Other Home Theatre

[#1]

I jus wanted some feedback on the issue of hdmi cable superiority.......Are monster cables really that far ahead of the competition??? Are the price differences justifiable??? Also, is ther a difference between the different monster cables themselves when it comes to speed ( Eg. 465gbps etc, high speed, super high speed, ultra speed???).....And finally, is the signal strength correlated to the length of the cables?

All advice greatly appreciated

[#2]

Signal strength is directly related to the length of the cable, assuming you're not using an optical signal.
For distances shorter than 1m, the quality of the cable, in theory and practicality, has no adverse affects.
The longer you go, the more shielding you need.

That said, price is an objective stance when it comes to cables.

[#3]

Monster cables are definately not worth the price you pay for HDMI cables or other cables,including speaker wire etc. Go to Cnet reviews on line and bring up their site. Then put in hdmi cables in the search box and it will bring up a great article where they tested different cables from monster and others. These people rate various products including Hdtv,Audio,Video and a lot of other products ( considered Expert Reviews in the industry ) and they state flat out the inexpensive cables are just as good. A lot of their employees use cables from (competitor),as do I, and they are top of the line in quality and performance. They cost aprox 1/10 the price of Monster. This review by the C-Net staff puts things in perspective concerning cables. You can also check the (competitor) site at (competitor).com to see what they offer. You will be surprised.

[#4]

I understand that it comes down to an objective stance when it comes price, but i want to know if there is added value associated with the price. To be more clear, i want to know if i will lose out on sound or picture clarity if i decide not to go with monster cables. And i was told that to maximize my ps3 for sound and definition, i should go with 750 hd cable.

Thanks to all for advice 

[#5]

No you won't lose out on sound or picture quality if you don't chose monster cables. See my other comments in this post. It would be worth while to see what the " Experts " at c-net reviews think about these cable issues. The bulk of their employees don't use monster cables and they review various products for a living,including cables. You can get equal quality cables for much lower prices.

Message Edited by Marc-Andre on 11-29-2008 08:48 PM

[#6]

HDMI is digital. There is no gradual degradation (e.g. slightly softer or sharper) in image quality. It will either transmit the data bit-for-bit perfectly, or have very obvious errors in the data (e.g. sound or image will drop out).

[#7]

monster does make some really good products, then again so do other companies.  if you can afford the monsters go for it, if you can't justify the price don't.  get the best quality products you can afford and justify.  nice thing about monster is the warrenty they provide with their gear.

[#8]

Don't believe the lunatics that talk about coat hanger experiments, blah blah, and others that are fanatically anti-Monster, because they don't have a clue what they're talking about and they're not interested in real world scenarios.

Here's what you get with Monster products for you money:

- The company rep. If something goes wrong with your cable, you can rest assured Monster will stand behind the product

- Superior build quality. It's simple to say a $1 cable will get a digital signal from one end to the other. Big deal if the cable is terribly constructed and isn't going to last. I work in video production, so I need cables that can withstand constant use. Cheapo cables wear out, break or (even worse) will break the connectors on your expensive gear because they don't have any flexibility.

I also like Sony HDMI cables. You can get a pack with HDMI + a super-long USB 2 cable, both with a tough braided exterior (anyone have pets that like to chew on cables?) for a great price if you look around. 

I'll never buy cheap brands, though. You really get what you pay for and I'm not a cheap person by nature. I'm wise with my money, but I don't let penny-pinching affect my quality of life, thanks. 

Hope that helps.

BTW - whenever you bring this topic up, the cheap (or broke) anti-big-brand people come out of the woodwork. They don't actually own the products or use them, but they love to blast off about how evil big companies are, etc, etc. Just scroll on past those posts unless you're unable to think for yourself.

[#9]

I just bought an AN46A750 Samsung lcd tv, and the salesman convinced me to buy a 3ft 1000HD monster cable for $99. $50 off regular. I took it home and compared it to my $7 ion brand cable. While the monster cable might allow you to dangle your receiver over a cliff without breaking, there was no noticible difference in picture quality. The monster cable, however, was way too short to reach anything in a normal audio rack.

I take it back to the store to save my $93 dollars, the salesman asks me to take the $250 13ft version of the same cable, as the other wouldnt reach. I declined, I'd rather have my $93. Call me cheap, or call me smart, for a second I was blind. There is absouletly no reason to spend that extra $$ unless you are a slave to marketing.There must be some huge, and I mean huge markup to take $150 off a silly cable.

BTW, for wear and tear, how many $7 hdmi cables can you replace for that $100? I could care less if ion stands by there cables.......lol

[#10]

There is such a thing as HDMI cables in the market place that cost much less than monster cables.....but not of cheaper quality. And I also saw lots of cheap HDMI cables both in price and quality that I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole out there.But then their are other cables that are the real deal, only they cost less than monster cables. Anyone can go to C-Net reviews,put in cable reviews in the search box and bring up a cable review done by C-net. This is what I did when looking for quality cables. The review speaks for itself and so do the quality cables when you hook them up to your gear. I went to the experts at C-net for help and I'm glad I did. I think a lot of people in the industry respect the great independant reviews that come out of C-Net