Monster Cables...Are They Worth It?

no reason to ever by from Monster. Try monoprice or blue jeans cable.

The only practical difference between Monster and Monoprice is $$$$$

See the recent CNET article where they determine 'Expensive Cables Are Not Worth It'

Somewhat OT, but tangentially related:

http://www.audioholics.com/news/indu...s-strikes-back

I second the suggestion to use Blue Jeans Cables. They are a no nonsense high quality cable online retailer. I won't buy another Monster Cable if I can help it.

All my stuff is either Outlaw and BJC except for the Monster Cable Xbox 360 bundle that I have that I got on eBay for cheap.

I have used Monoprice for more than one year (along with their 5x1 HDMI switcher) and have not had any issues. NO "MONSTER" PRICES FOR ME!!!

WAY TO GO KURT!!!!!!

Fantastic response!!


that is one of the best articles I've read in awhile....

The only time I noticed that a Monster cable made a difference was when I replaced the HDMI cable connecting my Blu-ray player to the receiver. I was using a Philip's HDMI cable bought at Wal-Mart. I was having random Audio and Video drop-outs which I blamed all on Samsung's BD-P1400 player. For some reason it was getting worse. So I decided to rule out the HDMI cable by replacing it with a SimplayHD certified one. I went to Radio Shack and bought the Monster Ultra 600 and surprise surprise it worked No more audio/video drop-outs. I'm not longer that desperate to replace my Blu-ray player.

Having said that I still think Monster are a rip-off. Yeah it made a difference for me but I don't think it was due because it was specifically made by Monster. I like the fact that Monster cables are well build but still doesn't justify what they charge for them.

If you can get Monster cables for a reasonable price, there's no reason not to buy one. They make decent cables, but they are generally way overpriced. One good thing about Moster cables is that their warranty is 2nd to none. If you have a problem, just email them to get a RMA number, send it back and they send you a brand new cable still in the packaging no questions asked. Even if you somehow destroy the cable yourself, they don't even care.

I would certainly hope so!! You have already paid ten times the price - you'd better get something for your wasted money.

Have any of you ordered HDMI cables from Newegg.com? They sell cables from Link Depot which are supposedly pretty good, anyone have any experience with them?

Monoprice, RAM Electronics, Part Express, all provide reasonable 3rd party cables, many are the same ones likely.
The Tartans stated in the BJC post are also nicely priced.
I've had Liberty and AR cables in the past, and they seemed just fine. There are tons of good cables available, compared with just a decade ago. No reason to pay for a name or 'implied superiority'.

It's interesting that Audioholics recently did a series of tests on HDMI cables (which are the most likely cable to have a noticeable effect on quality) and they will soon be publishing their results. Clint DeBoer, who did the tests said that the Monster cables all passed the tests as they were rated--so in that sense they were very good. What was interesting was that he also said that the monoprice cables passed the tests equally as well! He said that the 50 ft HDMI cable he got from Monoprice passed every test he threw at it (meaning that it passed more information than is contained in a deep color, full bandwith, 1080p signal). I believe his conclusion is that Monster cables are of a known quality and will do what they advertise. If I recall, Blue Jeans is very similar in this regard. Some cable companies' cables do not do what they advertise, but Monster isn't one of them. With that said, they are grossly overpriced. As others have said, Blue Jeans Cable is of a good quality, and monoprice is probably of surprisingly good quality for the price. Keep your eyes for Clint's article to show up on Audioholics soon. Be aware though, cables are an inflammatory topic on many boards, including this one--so you will need to evaluate whether they are worth it or not for yourself.

Mono Price & Blue jeans are crap!

Only Monster's are strong enough to use mah Silverado ta tow mah other Silverado outa the ditch!!

Yes quality cables are worth it. No, Monster provides no specs or information that allows you to judge their cable performance. And they are significantly more expensive than professional cabling, which is the best in the world objectively.

D-6500 -- I assume you are being extremely sarcastic .

Monoprice certifies their cables, and will replace them if they are defective (I assume Blue Jeans does the same). Get the heaviest gauge (smallest AWG number) for the length of cable you need, from monoprice and you won't be disappointed. All of my HDMI cables are from monoprice, the longest one is a 22AWG 50' one. All work perfectly. They have very good CAT5/6, VGA, and S-Video cables too (which I bought and use). My monoprice satisfaction index = 99.99%.

Yes I do have some Monster cables, that I got from my local Radio Shack, only because I needed them that day - and they were on sale. They are definitely good quality, but even on sale, they were still twice the price of my preferred alternative.