Looking for better Component Video Cables than Monster's M1000V, any suggestions? (1 Viewer)

[Luis A]

Well, I have decided to upgrade my component video cables from Monster's M1000V to something superior. That's if there is anything. Anyway, I'm looking for some recommendations on component video cables that exceed the ones I have. The only ones I have considered so far are the Audio Quest YIQ-4, but if there are any better I'd like to know. TIA

 

[Chu Gai]

Define superior.

 

[Marc_E]

Bettercables.com silverserpent component cables are great. Wickedcables.com makes some very nice canare stuff for cheap. Both are FAR superior to monster (well just about anything is my opinion).
Marc

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Yep, find a builder making Canare or Belden component coax- same specs as the super expensive Bettercable.

-V

 

[Mark Rich]

The Belden cables are a good place to start. Not sure I'd rate them as being a big step up though.Better bang for the dollar without a doubt. Check out Rhino cables for a good mix of cables. Their performance and Premium are worth consideration. Bluejeans is also a good source and they are located in Seattle.

 

[Luis A]

Cool. Thanks guy's. I'm not sure what I will go with, but as long as they outperform the ones I have. I'm more than willing to spend a grand if the cables offer a significant improvement. I'm going to start my shopping this weekend, but if anyone has any other suggestions to add please post.

 

[Chu Gai]

this is going between a dvd player and a tv?

 

[Luis A]

Chu Gai, while I'm all for a little humor, you have posted twice in this thread without offering anything constructive. Please do not post in this thread if you have no real input to offer. Thanks.

 

[Alf S]

Well it would be nice to know what equipment you're using to help determine if spending THOUSANDS on cables is indeed worth it......

 

[Shane Martin]

^5 Luis.

http://www.avcable.com is good as well.

Well it would be nice to know what equipment you're using to help determine if spending THOUSANDS on cables is indeed worth it......

For him to decide. Indeed we could spend alot of time here deciding for him whether it would be worth it by looking at specs etc but he is the ultimate end to this as he is spending his money and his eyes will tell him what he likes. Avia test patterns work wonders for this. We all have variant tastes on what we believe is "worth it" but they are only opinions.

 

[Luis A]

Sure, I have a Toshiba SD-9200 connected to a Mits WS65907 RPTV. I've never really been happy with the Toshiba DVD Player, but I plan to upgrade that, and also get the Kenwood DV-5900M to store most of my library. I'm not sure what high-end player I'm gonna go with, but I have heard enough good things about the Kenwood Mega Changer to get it. Also it doesn't seem like there is much else coming out in the mega changer catagory. Back to cables though, I'm not looking for the best bang for the buck, I'm looking for some high end cables that are offer superior performance than what I currently have. Thanks again guy's.

 

[Alf S]

Thanks for the info Luis...

However I must admit, I can't imagine a cable such as the one you currently have retailing at over $125 a meter can possibly be so bad that you feel the need to move to a boutique brand?

Were they (cables) producing such aweful pictures on your TV or has all the "tweak talk" that swirls around here about boutique cables being "superior" to an "off the shelf" brand such as say Monster etc gotten you doubting your purchase?

It seems to me that going with any other brand in that price range or even higher would be a lateral move at best and the differences to the human eye would be negligible at best.

I know I'll get slammed by the "true audiophiles" but I'm trying to see how in the world something so well constructed according to their site (Monster) can be bad enough to warrent an outpouring of money?

Regards
Alfer

 

[Shane Martin]

Were they (cables) producing such aweful pictures on your TV or has all the "tweak talk" that swirls around here about boutique cables being "superior" to an "off the shelf" brand such as say Monster etc gotten you doubting your purchase?

This is kinda funny really. I'm sure tweak talk convinces him to spend an extra grand on cabling. Perhaps they are not awful but yet unsatisfactory that has caused him to believe he can improve. Human curiosity is the root of the issue. Lots of folks are just not satisfied with "what works" and have this need to experiment.

Look I'm not trying to convince him to spend his money(something some folks are trying to do), but I'm willing to point out something to look at for him to make his decision.
It might seem like overkill(specs) but I assure you video differences are much easier to tell than audio differences especially considering he has a large TV set and a fairly higher end Dvd player.

BTW Luis, a friend of mine suggested I try these next: you might do so yourself and they have a really good return policy

http://www.zucable.com/megular/index.html

While I don't care for their wording(marketing bleh), their pricing is quite good and within reason for most people who just dropped $2k+ on a RPTV with a progressive dvd player.

 

[Brian OK]

Take a look at the Zu Cable, Megular Component Video--- sells for about $180. for 2m.

I have used the Monster M1000 Silver Series and the Megular was superior. Cleaner, with deeper color saturation. Very, very accurate in my humble setup.

Whether it is worth the coin, is solely up to you and your eye and wallet.
They do have a return policy, so it may be a safe audition.

IMHO, no need to put a dollar value on an accessory, or much of anything, unless you give it a test run and decide for yourself. Value and performance, cost and expectations are ultimately, fairly subjective, it seems to me.

