tooblekane

i recently bought a new tv, and the next day got in an "i want the best" kind of mood. do monster cables really make the difference i've heard about? i'm sort of trying to feel better about the money i spent on them, but at this point it's way too late to do anything about it in terms of bringing them back, so i'm just curious.

brandon11983

Depends on which cables you purchased. I haven't been really blown away by any of the cables below the Video 3 line. There are much better cables out there for the money though. Monster has the name recognition, so they will continue to sell to the "Best Buy" customers.

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portereight

I guess it depends on what you compare it to. If you compare a monster cable to the cheap things that come in the box when you but a $49 DVD player, then yeah quite a difference I would imagine. If you were do compare them to simply descent after-market cable then I think you may reach the point of diminishing returns.
Then again people are happy to spend untold fortunes on boxes of special volcanic soil to place their amplifiers on. They swear you can hear the difference

Dingo2879

I have a question that I think relates to this thread, if you have a DVD, and use the standard cables they give you, does that have an effect on sound. Anytime I use my DVD the sound is always messed up. THe music in the movie is always louder than the dialogue. It drives me nuts, is this a cable issue?

tropple

It could be the speaker setup, too, maybe. My DVD player has a bunch of speaker adjustments that I don't mess with since I haven't figured them out. It sounds okay, so I'm okay with it.

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shakran

set your center channel to a higher relative volume.

gcbrowni

Cable Quality would be topic #1 in the A/V Religous Wars. Many people think expensive cables are worth it. Many others, including me, think they're a scam.

When comes to digital there is no difference, any decent cable will do. This includes the Coax or FO digital audio cables.

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iamtheone

"I want the best" and "Monster Cables" should not be mentioned in the same sentence : )

Just remember, when it comes to HT or audio, you are only as good as your weakest link. Alot of people put good money into their componets but then go lite on cabling. I read several places that would should put at least 4% of total HT investment into cabling.

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hwtf

Monster is just hype... RadioShack cables will perform similarly

bitrunner

What they said. For the money Monster sucks. What type of cables are you looking to get?

aerozeppelin

Monster is overpriced - not totally horrible, but abysmal value. I personally like bluejeanscable.com for my cabling. If you have a pretty big budget, bettercables.com has some really good cables.

Gozer

Monster Cables are a rip. You basically want to go with good, solid, cables. I got some Accustic Research speaker cable at Best Buy for half the cost of the Monster stuff. You can get even cheaper off the net. Get 14 gauge or so.
I needed to get some really long cable runs for my Benq Projector. At 75' pretty much every A/V cable place would have bankrupted me. I found a great place online http://www.cablewholesale.com/ Good products at a fair price.

wakelagger

Everytime I see packaging for Monster Cables, I always think of this.



Hence, I've never bought any of their products

Dant0007

I think if you do the math, it doesn't make any difference.

brandon11983

Wrong. Monster Cable is not the best in the world, but they certainly are not crap and much better than "box" cables.

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Rawb

hwtf, you are right on.

Monster cables, if you actually pull them apart, are very thick cables with poor-fair quality connections. They definitely aren't anything special. There are three things that seperate monster cables from other brands of cables:
1. They are really, really thick, thicker than a lot of extension cords. Now, if you are running 120 volts @12A or so, a thick cable is nice. But in a standard audio/video setup, you are not pushing near that amount of current through your cable, so a little added resistance isn't going to make a difference if you are making a run under 20 ft or so. The best part is anything digital (DVI, toslink, etc) will not benefit in the slightest from any minor gains that a giant cable gets you, unless you are having serious problems with your old digital cable (which is probably because one of the ends has connection problems), "upgrading" to a monster cable is not going to make even the slightest bit of difference. 1's are still 1's, 0's are still 0's, even if they are in an oxygen packed velvet lined diamond encrusted cable.
2. They come with lifetime warranties. If a monster cable breaks on you (you can't break it, it has to stop working of it's own accord), you can head on in to your local monster cable dealership, and if they have the same model availible, they will replace it for you.
3. They cost an assload. Compared to other cables, these cables are completely overpriced. The electronics stores all get a really great margin on these cables, which is why they treat them like they will actually make a difference.

Remember, friends don't let friends buy monster cables.

