Anyone else think Monster is the Bose of cables? (1 Viewer)

[Elbert Lee]

good point, kevin. It's always easy to bash the "standard" bearers in the industry. I am a supporter of Monster, but also of other brands as well. I do agree that Monster does try to explain and demonstrate the validity of their claims. Although I don't care for the sound of Bose definitely thik that better sound, and very similar cosmetics can be had for less, however, I think it's unfair to portray them as though they are trying to defraud consumers with a completely inadequate product.

Elbert

 

[KeithH]

Kevin, very valid point. Look at how many people vilify Microsoft. People don't like Bill Gates and the stranglehold he has on the computer industry, but like it or not, Microsoft has been incredibly innovative, and the world relies on its products. Monster isn't that significant, obviously, but Monster has contributed a lot to the cable industry.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Kevin: you really made me think. I'm probably over-reacting to the snake-oil claims made by some of the exotic cable companies and lumping Monster in with them. It's a little un-fair.

For the record: I have several Monster cables in my system. I really like their L/R/Video bundles for cleaning up the cable clutter. And my SVS sub - it's attached with a 6 foot Monster video cable that I had lying around. And I'm using them for my XBox.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Bob,
I think there is recognition that Monster Cable is very marketing driven and budget oriented versus the R&D side of the coin. Many sales promotions are offered to salestaff who sell lots of the cables, for instance. This can be just good business. I think myself and other audiophiles just feel you can do much better for the same amount of money on an entry level product from a high end cable manufacturer. Also, Monster quality has been suspicious for a number of years. For instance, I recently purchased a thin RG6 cable but the wire failed after only 3 months because the connector became lose internally and would not make a good connection and this from the upper end of their line. :frowning:
I'm not sure I agree with you on "packaged cables" (does this mean high end or audiphile?) not offering measurements.
Some specific examples of one's that do (beside Canare which I like and Belden which I don't due to poor sonics) are:
CARDAS - lots of technical discussion
ANALYSIS PLUS - technical information
AUDIOQUEST - discussion on perfect surface copper which has some validity
ALPHACORE - technical discussion
NORDOST - technical discussion
KIMBER - technical discussion, new AC cords are really cool
This sort of gets back into the "do sonics matter" discussion and the philosophical debate on whether you can measure everything you can hear (I think not).
Just my two cents
By the way, I would argue that even a Krell amp cannot help the sound of a BOSE speaker Maybe something from Nelson Pass or Audio Research perhaps...
Lee

 

[Elbert Lee]

I appreciate what Monster has done to establish the high end cable market industry. I am very aware of the true cost of their cables and, believe me, they have the ability sell their cables at a very SMALL FRACTION of the wholesale price and still turn a profit, which leads me to the TRUE MARKETING topic. Yes - there is a lot of marketing, but even then, their market posiition allows Monster to SET THE MARKET PRICE on each cable and their respective price/performance categories. Therefore, with their dominance in the marketplace, Monster should be considered the reference when comparing cables. I believe that all other cable manufacturers base their prices on the equivalent sounding Monster and either raise or lower the price based on that standard. It's up to the buying public to do the comparisons, which is entirely subjective in this market segment.

In conclusion, there is a misconception that consumers are paying PURELY for marketing costs on Monster products - not so since their profit margins are so huge. They would be shooting themselves in the foot if they simply offered periodic "closeout" pricing of their cables, because it would really cheapen their brand. Instead, the come out with different lines of cables based on difference designs and specs. There are measureable differences between their models, but whethere one hears the difference, it's tough to say based on equipment and huge number of other factors.

Too bad Monster won't set the performance/cost level at a lower price.....

 

[Jason_Els]

I've had 2 Monster Cables audio/video interconnects separate the plug from the cable while trying to wrest the cable from its deathgrip on the jack. I have had to pull and twist so hard it has seriously alarmed me because I'm sure this isn't good for my equipment. When this happened I was able to see the true gauge of the copper inside and it's barely a few strands.

I was highly disappointed by Monster in 3 ways:

1. The vicegrip tightness of the connector requiring me to pull and push and twist and yank to the point I can see the card inside the receiver moving.

(there is irony between these 2)

2. The total ease with which the cable jacketing separated from the plug with even a moderate tug.

3. The few strands of copper dressed up like they were enormous gauge. Uninspiring. They're also very heavy and seem to exert a downward pull on my receiver jacks which I do not like.

My Radio Shack Gold cables have had none of these problems. I am still debating getting something else like XLO/VDOs but it's not a big priority.

I will not buy Monster or use them.

 

[Adil M]

I've never had an issue w/ the vice-grip. Twist to the right while putting them on and taking them off. It's in the packaging. I do find it very difficult to differentiate their cables. Enjoy this tidbit.
www.monsternet.com
1.ccsales 2.ccmonster

 

[Scott_G]

Monster makes a decent cable that cost them very little and they sell it for a high markup. They work the resellers hard to push their products and demand big displays in the store.

Sounds like Bose to me.

 

[Elbert Lee]

Ahhh. Scott - good point. But shouldn't all manufacturers do that? It's the point of doing business and it helps to educate customers. Of course, store space is limited so the only time you'll see such a comprehensive array of demos will be at CES. If other manufacturers are not able to push their dealers to do the same, there's nothing wrong with Monster or BOSE doing their best to bring some attention to their product. I think the time, effort, and money spent on the presentations are good for the industry in general and it would be great to see competing products do the same. Now, someone just needs to push dealers to offer displays and demonstrations about OAR...