Good Luck,
BOK

 

[Luis A]

Alf, when I first bought the RPTV and DVD Player I bought these cables b/c it was the best they had in stock at the time. I had always planned on getting "better" cables in the future, but upgrades kept me from doing it right away. Are these cables awful? No, not at all. If they were I would have made the change a long time ago. These are the only component video cables I have owned, and now that I have the time and money to experiment a bit I'd like to take that opportunity. Hope this helps .


Shane, Brian - thanks for the info. I definitely will check that out. Like I said these are the only component video cables I have ever owned, and considering I'm getting ready to upgrade my "reference" DVD Player, and incorporate a DVD mega-changer into my system I'd like to see if a higher-end cable has something better to offer with my current setup before I make any changes.

 

[Chu Gai]

Well Luis, I had asked you to define 'better' since it's somewhat puzzling, at least to me, seeing as you already own the Monster M1000V's. After all, they are certified by the ISF and if you wish, I'll email you a little document from Joe Kane indicating some of the tests that an assembled cable is required to pass in order to receive that certification. So given that, it's a bit perplexing as to what you're trying to achieve. After all, here you already have a cable, silver plated copper that's certified, and you're considering an AQ model that's essentially the same construction but without any sort of certification. So yes, a definition of the word better seemed rather appropriate. Forthcoming you most certainly were not although you later indicate a willingness to spend $1000. My, that's a dear price and while I've no doubt there are vendors out there selling cable for that price and more, one prepared to spend that amount has moved into the realm of audio/video jewelry.
Persisting, I ask you for what your connection is going to be. Maybe I've missed something. Maybe you've got some sort of very very exotic video bandwidth requirements. To this your reply is...

Chu Gai, while I'm all for a little humor, you have posted twice in this thread without offering anything constructive. Please do not post in this thread if you have no real input to offer.

Now really Luis, I posted twice looking for clarification as to your needs. What was not constructive were any of your replies.
Any of the cables that're out there are already vastly exceeding the bandwidth requirements of your equipment hence none of the choices, in a properly constructed cable would be expected to improve upon what you already own. Unless you've damaged it or it's somehow defective in which case Monster will likely replace your product probably at a local place without resorting to incurring s/h charges upon your part. It's kind of like saying I need to go 55 mph and the car you've already got can do 110 and people are suggesting vehicles that do 140, 150, etc. Well seeing as they all do that, there must be something else that's important apart from performance.
While a broadcast quality cable may well have impressive specs, one must temper that by realizing that typically comes at the price of flexiblity and weight. Kind of like you buying that expensive car because it does 160 mph but realizing after purchasing it, that the roads you drive on have potholes and the car's always going to bottom out because it has minimal ground clearance. This lack of flexibility and weight may mandate changes in your existing setup to accomodate the cable. You're the only person who knows that Luis.
To spend the kind of money you want I'd certainly be hoping for some sort of certificate of performance. Something that indicates the cable I've purchased meets enormously stringent requirements. Some sort of documentation. You've already got that in a sense with the ISF certification. Will you get that in the choices you've already been presented or will you get "we plug our cables in to see if there's any problems to our eyes"? Really Luis, I've no idea what you're looking for but others may well have more clairvoyent powers than myself.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

I'm not sure if you intended this or not, but it sounds like your suggesting that belden is not a serious upgrade (odd since it's industry standard, and the same cable Bettercables charges $300 for) and you are instead suggesting going with Rhino or Bluejeans for a more serious upgrade over monster?

Of course, both Rhino and Blue Jeans build with belden cable-- so maybe I'm misunderstanding you. Rhino and Blue jeans are selling the same product tha wicked and myself sell (cables.musicianassist.com)- Canare crimp connectors on Canare or Belden coax. And these would be a decent upgrade from monster.

-Vince

 

[Marc_E]

However I must admit, I can't imagine a cable such as the one you currently have retailing at over $125 a meter can possibly be so bad that you feel the need to move to a boutique brand?

I was using monster component cables that I bought and though were very expensive and therefore great. After buying my Mits 65905, I bought bettercables silverserpent component cables and saw a difference right away. Before hooking up this new cable, I was troubled by all the grain I saw when watching DVDs. I was very annoying. It was nearly gone when I hooked up the silverserpent. I am not trying to say that all my DVDs are grain free now. There are plenty of transfers with noted grain in them. I believe the monster was adding artifact to the image that I noticed was gone after upgrading to the silver serpents.
Marc

 

[Cliff Olson]

Luis, I have the Audioquest YIQ-4s, and love 'em! I would highly recommend them to anyone. The only better cables, IMO, are probably the Illuminations D-60s (also solid silver), but at a cost of about double the YIQ-4s!

 

[Mark Rich]

Vince,

Belden 1694a and Canare cables are very good cables. They will compete and maybe even exceed the performance of most Monster cables for a lot less money.
Rhino and Bluejeans sell Belden 1695a cable (Teflon insulated version of 1694a)which I find is a step up in performance over the Belden 1694a cable.
Rhino also sells a premium cable which I'm currently using and is so far the best cable I've tried in my system.
To the best of my knowledge Bettercables does not use Belden or Canare cables. They used to sell Canare video ,audio and speaker cables but now use something else.