whats the difference between a 12 dollar component cable vs a 120 dollar one?

[marky]

what is the difference? do i get a clearer picture with the more expensive one? arent they design to do the same thing?

[hershon]

$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.

what is the difference? do i get a clearer picture with the more expensive one? arent they design to do the same thing?

[JamezHill]

Yeah I would do the same... I found a lot of great deals on ebay regarding cables..

[eisforelectronic]

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.

[ruadmaa]

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.

[N. Abstentia]

I get all my cables from Walmart now. Same as Monster at 1/64th the price.

[This Guy]

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)

[lbhkilla]

Make your own. Descent connectors for $1.50 a piece and cable for less than a buck a foot.

[woodman]

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!

[woodman]

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.

[marky]

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.

[Smokey]

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 ). 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

[hershon]

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.

Probably better shielding, materials, connectors and construction (and in case of Monster, more advertising ). 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

[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

[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.

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

[noddin0ff]

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

[magictooth]

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.

[nightflier]

...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.

[E-Stat]

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

[eisforelectronic]

The better they look, the better they sound....Always!!!