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Is this $100 Monster Cable really worth it for 4k ?

3K views 49 replies 17 participants last post by  PeninsulaMark 
#1 ·
#2 ·
Do not buy into expensive monster cables, they are just marketing BS. A lot of people do, they believe everything they are tolled. Check out Monoprice for quality HDMI cables that have the exact same performance at very good prices.
 
#3 ·
Do not buy into expensive monster cables, they are just marketing BS ... Check out Monoprice for quality HDMI cables that have the exact same performance at very good prices.
Ditto that.
 
#5 ·
^ Good point lovinthehd. Peninsula Mark, the one thing you must do, regardless of who you purchase cables from, is to ensure they are high speed. For example, like these.

FYI Monoprice offers lifetime tech support plus a lifetime warranty on all cables.
 
#16 ·
A digital signal does not know the difference between a $5 cable and a $100 Cable, as long as it is passing the signal properly (meaning its a good path) then it will work the exact same.

One could argue that when it comes to Analog cables can make a difference but that is a totally different conversation.

I've been using Monoprice for every imaginable cable and haven't ran in to a single issue with any of them.

Trust me when I say that companies like Best Buy love people buying their cables even if it is the lowest quality one. They are making HUGE markups off of them. Heck they want $20 for a 6 foot HDMI Cable when I could get what 10 of them from Monoprice for the same price including shipping =)
 
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#28 · (Edited)
I am useing the 12' version of those.. They are well built and are in wall rated.. I love them.. If you want them just buy them.. There great.. The wire and guage that they use is better than in the cheaper brands.. I'm not saying the cheaper brands wont do the job.. I'm saying that these cables are built to a higher standard. Go for it.. The Monster Ultra Black is rated at 27Gbps.. I don't see the cheaper cables rated past 10-15Gbps (Gigabytes Per Second).. The the upcoming 2.0 HDMI 12-bit 4:4:4 color space uses 17-26Gbit. :)
 
#29 ·
I just don't get it how people can get suckered into spending a lot of money for HDMI cables because of all of the marketing and hype. If the cable is well made (and you don't have to use pure silver or gold connectors mined by a virgin in the Andean Mountains or nitrogen-sealed insulation) and, most importantly, the length of cable you buy is CERTIFIED for high speed hdmi, it is basically guaranteed to meet all HDMI 1.4/2.0 specs. Next time you buy a Monster or AudioQuest cable, ask for the certification for that cable, and read it carefully. If you need a run longer than 25' (the current maximum certified length for passive cables), use a thicker gauge cable. The downside is less flexibility and more strain on the input. If you have a run longer than 25' and don't want the thick cable or input strain, then use an active cable like a Redmere. The downside is the Redmere cables have a chipset in the sink end to allow them to use a thinner gauge wire at longer lengths to maintain the HDMI specs and, as with any electronic device, they can fail. Mine haven't but it is a consideration. If your runs are under 10', practically any high speed hdmi cable will work just fine, even a thinner gauge wire. Any HDMI cable made by Monoprice, Media Bridge, and Blue Jeans for example will perform as well as the same length, grossly overpriced and hyped cable by Monster and/or AudioQuest. What you are paying for with those cables are marketing, nice looking cables (which doesn't translate to better performance) or specs that really have no bearing at all on what you can see and hear.
 
#30 ·
I remember a few years ago, one of the "stores" had rigged the displays in order to sell more expensive HDMI cables ( monster) because that's how (salesmen) make commission. Anyways they had two sets, one was clearly showing a clearer picture. The salesmen would tell customers how big of a difference ( more expensive cables) would make. The part they didn't tell them was that the one with the clearer image had HDMI the other had an s-video connection. It was confirmed when you looked behind the tv. Now that is just plain cheating the customer to make a buck but for the regular Joe, they would be floored with the difference and buy the more expensive one. Just a thought.
 
#36 ·
Here are more examples of "expensive but useless cords/cables"
These people need to be locked up for insanity. $600 for audiophile power cable is actually "cheap" Remember the power cable comes out of the wall from which you have el-cheapo in wall copper wiring...
HERE to find more crazy reviews of cables

2. KAS Audio Primus


Pricing (6ft. cord): $600 retail, $300 direct from manufacturer

Review:
This is my number 2 cable for the Ray Samuels HR-2 headamp. It also paired very well with the Stealth when I had a review sample in my possession.

Very hard to describe its sound, as this is a very neutral cord tonally. For many people, this cord will do what they think a cord should do—don’t add any fancy commentary or special effects, just enhance the performance of my component, thank you very much. If you already like the tonality of your source/amp, but want the other benefits of a power cord, this is an excellent choice. There is a *slight* brittle-ness to the treble, a bit of thin-ness up top and a tiny amount of fogging in the highs, but this is an *incredibly* minor nit-pick. Outside of that, I can detect no particular colorations, and am at a bit of a loss to further describe its “sound”. It will simply make your component sound more like itself, and improve on what it already does well.
 
#41 ·
Redmere cables are very nice. I use them and have not had any issues at all. My runs are all under 10' though so they'rer an overkill for me but I bought them more for the flexibility and no-strain on the input ends. I probably could have gone with thinner gauge certified cables but I wanted to try the Redmere and they weren't that expensive for the lengths I needed.

I would still caution a bit about running really long lengths. The reason is that if you go thru walls or ceiling because of the length, replacing the cable may be a real hassle in case the chipset fails in the sink end. For the really long runs I'd use something like CAT-6 in a conduit and then some sort of activated termination like HD Base-T.
 
#43 ·
In my case, I am living in a rented house where I cannot realistically snake wires through walls. This is literally running along the floor along the baseboard all around the edge of my living room (mostly behind furniture). Right now, the cable goes around the end of the wall separating the living room from the kitchen, but I do plan to eventually poke it through via a set of wall plates with brush covered openings. If this cable fails, I will be upset about the cost of the cable ($70), but not in a position where it is hard to replace.
 
#49 ·
basically just pass increasing bandwidth through them and see if they fail, e.g.

http://www.audioholics.com/audio-video-cables/long-hdmi-cable-bench-tests/hdmi-cable-testing-results

I would be really disappointed if any 8' cables marked "high speed" failed... I expect that the BJC cables at least should be rock solid stable.

You are correct that the BJC's are terminated in China. It's disappointing, but at least they are up front about it and they still have more US content than most (all?) HDMI cables on the market

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/where-does-hdmi-cable-come-from.htm
 
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