# Cable Quality



## bigk_54 (Nov 26, 2010)

Is there really that much difference between cables? Just like receivers and speakers you can spend 1$ or a million $. I own some Monster Cable products but I also own a few things from Monoprice..... is there that much of a difference besides 100$?!

Also as far as HDMI is it worth the money if you don't need to buy 1.4 vs 1.3?


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## recruit (May 9, 2009)

They say that you should roughly spend 10% on cables to the value of your system, this is a debate which always causes controversy, you do not need to spend a fortune on cables as long as they are of good quality in build, you can buy HDMI 1.4v for not too much and better cables comes to mind.

Digital cables should mostly be the same but when it comes to analogue Interconnects this is where I feel higher end cables make a difference, if you do a search in this  Forum  you should find some interesting threads...HDMI V1.4 are backward compatible with version 1.3 but if you do not intend on going down the 3D route then a v1.3 should do nicely.


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## gdstupak (Jul 13, 2010)

This thread has good discussion on the topic, "The Ten Biggest Lies In Audio:"

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/av-home-theater/9024-ten-biggest-lies-audio.html

Personally I believe there is no audible difference between cheap wiring and high dollar wiring. Super cheap interconnects probably will skimp on aspects that may effect longevity (weaker soldering, weaker sheathing).
Some others will come along with some good cheap online stores (I can't remember them right now).
If you want to go to a store, RadioShack has perfectly acceptable stuff, although not as cheap as the online stuff, but not expensive.
For speaker wire, RadioShacks 'lampcord' (their cheaper brown or white speaker wire) is good.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

"expensive" cables are usually just paying for the name. Stay away from names like Monster, Rockfish, and any wire that costs you several $ a foot. You can get good quality interconnects from www.monoprice.com and speaker wire on a spool or by the foot at The Home Depot or Lows.


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## mjcmt (Aug 30, 2010)

There may controversy in the cabling subject, but I personally hear a difference and not just a small one. Some electronics are more sensitive to cabling factors and some system are not high enough resolution to hear much differences. No matter, even a small difference in improvement is worth it for me. Resistance, capacitance, inductance, skin factor, dialectic, and other variables surely do make a difference in the sound as a result of cable design, as well as electronics impedance matching and the like. Therefore, I buy better cables. My 2¢.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

Like Recruit says, there is much debate over this topic. Personally i have used several different brands of cables/wires and never heard a differance.The only time i have is when i switched from an Optical cable to a Coax that i could hear a great differance in sound.:T


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## DWJ (Jul 10, 2006)

tonyvdb said:


> "expensive" cables are usually just paying for the name. Stay away from names like Monster, Rockfish, and any wire that costs you several $ a foot. You can get good quality interconnects from www.monoprice.com and speaker wire on a spool or by the foot at The Home Depot or Lows.


I tried out some of MP's RCA cables to replace lower line Monster cables, thinking there was no real differences in cables. It was the Monoprice cables that convinced me otherwise. When I connected them, I noticed an immediate _degradation_ in the sound. In my experience there is a definite difference, and not always for the better. Sometimes you really DO get what you pay for. Whether the difference is worth it to you, only you can decide. You don't have to spend a small mortgage on cables, if you buy them used. I bought some lower end MIT speaker cables, and they were again, a noticeable improvement over the Parts Express bulk 12g wires I had before.

Notice I have never claimed a life-changing, or massive difference, but a noticeable one. In none of these cases, was a blind test necessary. Again, some people don't hear a difference, and that's fine. I pride myself in building my rig as inexpensively as I can, but I will spend extra for audible improvement. If that makes me "gullible", so be it. I'll happily follow my ears as far as my wallet allows.



mjcmt said:


> There may controversy in the cabling subject, but I personally hear a difference and not just a small one. Some electronics are more sensitive to cabling factors and some system are not high enough resolution to hear much differences. No matter, even a small difference in improvement is worth it for me. Resistance, capacitance, inductance, skin factor, dialectic, and other variables surely do make a difference in the sound as a result of cable design, as well as electronics impedance matching and the like. Therefore, I buy better cables. My 2¢.


Well said.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Everybody has an opinion and that what is good about a site like this. 

I will say though that as far as digital is concerned so HDMI Optical or Coax only the ends are important as the signal is digital and as long as it gets to the other end there would be no quality loss.


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## 123loomis (Feb 4, 2010)

i guess it all depends on just how good your sight + vision are i own and use monster + rockfish + monoprice use them altogether and see and or hear absolutly no difference then again its my opinion that sometimes its more of a conversation peace if you no what i mean.buy within your budget just because you dont have 50 to 100 beans wraped up into a cable dont mean your theater is any less than anyone elses.....good luck


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Put me in the Monoprice column. I've tried many different brands, and have never heard a difference. Articles like these: http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/dielectric-absorption-in-cables-debunked ...are a good indication that science is in direct opposition to much of the anecdotal evidence put up by individuals with expensive cables, unless your cables are damaged or purposefully out-of-spec in some way (altering the frequencies should be done at the source, not the cable).

However, I believe even those who can hear a difference would back me up when I say that the difference in speakers and source components are much greater than those in cables. So, even if you do believe cables make a difference, until you pass a certain threshold with your other components, money spent on sources, speakers, and room treatments will net you much more tangible benefits.


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## bigk_54 (Nov 26, 2010)

Wow didn't mean to spark a family fued here LOL but thanks for the info! I have used the Mono's too and thought they were actually a great cable for 3$ vs 103$ for a monster! And with new receiver I need to buy a bunch of cables, just wanted to get a few opinions, well to me it was a 1/2 way no brainer when I can get ALL my cables for the same price as a 5 ft Monster HDMI.... Thanks all, I love this place!!


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

Ha ha,.. no family feud, this is always a lively topic. I'm also not a big believer in high cost cables, I've had and still do have some Monster Cables and other expensive stuff. If you can order it and wait a few days, Ram Electronics, Monoprice and Blue Jeans Cable are all excellent values, and if you feel the need to run out to a local B&M store I find Phillips cables to be a good value.


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## bigk_54 (Nov 26, 2010)

nova said:


> Ha ha,.. no family feud, this is always a lively topic. I'm also not a big believer in high cost cables, I've had and still do have some Monster Cables and other expensive stuff. If you can order it and wait a few days, Ram Electronics, Monoprice and Blue Jeans Cable are all excellent values, and if you feel the need to run out to a local B&M store I find Phillips cables to be a good value.


Hey thanks for the other sites, I like the ram site, looks good as well.... So basically might as well for couple extra bucks get the 1.4, is there any draw back in using the 1.4 for a 1.3 application?


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

No drawback in using 1.4 HDMI cables for a 1.3 application.


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## Andre (Feb 15, 2010)

Cable quality and whether it makes a difference = Can of Worms. Solution keep it closed...


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## bigk_54 (Nov 26, 2010)

Ok... What's the difference between these two...

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10240&cs_id=1024008&p_id=3871&seq=1&format=2

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...024012&p_id=4157&seq=1&format=3#specification


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

The second one is heaver awg and will give you the same quality throughput.


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## recruit (May 9, 2009)

Andre said:


> Cable quality and whether it makes a difference = Can of Worms. Solution keep it closed...


Yes this is a subject that causes much controversy, but I would go for a well made but not too expensive cable when it comes to digital sources, analogue is a different ball game altogether. :whistling:


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## DanTheMan (Oct 12, 2009)

http://home.provide.net/~djcarlst/abx_wire.htm

Dan


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