If you had to buy new audio/video cables for your DVD player (or any component, for that matter), from where would you buy them? I've heard talk about monoprice.com, but I was wondering what the rest of you would do.

Monoprice is fine, as are RAM, bettercables, blue jeans cable (just click on any of the sponsor links above), and BB (Acoustic Research). Just avoid paying for Monsters (they work fine, but are overpriced).

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10235&cs_id=1023502&p_id=2769&seq=1&format=2&style=

Yeah, Monoprice or Blue Jeans. Depends on who has what in stock.

For speaker wire, Home Depot (monoprice is notoriously out of stock for this, usually.)

I like that Bluejeans gives me a choice (and an explaination of the differences) in cable type. If you do your research online, you can get an idea what to ask for based on your system when you order.
For HDMI I went monoprice, for 5.1 analog I went Bluejeans

I found a few good deals on spkr wire here....www.referenceaudiovideo.com

I like my IC-3's interconnect cables from Audio Art. I bought directly from the company via their website. I was really glad that burned them in for me another $5. I noticed the difference immediately from my Monster cables.

For me Monoprice.com is the only place I buy from. They always ship the same day , the products are great and the prices put retailers who sell stuff like Monster Cables to shame!!! By the way who in their right mind would by a Monster Cable anyway????

I like my IC-3's interconnect cables from Audio Art. I bought directly from the company via their website. I was really glad that burned them in for me another $5. I noticed the difference immediately from my Monster cables.

This is a joke right...I mean you're kidding aren't you?

This is a joke right...I mean you're kidding aren't you?

I'm with you.. i hope this was a joke.
also- monoprice or bluejean for my gear...
db

It was not a joke. I was speaking about my 2 channel audio cable that connects my receiver to my dvd player. And for speaker cables I use SC-5 from Audio Art as well.

Not to start a flame war, but typically when cables like these are described, there's lots of technical terms and flowery prose to describe the effects, but where is the quantitative measurement improvements of brand X cables? Remember when the "tuning" guru came into this forum? He never had any data, that he shared. Fix the gear (a reference system), make measurements with a spectrum analyzer using different cables. If there's a difference, then it has to be measurable. If it's not measurable, then there's no difference.

Best,
jeff

I like my IC-3's interconnect cables from Audio Art. I bought directly from the company via their website. I was really glad that burned them in for me another $5. I noticed the difference immediately from my Monster cables.


"Burned them in" :p

A fool and his money...

"Burned them in" :p

A fool and his money...

Is it you never heard this term or you just don't believe it's necessary? And $5 dollars make me a fool?

Fool is too harsh a word, but most would find that "burning in" a set of cables was just an additional expense that is probably more hype than fact. I would ask why you have connected the sound of the DVD player with 2 channel RCAs and not a digital coax or toslink cable! That's assuming you are running it into a receiver.

I'll also vote for Monoprice!!!

Fool is too harsh a word, but most would find that "burning in" a set of cables was just an additional expense that is probably more hype than fact. I would ask why you have connected the sound of the DVD player with 2 channel RCAs and not a digital coax or toslink cable! That's assuming you are running it into a receiver.

I'll also vote for Monoprice!!!

You guys just made me a believer, I didn't know about monoprice until I read this thread today, geez, what a difference, even if they charge for S&H, not a bad deal!

I though I had gotten a good deal from TigerDirect for a $20 6-ft HDMI cable (of course, I was comparing to the $50+ cables they want you to buy at the retail stores). I had been similarly impressed with myself for finding a 6ft Toslink cable for $12, from Walmart, of all places.

Anways, my unqualified vote for monoprice, for their low low prices.

Vince

Is it you never heard this term or you just don't believe it's necessary? And $5 dollars make me a fool?

Sorry, but I don't live in a world with magic cables, elves, gremlins, wizards, and pixie dust. :)

I vote for Monoprice too.

I have a variety of cables. Rocketfish HDMI, Monster Video 3 components, PureAV audio cables as well as some PureAV component, AR Pro Toslink, AR Pro digital coax, Monster Speaker Wire, Monster Sub cable.

Pure AV are my favorites. I am in the process of getting PureAV for all my cables just because I like to match and they are my favorites for some reason.

Before I get bashed on the Monster, none were bought at retail and most were FREE (the right price). I buy all my cables on Ebay. I think Monoprice cables are good cables but they are ugly in my opinion. I'm weird like that so it matters :)

Your dollar cant go further then with CAT Cables in my opinion.

http://www.catcables.com/

I think Monoprice cables are good cables but they are ugly in my opinion. I'm weird like that so it matters :)

They don't look hardly any different than most other cables. :confused: Never thought Monster cables were that attractive.

