pleased with its video quality. It was much brighter, clearer and colorful like you would never imagine.
    PS: I tested those hdmis' with my $1,000 msrp DVD player.

  6. #6
    Forum Regular blackraven's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    St. Paul, Minnesota
    Posts
    5,421
    You might want to check out www.bluejeancable.com for HDMI cables. They have very good prices and good quality cables.
    Pass Labs X250 amp, BAT Vk-51se Preamp,
    Thorens TD-145 TT, Bellari phono preamp, Nagaoka MP-200 Cartridge
    Magnepan QR1.6 speakers
    Luxman DA-06 DAC
    Van Alstine Ultra Plus Hybrid Tube DAC
    Dual Martin Logan Original Dynamo Subs
    Parasound A21 amp
    Vintage Luxman T-110 tuner
    Magnepan MMG's, Grant Fidelity DAC-11, Class D CDA254 amp
    Monitor Audio S1 speakers, PSB B6 speakers
    Vintage Technic's Integrated amp
    Music Hall 25.2 CDP
    Adcom GFR 700 AVR
    Cables- Cardas, Silnote, BJC
    Velodyne CHT 8 sub

  7. #7
    Suspended PeruvianSkies's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    3,373
    cobalt cables.com makes good HDMI cables, and I believe they are similar to that of bettercables.com

  8. #8
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Posts
    46
    Quote Originally Posted by gjpham
    This was 1 of my question and the concern from earlier days. It was last month actually. No one could give me the promise answer so I had to find out my own way. I ended up bought 1 set from monoprice $50, 1 from eBay called AmericanAV for $50, 1 of Monster 400 and finally, the AudioQuest Hdmi-X $100. I test them back to back and this is what I got:
    - 13ft monoprice for $50: You would think the color and the details of the picture is ok until you set them next to the Monster and AudioQuest. If you have you less than $200 dvd player, this maybe the best bang for buck hdmi cable for you.
    - The 4 ft MonsterCable model 400: Very clear and details but I find it was very dark and boring to watch.
    - AudioQuest model hdmi-x: For $100, this is just an entrel level of its line but yet I was very pleased with its video quality. It was much brighter, clearer and colorful like you would never imagine.
    PS: I tested those hdmis' with my $1,000 msrp DVD player.
    This is what I've found: Tried a "monster equivalent" HDMI and directly compared it to the Monster 400 series you refer to and survey says... yes, they are equivalent and HALF the price. Now here's the clincher! BB and CC mark up their cables BIG TIME! WTF? I guess that's how they make their jingo! SO I looked around and, just for kicks, tried Monster's VERY best HDMI cable - their M1000 (note: NOT the Ultra 1000) version. This cable absolutely BLEW AWAY the other two - video is absolutely FLAWLESS! Extremely impressed. I do not have a receiver that can process the audio yet for HDMI so can't comment on that aspect of them. But as for "elapsed's" insistance that they're all the same... well ignorance is bliss is all I'm going to say! BTW I found a 4 ft run of the M1000 for that magical $150 you say won't be noticable. In fact I'll bet you my HDTV against yours that we can put 10 people in the room and the majority will easily pick out which cable is the Monster M1000 from the video it produces. Monster has a bad rep for the bright/unnatural tonal quality of their interconnects, and deservedly so, but I'm telling you they hit a homerun with their M1000 HDMI's!

    Now MY question is... has anyone compared high end HDMI cables? And what have you come up with? There IS a difference peeps!

    Have FUN!

    G MAN

  9. #9
    Forum Regular elapsed's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Vancouver, BC
    Posts
    542
    Hi gman - how long is your HDMI cable run? For a long distance (e.g. over 3m) I would absolutely agree in investing in a quality HDMI cable. I would also agree that two cables do not perform identically, especially at bandwidth intensive video, and may display different results. But your comment that the cable you purchased "absolutely BLEW AWAY the other two", certainly you are exaggerating by a long shot. Over a short distance I feel you will have little to no improvement.

    http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/hdmi-cabl...lly-268788.php

    But if you feel like spending 50x what I did on a short run HDMI cable then who am I to argue. I'm about to spend $1,000 on a 3ft Naim Hi-Line interconnect, and I believe I can hear a worthwhile improvement. This is a very subjective hobby.

  10. #10
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Posts
    46
    Hey Elapsed,

    Well the cable is only 4 feet and, well, okay so I exaggerated a lil' bit ;-) but I guarantee you will be able to notice a difference! I have an LCOS HDTV and saw some graininess (albeit very very light) with both the 400 series Monster and the low priced RAM HDMI cables. The picture with the M1000 is as close to perfect as I'm going to get using LCOS technology. Perhaps the monitor plays a role in all this as well?

    I used to do a lot of messing around with interconnects. Do yourself a favor and give Clarity Cable a whirl. In fact compare them with the Naims at no risk, they'll take them back risk free. I'd love to hear your opinion on that comparison! They are better known as Zcable Live but were sold recently: http://www.claritycable.com/index.html
    I was first turned on to them from this site; their interconnects got perfect scores from every single reviewer and had over 30 hits as I recall. NOTHING get those kind of reviews, especially when dealing with audiophiles! So I had to try them myself and was blown away. I'd put them up against $10,000 MIT's, they are that good!

    Have FUN!

    G MAN

    PS - Clarity Cable will be at the Colorado show this week.

  11. #11
    Forum Regular elapsed's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Vancouver, BC
    Posts
    542
    Thanks for the advice! My Naim system uses non-standard DIN interconnects, as opposed to RCA interconnects. DIN Cables that work well with Naim are Chord Chrysalis, Nordost Valhalla, and the new Naim Hi-Line.

