criptik28

Hi everyone -

I'm setting up my first HT at home, and was wondering what kind of cables to buy. I've heard people say that Monster Cables are worth the price...and others say there's no discernible difference. Any advice you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Brian Shannon

This is a very heated topic with alot of passionate opinions on both sides.

I use Monster Cable as well as Transparent and Kimber.

Having said that the single biggest reason to buy high end cable is the build quality.

Best of luck to you!

edclem

I'm a fan of high quality cables. To me, they do make a difference.
Keep in mind, though, that there are much better quality cables out there for the money than Monster: MIT, Audioquest, Straightwire, Kimber, and Transparent come to mind.

palebluedot

I have spent hours upon hours doing blind tests of cables for both audio and video with people with trained ears and eyes. The conclusion...99% of the time there is no difference between cheap cables and expensive cables.

A lot of it comes down to your minds perception of things. I have done a blind test with someone where I hooked up the gear with cheap speaker cables and did a demo. Then I pretended to change to speaker wire with a set of $500 cables. I also told the person that I did that, but I didn't change a thing..same cheap cables. I did the demo again and wouldn't you know it....the sound improved! So if buying expensive cables makes you think it's going to sound better...go for it.

The only time I have noticed a difference was in video cables...more specifically component video cables.

If you put me in a room and prove to me that expensive cables sound better than cheap cables I will kiss your a**.

I just stay with cables that are cheap but built well, ones that will hold up over the years.

audrey

Not to resurrect the objectivist vs. subjectivist religious controversy, but I have to ask: if you had a headache and were given a mediation that relieved your pain; would you really care if it turned out to be a placebo?

If you’ve read any of C.O. Evan’s work on perception then you know there’s just no escape from the interaction between “reality” and “perception.” In my system, to my ears, speaker wires and cables to make a difference; and that’s all I care about.

That said, I think Monster is OK; but as pointed out above there are better choices.

palebluedot

That's exactly what I am saying... a LOT of it comes down to perception. That's why I used several different people when doing these comparisons that way no one persons perception or pre-disposition was a factor.

skar

What does the rest of your system look like? I think high end cables are great for high end systems. Most setups would be fine with some normal 12 gauge cables.

audrey

Cool. I guess we’re in agreement. All I’m saying is that I, personally, don’t care if there really is a difference or whether blind testing supports my perception; if I hear a difference, that’s good enough for me.

There’s been countless blind tests that compared low-end, inexpensive amps against costly, esoteric designs that found no significant difference between the models evaluated. These results run contrary to my experience; amps do impact sound quality (to me).

I don’t really worry about whether the differences are real or only perceived; I just lay back, close my eyes, and plug-in to the matrix ;-)

criptik28

Ah, I guess I forgot to include that. That would probably help, huh? This is my first system, so I set a price limit of $1000. I have:

Receiver: Onkyo TX-DS595
Fronts: PSB Alpha A/Vs
Center: PSB Alpha Center
Rears: PSB Alpha A/Vs
Sub: Sony SA-WM40

Don't tell me Monster Cables are debated as heatedly in here as Bose products!

Brian Shannon

Cables in general are yes!

That is a nice system. What are you using now for inter connects and for speaker cable?

criptik28

No idea...still waiting for all the components to arrive! I don't even know what kind of cables come with all the components. What would you recommend?

audrey

No doubt you’ll get lots of conflicting opinions, but here’s my 2c. For a $1000 system, I wouldn’t invest much in cables. One highly debated rule of thumb is about 10% of the system price.

I’d recommend generic 12 gauge wire (zip cord) for the speakers, available at home depot, etc. For inter-connects, I’d get the gold plated Radio Shack or RCA (made my monster and sometimes available online very cheaply). You don’t have to replace all the cables at once; I’d start w/ the speaker wire since if any is included it will likely be pretty cheap, then replace the audio/video cables as desired and funds permit.

A few quick notes:

* If you replace your video cables, get 75ohm cables; not audio cables.

* Be sure to wire your speakers in phase (e.g. positive to positive; neg to neg)

Mr. Salty

The debate over actual sound quality differences between cables will continue to rage on for years. But for me, good quality cables offer three things that their cheaper counterparts do not: build quality, shielding and lifetime warranty.

I've had solder connections on Radio Shack cables go bad on me. Cheap no-brand cables without gold plating can corrode and are susceptible to RFI and EMI.

Good quality cables, whether we're talking about Monster, Acoustic Research, Better Cables, Kimber or whatever, will at the very least be cables you will never have to replace unless you drop a piece of furniture on them.

The only cable I ever had a problem with was a Monster s-video cable where the rubber finger grip cracked. It was really only a cosmetic issue, but I e-mailed Monster anyway. I had a free replacement in my mailbox two weeks later.

namja

Too many people, Monster cables look better than the cheaper cables. If you belong in this category, then you should get 'em. Quit being so functional all the time.

In many things in life, form is function.

Same with other components. A particular Toshiba TV may have more/better features than a particular Sony TV at a lower price, but if you like the looks (exterior) of the Sony TV, it's okay to get the Sony TV.

Brian Shannon

For what is in your list, you wont get any cables. Personally I would at least compare prices on some of the pre terminated Monster speaker cable with something you could do yourself.

Part of this will depend on your room layout and where you need to run the cable.

DVD_O_Rama

One of the things thats gets overlooked the most in these debates, is that Monster has many different lines of A/V cables. The blank statement of "'Those expensive Monster cables..." gets tossed around so much is obvious that many of the Monster-bashers have no clue as to what all Monster offers. yes, Monster sells high-end cables, but they also sell lower priced ones aimed at the 'average' consumer. So before getting opinions on 'are they better', I'd get an idea of your budget and look at what Monster has in that range. Would I put a $70 toslink cable on an $80 Apex DVD player? Not likely. Am I going to use zip cord between my Def Techs and Sunfire Cinema Grand? I think not.
Expensive is in the eye of the beholder, just be sure you are aware of all the options.