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i'm a monster cable junkie (2 Viewers)

CatsTide

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tommy
nice,thanks for the link.looks great.


i guess my real question/delima was "is monster really that much better than a cheaper quality cable"? i know to stay away from really cheap department store cables.i have spent hundreds on monster in the past because i didn't want to bottleneck any of my equipment with an inferior cable. just two days ago i spent 50 bucks on a 12 foot optical monster over a 30 dollar "top of the line" radio shack version. just trying to educate myself a bit on cable quality....i checked your site on the 12 foot cable and it was 20 bucks. unfortunately a lot of the time my cable needs are i need it in hand now so i'm at radio shacks mercy.


thanks for any knowledge you could toss my way.
 

Robert_J

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Monoprice has quality cables at even better prices. Their customer service is also outstanding.

My example involved an HDMI matrix switch box I bought a few years ago. It worked about 80% of the time. The other 20%, it would hang up when trying to switch between different input sources. I lived with the issue for about a year. One day I was surfing another forum and saw a thread on this switch box issue. One of the customer service people from Monoprice had posted months earlier that there was a trade-in program for an upgraded box. I sent an e-mail asking if the trade-in program from 10 months earlier was still active. 30 minutes later, the VP of customer service replied that a replacement box had been sent and here was the tracking number. Inside the box was a pre-paid UPS label to send back my old box. The replacement HDMI switch box has been error free for the last year. I can't say enough good things about Monoprice.
 

Jeff Gatie

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Quite frankly, Monster cables are a scam. There is nothing done by Monster that can't be had from Monoprice or Blue Jeans for 1/10th the price. Copper and insulation is copper and insulation. Period, end of story.
 

mikeabt

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I agree with Jeff and Robert. I wouldn't even look twice at Monster for HDMI cable in particular. A manufacturer must simply meet the specifications of the cable (High Speed or High Speed with Ethernet). You can find High Speed 3' long HDMI cables for $6.99 and they will perform nicely.

You will hear the guys at the electronics store talking about stuff like "even though a standard (cheap) cable maybe adequate - you don't know what requirement you may need in the future" they profess that the Monster cable will fulfill future needs and to buy it now. If you buy a cable for $7 now, you won't care about tossing it and buying the cheap future cable.

Optical cable can also be purchased very cheaply. The only caution to observe about the cheap optical cable is to watch the twists and tight turns you might have to subject the cable to during installation and use. The most inexpensive optical cable can be pretty thin without a lot of protection. Thicker sheathing does help you to resist the tight turns and to protect the cable but even then you have to watch them.


Analog audio cable is a little different. You can really buy some under-performers by going cheap. I will look into Monoprice and Bluejeans as I will need some soon.
 

Steve Tannehill

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Tommy, you spent $50 for a 12-foot optical cable from Monster. I spent $5 (shipped) for a 12-foot optical cable from Monoprice. The quality was good, too. As Mike cautioned, just don't twist or crimp it. Before I discovered Monoprice, I bought Monster cables. Never again.
 

CatsTide

Grip
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tommy
thanks guys.with your help and some internet reading today i think i'm cured. also after talking to gene c on here i think i'm going to be able to route all my hdmi's through my receiver and i won't even need that $50 monster optical after all.i'll take it back when i get my HDMI's in...now as far as the $129 "high speed 240Hz super duper monster" HDMI i bought...i guess i'll keep it because i already have it fished through the wall and i don't think it would be worth it to pull it out,order a new one from monoprice and take it back to best buy...
 

CatsTide

Grip
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tommy
Originally Posted by mikeabt



Analog audio cable is a little different. You can really buy some under-performers by going cheap. I will look into Monoprice and Bluejeans as I will need some soon.


ok lets talk analog audio...i was about to order"

12AWG CL2 Rated 2-Conductor Loud Speaker Cable - 50ft (For In-Wall Installation)



from monoprice for 14 bucks...is that quality ok?
 

gene c

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Gene





ok lets talk analog audio...i was about to order"

12AWG CL2 Rated 2-Conductor Loud Speaker Cable - 50ft (For In-Wall Installation)



from monoprice for 14 bucks...is that quality ok?

[/QUOTE]

Monoprice wire is pretty good. I've used it myself. Their wire seems to be wound a little tighter than most others so it's not quite as bendable but the CL-2 rating is a good thing if you're running the wires in-wall. That's a great price too.


Many members around here get there speaker wire in bulk from Home Depot and Loews.
 

Robert_J

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Speaker wire needs to be copper for low resistance and stranded to bend easier. CL rating is nice when running in-wall depending on local codes. About 10 years ago, some magazine snuck in a Home Depot orange extension cord into a blind listening test of high end speaker wire. It came in 2nd to wire costing $100/ft.
 

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