    As for your HDMI cable, we're in full agreement

  12. #12
    Aging Smartass
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Moore, SC
    Posts
    1,003

    Talking

    I purchased two of the TOTL Monster Cable HDMI cables, sold at Circuit City for $130 for a 6' length. They replaced the "ordinary" cables from both my DirecTV HD Receiver, and my Toshiba A-20K HD-DVD player. Was there any difference? You betcha!

    1.) Sharper, more detailed picture quality on both sources (TV and DVD)
    2.) Far greater contrast, and more prominent blacks, primarily on TV.
    3.) More vivid color on both sources
    4.) Improved sound quality (I'm using a very fine 2-channel audio system, and not surround sound, so I can't state whatever difference the cable may make for surround setups).
    5. Less "grain" on both sources.

    So, was it worth the money? In my book, YES it was!

  13. #13
    AR Junior Member sgt bass08's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    England, UK
    Posts
    179
    hi there i think its worth spending the extra bucks on quatily hd cables they offer a lot more
    like Version 1.3 supported, having 10.2Gbps bandwidth support, not just the standard 5Gbps that the majority of other standard HDMI cables (such as those that are provided free) have! Future-proofing our cables for the demands of the next generation high definition display devices capable of higher resolutions, deeper colours and higher frame rates and most inmportant is quatily cables have 24K Gold-plated connector,oxygen-free copper
    I Perfer To Feel Bass On My Chest Then Not To Feel It At All

  14. #14
    I took a headstart... basite's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Mortsel, Antwerp, Belgium, Europe, Earth
    Posts
    3,056
    Quote Originally Posted by sgt bass08
    most inmportant is quatily cables have 24K Gold-plated connector,oxygen-free copper

    not nessecarily true...

    My Kimber cables (they are decent) have Ultraplate connectors, no gold there, just very high quality pure copper and a very thin silver layer.

    my next cables will probably be silver with silver connectors too...

    besides, it's not the gold that makes a cable good. Gold plated connectors on cheaper wires are mostly to prevent oxidation, and they have cheap copper or even worse materials below them. Now that doesn't make a good cable.

    Keep them spinning,
    Bert.
    Life is music!

    Mcintosh MA6400 Integrated
    Double Advent speakers
    Thiel CS2.3's
    *DIY Lenco L75 TT
    * SME 3012 S2
    * Rega RB-301
    *Denon DL-103 in midas body
    *Denon DL-304
    *Graham slee elevator EXP & revelation
    *Lehmann audio black cube SE
    Marantz CD5001 OSE
    MIT AVt 2 IC's
    Sonic link Black earth IC's
    Siltech MXT New york IC's
    Kimber 4VS speakercable
    Furutech powercord and plugs.

    I'm a happy 20 year old...

  15. #15
    AR Junior Member sgt bass08's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    England, UK
    Posts
    179
    Quote Originally Posted by basite
    not nessecarily true...

    My Kimber cables (they are decent) have Ultraplate connectors, no gold there, just very high quality pure copper and a very thin silver layer.

    my next cables will probably be silver with silver connectors too...

    besides, it's not the gold that makes a cable good. Gold plated connectors on cheaper wires are mostly to prevent oxidation, and they have cheap copper or even worse materials below them. Now that doesn't make a good cable.

    Keep them spinning,
    Bert.
    basite agree with u its more in the cable itself and expensive cables with have high quality materials
    I Perfer To Feel Bass On My Chest Then Not To Feel It At All

  16. #16
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Posts
    46
    Anyone else compare high end HDMI's? I'd love to but don't really have a spare grand laying around to do so! Just a follow up to my post. I ditched my Monster HTS-3600 for my old 2600 power conditioner which works BETTER even tho it doesn't have "digital" filtering. Go figure. Have heard this from many sources now that the 2600 was a better unit for both sound and video. Anyways... my friends just freak when they see how clear my picture is! One even commented that it looks clearer than "real life!" I'm not a Monster salesman, trust me. And I still think their audio interconnects are some of the lamest garbage in the world but the M1000 series HDMI is thru the roof amazing. The best $150 you will ever spend on your home theater, trust me. SHOW ME a better cable peeps! I'm all ears, especially if you can find one less expensive that performs as well or better. My eyes and ears don't lie - the improvement is truly amazing and I don't even have a 1080p HDTV yet my picture is as clear as any plasma I've seen to date! And apparently LCoS technology is about to make a strong comeback from what I'm told. To learn more about LCoS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-ILA

    Have FUN!

    G MAN
    Last edited by gman086; 12-16-2007 at 12:46 AM.

  17. #17
    Forum Regular blackraven's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    St. Paul, Minnesota
    Posts
    5,421
    You should not be able to tell the difference between HDMI cable's. Its all 1's and 0's. Either signal is going thru or its not. I saw an article in a magazine that compared high end HDMI's to cheap one's and they found no difference in picture quality. Save your money.
    Pass Labs X250 amp, BAT Vk-51se Preamp,
    Thorens TD-145 TT, Bellari phono preamp, Nagaoka MP-200 Cartridge
    Magnepan QR1.6 speakers
    Luxman DA-06 DAC
    Van Alstine Ultra Plus Hybrid Tube DAC
    Dual Martin Logan Original Dynamo Subs
    Parasound A21 amp
    Vintage Luxman T-110 tuner
    Magnepan MMG's, Grant Fidelity DAC-11, Class D CDA254 amp
    Monitor Audio S1 speakers, PSB B6 speakers
    Vintage Technic's Integrated amp
    Music Hall 25.2 CDP
    Adcom GFR 700 AVR
    Cables- Cardas, Silnote, BJC
    Velodyne CHT 8 sub

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •