[Mikerascan]

Alas, my new Rock requires a 6' 5-Wire BNC-BNC cable. So, I do my traditional web cruising and was not altogether surprised to see a

vast difference in pricing for what each claim to be equivalent products. Gee, unless someone can explain to my why I should spend so much... I think I'll go for the $47 option with the money back guarantee.


I wonder if tributaries ships with a bottle of Tylenol.


Mike


This one costs $475
http://tributariescable.com/tributaries.html


This one costs $170
http://www.bettercables.com/cgi-bin/quikstore.cgi


This one costs $47.00
http://www.avcable.com/Merchant/merc...ory_Code=PRGB5

 

[jaron]

 http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/eek.gif i don't have your answer but i found one even cheaper at www.a2zcables.com

 

[MrWigggles]

Thanks for the links guys.


I can't defend the $475 version, but I can defend the better cables $170 version.


Their cables are made by hand with very high quality parts. My installation required me to run wires before putting on the connectors and I can tell you it wasn't a fun process. It took me 6 hours to put on 20 bnc connectors (two cable runs) and I had all of the correct soldering and crimping equipment.


I consider bettercables to be a custom cable manufacturer. If you need a long or odd length and/or you need the absolute best quality, I would go with bettercables. But for 6 feet, the $47 cable should work plenty well.


-Mr. Wigggles


Ps. Please be careful what you save when talking about a forum member sponsor. Your thread title is a little strong.


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[kromkamp]

Quote:

Originally posted by MrWigggles: Ps. Please be careful what you save when talking about a forum member sponsor. Your thread title is a little strong.

Wow. I certainly hope this attitude is not reflected by the forum owners, is it? (That its okay to talk harshly about products only if they arent sponsoring the board?)


IMO If all it takes to 'buy off' reviews of products is a little advertising revenue, then this forum will quickly become no better than the glossy HT rags with all filler and no real information. Is that where we want to be headed?


To stay on topic, IMO for a 6-foot run I doubt you'll see any improvement over the $50 cable. When you're talking about longer runs (15' and more), the higher quality cables really help reduce the ghosting image caused by the impedance mismatch.


Andy K.

 

[MrWigggles]

Alright Andy.


My postscript was as gentle as I could of possibly put it.


My post was an FYI.


My cable conclusion was the same as yours.


let's drop it.


-Mr. Wigggles


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[Mikerascan]

Actually, I can understand the bettercables price because of the materials and the fact that they are hand assembled. The pictures alone demonstrate a far superior build quality and attention to detail. I have ordered theirs and the cheaper one and will do a comparison. For a short run like mine, I doubt there will be much difference and fully understand the need for quality cables for those making long runs. My "attitude" was directed towards the tributaries example. I just found it interesting that after contacting each supplier... they all claimed that their cable would do a great job for my application. I for one am looking forward to seeing how much difference there is. Now we can all go back to discussing the awesome attributes of lamp chord..



Mike

 

[smitty]

I have both BetterCables and cables from avcable.com in my system, although I have not had a chance to evaluate the performance of the latter yet. BetterCables are definitely well made, good quality, aesthetically pleasing cables. My one issue with them is that they are a bit pricey for longer runs, expecially for some of the video cables. In fact, if you reveiw the pricing on their web site, the amount in $$ that is added for each addtional meter seems very pricey compared to what the additional length must actually cost. For this reason, when I needed a 50' length of 5 BNC to 5 BNC cable, I went with avcable.com and saved in excess of $250.00 just on one cable. The cable jacket with avcable.com might not be as pretty (it's rubber vs. the nice PET jacket? that comes with BetterCables), but mine was running inside the wall and in the attic. Also, the avcable.com cable construction seems to be quite good, the quality of wire used seems to be as good or within the same general ballpark, and the specs would appear to be equivalent to the BetterCables BNC cable. In short, I would recommend both companies highly, but like anything, I think that there are judgments to be made about whether the extra $$ paid in certain circumstances are worth it. This is not a knock on either company; it is what competition is all about.


[This message has been edited by smitty (edited 04-23-2001).]

 

[Swampfox]



Originally posted by MrWigggles:

My installation required me to run wires before putting on the connectors and I can tell you it wasn't a fun process. It took me 6 hours to put on 20 bnc connectors (two cable runs) and I had all of the correct soldering and crimping equipment.

Mr. Wiggles, you need more practice!

I think Better Cables are well priced. They use good cable and good connectors. I agree that the cost per foot after the initial meter seems high, but the first meter seems reasonable. It would be hard to buy the tools, the cable, and the connectors and and save money if you only needed one cable.

I make most my own cables and find it enjoyable. It saves money in the long run, but I make all my audio, video, and interconnects. The only cable I won't make again is a breakout cable!

Any well constructed 75 ohm BNC cable should do well for a 6 ft run. I would recommend sticking to a good cable shop (or build your own)for RCA video cables, since many consumer grade connectors are poorly constructed. It is best to buy breakout cables unless you need a lot of them, since they are a b**** to make, and require esoteric cable and connectors (imho).


Best Regards,


SM


Best Regards,

SM

 

[MrWigggles]

Swampfox,


I am with you on the break out cable. I have made one and I won't make another again. Once again I had a nice metal backshell with a huge opening and Raychem shield terminators and the process was still a royal pain.


As far as the 6 hours for 20 connectors, it took 15 minutes for each Amphenol RFX connector to be put on RG174 cable (thin stuff).


-Mr. Wigggles


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