-
whats the difference between a 12 dollar component cable vs a 120 dollar one?
what is the difference? do i get a clearer picture with the more expensive one? arent they design to do the same thing?
-
$108
$108 Seriously, what i would do if I were you is getting the lowest grade Monster Component Cable on Ebay using the buy it now function. I think I got mine new and sealed for 50% less than what they're selling in stores.
Quote:
Originally Posted by marky
what is the difference? do i get a clearer picture with the more expensive one? arent they design to do the same thing?
-
Yeah I would do the same... I found a lot of great deals on ebay regarding cables..
-
triple shielding and more individual strands of wire, 12 cut turbine connectors. The better connectors make pretty nifty keychains by the way. The cheaper plastic ones suck for keychains.
-
Simply go to www.cablewholesale.com and there you will find premium quality cables at very, very reasonable prices. Cables are heavy duty, excellent build quality. Guaranteed to work as well as any Monster cable on the market.
-
I get all my cables from Walmart now. Same as Monster at 1/64th the price.
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by N. Abstentia
I get all my cables from Walmart now. Same as Monster at 1/64th the price.
no doubt. don't waste ur money on anything that expensive (monster)
-
Make your own. Descent connectors for $1.50 a piece and cable for less than a buck a foot.
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by marky
what is the difference? do i get a clearer picture with the more expensive one? arent they design to do the same thing?
Heads up young fella -
Hershon's initial response, while essentially given as "tongue-in-cheek" is really very close to being dead-on accurate. There is nothing - let me repeat, nothing about a $120 cable that comes anywhere near justifying its pricetag.
Am I saying that there is absolutely, positively no difference in performance whatsoever? No, I'm not saying that. A more expensive cable will no doubt "outperform" a cheap one ... the only thing that matters however, is just how much of an improvement does the more expensive product have to offer? Is the advantage significant at all? Or, is it even detectable under most conditions? Answers:
1. In all likelihood - damned little
2. Probably not
3. Probably not
The one thing that can be said for more expensive cable products is that they're more likely to be reliable over the long haul than their cheaper cousins. But perform better? Chances of that are about halfway between slim and none. Don't get taken in by those that tout expensive cables as "worth the money" ... they're not.
Hope this clears your mind.
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by lbhkilla
Make your own. Descent connectors for $1.50 a piece and cable for less than a buck a foot.
For what possible reason? Sorry, but I must strongly disagree with this advice. Unless one is very handy with tools, or is quite lucky, the assembly of connectors to coaxial cables is a skill that needs to be developed and is a project full of possibilities for an end result that is less capable of good performance than even the cheapest alternative in the marketplace. The simple fact is that merely starting out with high quality materials and parts does not guarantee a good result when you're finished.
I've been stripping, crimping, and soldering cables and connectors for 50 years, and if I were in the market for "component video" cable, the last thing on earth I would do is what you're suggesting that this obvious newbie attempt.
Bad advice! Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!
-
ive been using cheap component cables and i notice the colors are more vivid than using s video but sometimes i see color shifts. its very minor but i can see it somtimes. facial colors change from one shade to another. again its very minor. do u think it has to do with the cables? im hooking it up through a rxv 2400.
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by marky
Whats the difference between a 12 dollar component cable vs a 120 dollar one?
Probably better shielding, materials, connectors and construction (and in case of Monster, more advertising :D). But as Woodman said, the ratio of price vs performance sometimes don't match up and it is not linear.
Just avoid dirt cheap flimsy cables and you should be alright :)
-
Agai, I agree with Smokey on this. You might want to buy the basic (cheapest) Monster Components on Ebay just so you can sleep better at night. I totally agree Monster markets itself alot better than its product performs, but to err on the safe side I'd spend $30 or so dollars on Ebay for Monster component cables.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smokey
Probably better shielding, materials, connectors and construction (and in case of Monster, more advertising :D). But as Woodman said, the ratio of price vs performance sometimes don't match up and it is not linear.
Just avoid dirt cheap flimsy cables and you should be alright :)
-
Whoa now,
I must say that some of you need to audition some of these cables before making assumptions on performance/cost ratios, I notice very substantial gains when upgrading cables. Obviously it's not the same as upgrading components, but is a noticable difference, i don't think that some cables are worth the money of course, in fact some are just flat out rediculous,(i.e.Monster Sigma) however i have found that your system is only as good as your weekest component and if you use $50 in wiring on a $10,000 system how could you sleep at night knowing how poor your signal transfer is? Without good wiring your system is worthless, i'm not saying that you should go out and spend $120 on a cable, in fact I feel wire/cable that expensive isn't for everbody, but i think an $80 cable will do you justice.
and by the way there is nothing wrong with monster cable it's not the best but it has very respectable performance-i'm not a huge fan but i do respect their higher end cables
-
I totally agree with this & what you said makes the most sense of anyone. if you can afford a $10,000 system then you may as well by the best and most expensive cables out there, why take a chance on screwing up $10,000 worth of stuff with cheap or moderate price cables to save a buck or two.
Quote:
Originally Posted by meephis
Whoa now,
I must say that some of you need to audition some of these cables before making assumptions on performance/cost ratios, I notice very substantial gains when upgrading cables. Obviously it's not the same as upgrading components, but is a noticable difference, i don't think that some cables are worth the money of course, in fact some are just flat out rediculous,(i.e.Monster Sigma) however i have found that your system is only as good as your weekest component and if you use $50 in wiring on a $10,000 system how could you sleep at night knowing how poor your signal transfer is? Without good wiring your system is worthless, i'm not saying that you should go out and spend $120 on a cable, in fact I feel wire/cable that expensive isn't for everbody, but i think an $80 cable will do you justice.
and by the way there is nothing wrong with monster cable it's not the best but it has very respectable performance-i'm not a huge fan but i do respect their higher end cables
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by hershon
I totally agree with this & what you said makes the most sense of anyone. if you can afford a $10,000 system then you may as well by the best and most expensive cables out there, why take a chance on screwing up $10,000 worth of stuff with cheap or moderate price cables to save a buck or two.
If the argument that makes the most sense is 'why not spend more money if you have the money to spend', go for it. More expensive cables certainly look better...
noddin0ff
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by meephis
Whoa now,
I must say that some of you need to audition some of these cables before making assumptions on performance/cost ratios, I notice very substantial gains when upgrading cables. Obviously it's not the same as upgrading components, but is a noticable difference, i don't think that some cables are worth the money of course, in fact some are just flat out rediculous,(i.e.Monster Sigma) however i have found that your system is only as good as your weekest component and if you use $50 in wiring on a $10,000 system how could you sleep at night knowing how poor your signal transfer is? Without good wiring your system is worthless, i'm not saying that you should go out and spend $120 on a cable, in fact I feel wire/cable that expensive isn't for everbody, but i think an $80 cable will do you justice.
and by the way there is nothing wrong with monster cable it's not the best but it has very respectable performance-i'm not a huge fan but i do respect their higher end cables
I've got a $10K+ (new retail) 2 ch. system, and I've done double blind testing with ICs only using my wife as a switcher, and I found that using cables from $10-$500 sounded exactly the same. The really cheap $2-3 cable was noticeably worse, but everything else was no difference. This may not be the same as with component cables, but I would suspect that the difference between a very expensive set of cables and a $20 set of cables would be minimal at best.
-
This is the answer you're looking for, I think.
Quote:
Originally Posted by magictooth
...The really cheap $2-3 cable was noticeably worse, but everything else was no difference...
Magic hit the nail on the head. I've done the same with insanely espensive cables and compared them to the cheapest stuff out there. And As long as you stay away from the bottom of the barrel, you should be fine. Also, here's what I look for:
- That the cable rating at least matches what the manual suggests (this has to do with bandwidth).
- That the cable itself is solid.
- That the connectors are sturdy and protect the connection to the cable as much as possible.
- That the connectors are not so thick as to obstruct the jacks next to it.
- That the connector has a secure grip on the RCA jack.
As you can probably guess, the connectors are very important to me. I hope I'm not offending anyone out there, but I don't think Monster makes the best connectors. I've damaged several of their cables with normal wear & tear. Personally, I'm rather fond of AudioQuest. Their cables, even their lowest priced stuff, are very well built and you can find excellent new & used cables out there.
-
I just want to know when I bought & later returned on 2 seperate occassions: 1. the most expensive Monster subwoofer cable (Ultra series) the sound from my system, using the same exact settings and playing the same test CD discs, the super expensive cable created for my ears a horrible boom bass type sound while the cheapest Monster sub cable that I had produced an excellent sound, 2. my TV sound is much more better and richer using cheap RCA $2 cables then any type of Monster audio cables (I connected my TV audio out to my receiver)?
Quote:
Originally Posted by nightflier
Magic hit the nail on the head. I've done the same with insanely espensive cables and compared them to the cheapest stuff out there. And As long as you stay away from the bottom of the barrel, you should be fine. Also, here's what I look for:
- That the cable rating at least matches what the manual suggests (this has to do with bandwidth).
- That the cable itself is solid.
- That the connectors are sturdy and protect the connection to the cable as much as possible.
- That the connectors are not so thick as to obstruct the jacks next to it.
- That the connector has a secure grip on the RCA jack.
As you can probably guess, the connectors are very important to me. I hope I'm not offending anyone out there, but I don't think Monster makes the best connectors. I've damaged several of their cables with normal wear & tear. Personally, I'm rather fond of AudioQuest. Their cables, even their lowest priced stuff, are very well built and you can find excellent new & used cables out there.
-
hershon, I think that the reason you were unsatisfied with the performance was the not the poor quality of the cable but the way this cable transfers the bass. Monster uses multiple low frequency conductor types and undoubtably the two cables had a different method of transferring the signal. Remember that audio is subjective and just because a cable is more expensive it doesn't mean that it will suit your individual tastes. As for magictooth, I am not sure what equipment you're using but i, and i am sure most others, can hear a destinct difference between a $10 and a $500 cable. All i can say is that if you're happy with the $10 cable then go for it because its a lot nicer than than blowing $500 on a cable(which might be a little overboard for some anyways). As I said in my last post these ultra-high end cables are not for anyone, and if I weren't able to hear the difference I wouldn't spend that much on cables either. Howerver I do hear a large difference in cables under the $200 price tag so I have chosen Monster Z series speaker wire, it was a little more than I wanted to pay but i feel it was worth it. Not too crazy about monster's prices but they do offer a solid product (for some tastes)
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by meephis
hershon, I think that the reason you were unsatisfied with the performance was the not the poor quality of the cable but the way this cable transfers the bass. Monster uses multiple low frequency conductor types and undoubtably the two cables had a different method of transferring the signal. Remember that audio is subjective and just because a cable is more expensive it doesn't mean that it will suit your individual tastes. As for magictooth, I am not sure what equipment you're using but i, and i am sure most others, can hear a destinct difference between a $10 and a $500 cable. All i can say is that if you're happy with the $10 cable then go for it because its a lot nicer than than blowing $500 on a cable(which might be a little overboard for some anyways). As I said in my last post these ultra-high end cables are not for anyone, and if I weren't able to hear the difference I wouldn't spend that much on cables either. Howerver I do hear a large difference in cables under the $200 price tag so I have chosen Monster Z series speaker wire, it was a little more than I wanted to pay but i feel it was worth it. Not too crazy about monster's prices but they do offer a solid product (for some tastes)
Well, the reason why I don't visit this site very much anymore is because some of the mods have gotten a bit zealous with regards to the cable pro/con debate so I'll have to keep my answer to you short. Right now I'm using $30 sets of 3' ICs. I didn't want to really cheap out, but I didn't feel the extra expense of the higher priced cables was justified in any way. I would suggest to you that you try out for yourself a double blind test using your wife, friend, or some other non biased switching system. <b>YOU</b> will be the one surprised at the results, I think. For my testing, the music that I listened to was primarily violin music. As a violin player, I can hear a lot more of the nuances in violin music than the vast majority of listeners out there can. During the IC switching, I <b><i>thought</b></i> that I was able to identify which IC the signal was coming from, but after the final results were tabulated, I was pretty much floored by the results. Without a doubt, I got some of them right, but for the most part, the results seemed to indicate that I couldn't tell one IC from another.
-
magictooth, I don't doubt your results! In fact I have tried this test many times with several cables and have recorded different results on each. First of all don't get me wrong I am not trying to say that expensive cables are better than cheaper ones in all cases, in fact I have proven that wrong myself on more than one occasion, but that there are more expensive cables that aren't too rediculous in price that do make a huge difference. Perhaps the best example of this is when I put the Monster Z2 up against some monster THX (not the ultra 1000), which is a very reasonably priced cable. To eliminate any partialism I had my friend play them with my eyes closed, much as you did, then had him do the same test. We both picked the Z2. The sound was fuller and brighter. I have also tried this with other expensive cables before and revieled very different results. So the cables are out there it's just a matter of finding them.(remember with as many great deals/cables are out there, there is also a ton of worthless crap)
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by marky
what is the difference? do i get a clearer picture with the more expensive one? arent they design to do the same thing?
What is entirely missing from this discussion is context. My experience is that cables of all sorts can make audible or visible, if not subtle differences. Those differences, however, must be placed in context with the system in question. Price alone is not a good indicator of the potential benefits either.
Most cable vendors will allow for a risk-free in home trial. Consider other folks advice (such as mine) as a starting point only. If you seek better potential performance, try them out for yourself. If you find little or no difference with the more expensive cables, then return them.
rw
-
The better they look, the better they sound....Always!!!
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by meephis
Monster uses multiple low frequency conductor types and undoubtably the two cables had a different method of transferring the signal.
I don't lose sleep at night because my cables are low priced, I lose sleep because there are people in this world that believe in what is written above.
You know why there are so many people (i.e. "audiophiles") who think more expensive cables are beneficial? Firstly, it's because they only get their information from two sources: companies who sell expensive cables and each other. Secondly, audio listening evaluations are subjective, regardless of how much effort is put forth trying to make them objective, and that means results vary. But they vary on emotion and not reality. If it looks good, feels heavy and is expensive, it has to sound better.
|