Bionic Monkey

It's a bit of a toss up in my experience, and really depends on the rest of your equipment. Someone mentioned a $49 DVD player. Your money-to-quality ratio is going to be pretty poor in that situation. Likewise with a low to mid-range television. Picture quality is going to be limited by the tube, so even if you're delivering a flawless signal, the television is limiting your overall experience.

Without knowing more about your setup, it's difficult to give better advice.

merkerguitars

If you saw how much they are marked up at best buy you would shit your pants. You can as good for lower price.

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mazagmot

If all you are looking for are low-voltage signal cables, then you do want to buy some decent stuff, just not Monster Cable and their turbine death grip connectors for the reasons stated above. For speaker cable you can get away with zip cord according to a gentleman I trust (I don't know him personally, unfortunately; he just has a good reputation) who used to make speakers costing several thousand dollars a peice. if pressed I'm sure I could dig up the article I read, I'm just too lazy do so now. I can't even remember the company he had, which I blame on my fatigue. Just remember, even though there may be a measuable difference in cable quality, it may not a big enough difference to be audible or visible.

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PulpMind

so the question that hasn't been adressed here is.. are we talking consumer grade or pro grade Monster Cable?
I don't buy Monsters for my home audio stuff, cuz, well, it's not really necessary. Radio shack is SHIT though, and I wouldn't send anyone to radio shack for cables. Those cables come with a standard 60hz hum nanoinduced to the line screw Radio Shack, and get some halfway decent cables for the same price at fucking Target.

However, I run a pro audio system, and you can hear a HUGE difference by using Monster Cable XLRs (or other high end cables) versus using the generic no-name cheap ones.
Monster started making consumer shit because they have a well deserved reputation in the professional audio field. Are there other cables around nowadays that perform as well? of course, but Monster is still among the best. Plus, if a Monster Cable ever breaks, you get a new one right on the spot. fuck yeah.

Blistex

Not this debat again!

Monster cables are good if you live between a power plant and a radio station as they are very good at blocking EM interference. If you don't have a super abundance of EM interference then using a bunch of paper clips and masking tape will do just as good a job.

The one thing that you have to remember is that Digital cables are DIGITAL. They either work or they dont! They send 1 and 0 (on's and off's). Unless you're wrapping them around phlorescent lights and fuse boxes it doesn't really matter.

Analog is a bit different. The information sent via analog is more easily corrupted. This is where a monster cable could make the difference. But only if you have a lot of EM interference.

jujueye

Please tell me you're kidding.

Please? I know it's not April 1 or anything....

No? Damn. OK.

Digital Cables are not DIGITAL. They are very similar to analog audio cables, but often can pass signals at higher frequencies (like some digital signals.) They may also have a tested constant 75 ohm rating. Otherwise, they are pretty much the same as analog. If you need to pass digital signals in a pinch, you can use any cable. It will work. I'm not kidding. You are right in thinking that digital signals are broadcast as 0s and 1s, but don't be fooled that your cable is anything but a piece of wire.

As for analog cables, most cables have some kind of shield to help protect against EMI and the like. Save for Kimber PBJs.....

And yes, these things make more of a difference the more you move up the resolution ladder. A boom box might not show the differences in cables, but a high end rig (or even a mid level system) will spell it out pretty quickly.

So back to the original question: are they worth the money? Some are! Just remember that most tv manufacturers are trying to make money, so they'll include only the most basic junk to get your sound out to your receiver. A simple upgrade to cabling is a good use of money (within reason!)

Me? I run Cardas and Harmonic Technology. Love 'em!

JohnnyCarson

Check out this link....It is very interesting

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

the420star

i would say it depends on some stuff... monster boasts larger gauge wire, and shielding... my oppion as an EE would be that the only time Monster would make a diffrence would be in long run situation, b/c signal power drops over long runs if the gauge isnt large enough... this really isnt a huge deal for cables, but something to think about... also the chielding is great if you think you are getting noise from and outside source.

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BoltedDown

Here in SoCal, we have a chain of stores called MarVac electronics. If I was to set up an audio/video system, I would take my measurements to them and have them custom cut wires and add connectors. If you find the right place, they will have very nice cable at the right price.