Besides, most of my cables are behind my cabinet, so I'm never staring at them, just my screen. :)

They don't look hardly any different than most other cables. :confused: Never thought Monster cables were that attractive.

Besides, most of my cables are behind my cabinet, so I'm never staring at them, just my screen. :)

I stated I was weird. OCDish at times. I can live with that. Pure AV cables are attractive, not Monster ;)

...I'm weird like that so it matters :)
So, when you invite your friends over to watch the game, you pull out your equipment to show them your new cables? :confused: I will head to that link though to see what you are buying.

Okay, I looked, and I saw the pricing! Wow, I hope you enjoy the pretty casings on the cables, and also hope you can tell the difference between the costs!

Sorry, but I don't live in a world with magic cables, elves, gremlins, wizards, and pixie dust. :)

I vote for Monoprice too.

I play SACD's on my dvd player and my receiver doesn't have hdmi, so I use analogue cables. Why not educate instead insult? I still don't agree with the majority in this thread.

I would ask why you have connected the sound of the DVD player with 2 channel RCAs and not a digital coax or toslink cable!!!!that's a complete separate argument (or pissing contest).

I have a variety of cables. Rocketfish HDMI, Monster Video 3 components, PureAV audio cables as well as some PureAV component, AR Pro Toslink, AR Pro digital coax, Monster Speaker Wire, Monster Sub cable. these are all fine products (PureAV, Monster, etc.,...) period.

I use the PureAV, Monster, AudioQuest, etc.,..been very happy with the performance and quality.

I play SACD's on my dvd player....
Okay, that makes sense, so you are using three pair of RCA cables. I was confused by your "2 channel" comment.

Sorry, but I don't live in a world with magic cables, elves, gremlins, wizards, and pixie dust. :)

I vote for Monoprice too.

Oh come on now, who really cares how much people choose to spend on cables, clothes, cars, etc., we all see and hear things differently, have different means and values, the hobby is all in good fun.

To that end, what I never understood is that the average monopricer who scoffs at anyone who spends more than the bare minimum on cables is often the same guy who "sees" a dramatic difference with an el cheapo "upscaling" DVD player. It is also the same guy who feels they are beating the system by paying "only" $20 for a monoprice HDMI cable, which is easily $18 more than it should be.

Whether you go cheap or expensive, you still pay the same relative margins, when it comes to cables it is all overpriced, pick your poison.

Oh come on now, who really cares how much people choose to spend on cables, the hobby is all in good fun.exactly! I'm especially sick of the [forced] "Monster hate" that has been embeded on this forum, it's rediculous, mis-leading, and unecessary. Especially when there are many other esoteric brands that are more expensive.


Whether you go cheap or expensive, it is all overpriced, pick your poison.exactly! For example I never see many protest's over the cost of many of the popular amplifier or processor products (Bryston, Meridian, Anthem, Krell, etc.,..), these components are easily $2K to over $8k for each piece. It cracks me up when I see articles with comments like "a mid-level processor at a cheap price point of only $2500.00", etc.,...

Moreover, B&W 800-Series speakers (800, 801, 802) range from $6000.00 to $10,000.00 for a single speaker. And it seems when someone (on these forums) mention they have a set of B&W 800 series speakers they are praised, and "kissed-up" to.

Okay, that makes sense, so you are using three pair of RCA cables. I was confused by your "2 channel" comment.

Perhaps he's listening to stereo SACDs as opposed to multichannel ones.


But anyway, exotic cables sold at retail outlets (Monster, AudioQuest, Tara Labs, Nordost, etc.) will always fire an endless debate. Sometimes the "differences" are purely psychological, but if it sounds better to YOU, that's all that really matters in the end and you as the consumer were the one willing to pay the price for that exotic cable. Audio isn't purely a quantitative science; if that were true, every speaker, component, and even cable for that matter with "identical" specs will sound exactly the same.

It never really had to be that way, but back in the 80's, Mr. Noel Lee (among others) found a way to market what was essentially larger gauge zip cord and eventually formed a multi-million dollar empire based on pseudoscience - and it worked. Trust me, the average joe consumer doesn't necessarily care to read lengthy white papers on cable science, and this was used to an advantage.

The only thing I really find funny is that a person willing to spend a $1,000 on a pair of exotic speaker cables often fails to realize that their speakers' drivers are almost always internally wired to the crossovers with the cheapest zip cord wire that the factory could find. So I suppose this shows how much audio engineers really care about having the most exotic wire.

Is the brand Rocketfish any good for cables?

They are good. I got a 12' HDMI I will sell you for cheap.