Component cable - cheap vs expensive

[Djangoman]

Is there any real difference in performance if you're using video component cable of expensive brand like Monster, QED, IXOS, etc. compared to say, cheap RCA cable, as usually included in DVD player (the red, white, and yellow cable - that would work as component cable right?)

Does expensive cable truly enhance the video performance? I'm using a 26' LCD.. and I would also liek to know how's the difference in bigger screens...

Thanks in advance

[Sdallnct]

just buy from Monoprice.com and that is that....

[Blake]

Yeah, don't go cheap by using the one in the box, but no reason to go with Monster cables. I just bought A BUNCH of cables from Monoprice and they are great. I am ONLY using Monoprice cables in my system. I hooked up everything tonight and the cables are heavy duty and of great quality. I haven't had a chance to test them, but they feel great and have gotten great reviews.

Just waiting on my TV and I'll run the last HDMI cable and I'm done. :)

[shelland]

just buy from Monoprice.com and that is that....
agreed!

Short and sweet...

[OldDude]

The red, white, and yellow RCA is probably not a good idea. The red and white are a different grade of cable intended for audio. If you absolutely have to do this, use yellow for luminance, Y (the green connector) and the red and white for Pb and Pr (the red and blue connectors) because they are more compressed and lower bandwidth; but still not recommended.

Three video grade cables (yellow ends) would work if they were the same length and you sorted the ends out (color coding is convenient). But Monoprice component cables with color coded ends are dirt cheap and work well. Don't fall for Monster Scam.
The yellow video cables are also fine for coaxial digital audio connection.

There are probably many lower priced component cables that work well but I can only vouch for Monoprice, of which I own many, also their Toslinks for the digital audio.

[GIjon213]

The markup on Monster cables is so unbelievable it probably cost Monster the same as Monoprice to make cables, just Monster puts them in perty packages...

[Sweet Baby James]

The markup on Monster cables is so unbelievable it probably cost Monster the same as Monoprice to make cables, just Monster puts them in perty packages...
The prices for Monster are absolutely crazy, but they are of decent quality(unlike another rip-off company, Bose). I've got quite a few Monster cables, but only because I bought them for dirt cheap on clearance. If you want Monster products, check your local Radio Shack to see what's on clearance.

[Spiky]

The red, white, and yellow RCA is probably not a good idea. The red and white are a different grade of cable intended for audio. If you absolutely have to do this, use yellow for luminance, Y (the green connector) and the red and white for Pb and Pr (the red and blue connectors) because they are more compressed and lower bandwidth; but still not recommended.

Three video grade cables (yellow ends) would work if they were the same length and you sorted the ends out (color coding is convenient). But Monoprice component cables with color coded ends are dirt cheap and work well. Don't fall for Monster Scam.
The yellow video cables are also fine for coaxial digital audio connection.

Actually, I find that most of those included cables are all the same regardless of the color on the outside. Low-end coax, so-so for audio, not even that good for video. Usually rated 50 ohm instead of 75, and with a tiny, tiny conductor. Occasionally you find one with the yellow being a better wire, but in most they are exactly the same as the red and white parts.

[Djangoman]

Unfortunately guys, I'm not living in US, I'm in Indonesia, so I don't have privilege to buy Monoprice cables. Unless those cables are sold via online stores - but still international delivery cost would still count...

Monster cable is widely sold here in Indonesian HT specialists, ranging from 50 - 100 bucks per meter. Not sure about other equal brand...

Then what about the difference in appearance? If you're using cheap compnent cable, how do the DVDs appear on your display, say LCD? And compared to "good quality" component cable? The picture goes noisy or what? I still don't know because I've never used any "good quality" comp. cable...

[Spiky]

Monoprice doesn't ship outside of the USA and Canada, so no good for you. But there must be something available to you that costs less than Monster. Here we can buy ok cables at discount stores, home improvement stores, department stores, electronics stores, all over the place.

If you can find at least RG-59 coax cables, you'll be good. RG-6 is even better, but not really necessary. Most Monster stuff is RG-59. The better (more expensive) versions often just add better connectors, not better cable.

Otherwise Monster is fine. We're just talking about saving money and not getting ripped off for marketing hype.

[Djangoman]

Wow, wait a minute. So the cable and connectors both play significant role?

Hmm actually guys, I need to be sure - does "good quality component cable" gives better video performance than bad quality cable? How do they differ?

[Brian Shannon]

Wow, wait a minute. So the cable and connectors both play significant role?

Hmm actually guys, I need to be sure - does "good quality component cable" gives better video performance than bad quality cable? How do they differ?

Absolutely.

Without getting into the debate that is "cables" you should always look for good quality and construction.

In general a good quality well made cable regardless of price will outperform a poorly made cable.

Only you can decide how much to spend on said cable. Monoprice (if available to you) are good quality well made cables.

[Sdallnct]

Monoprice doesn't ship outside of the USA and Canada, so no good for you. But there must be something available to you that costs less than Monster. Here we can buy ok cables at discount stores, home improvement stores, department stores, electronics stores, all over the place.

If you can find at least RG-59 coax cables, you'll be good. RG-6 is even better, but not really necessary. Most Monster stuff is RG-59. The better (more expensive) versions often just add better connectors, not better cable.

Otherwise Monster is fine. We're just talking about saving money and not getting ripped off for marketing hype.

Yup, I got 30' RG-6 cables and screw on RF to RCA adapters for my PJ and it works well. Before running, I compared some basic 6' components to the RG-6 on several movies and couldn't see any difference.

[GreenMonkey]

Absolutely.

Without getting into the debate that is "cables" you should always look for good quality and construction.

In general a good quality well made cable regardless of price will outperform a poorly made cable.

Only you can decide how much to spend on said cable. Monoprice (if available to you) are good quality well made cables.

Agreed. Double blind tests show that people cannot discern one well-constructed cable from another.

I will say I briefly used a 16ft RCA cable for a component cable as I didn't have a cable long enough. I didn't notice a difference. Technically, as someone said above, there is a difference: composite a/v cables have only the video cable shielded well, whereas component cables call for all 3 cables to be shielded.

[Spiky]

That is for audio, not video. You can't have blind tests for video. If you compare a proper coax and an improper cable, video differences are easy to see. They take many forms and can look just like issues caused by other things like poor signal from antenna/cable. Snow, grounding waves, color loss, etc.

[Dead]

... You can't have blind tests for video. ...

A "blind" test simply means that you don't know which "object" is which. A "double blind" means that neither you nor the person administering the experiment knows. So, you can have blind test for most anything.

[Spiky]

Yes, I know. But it requires you to not see the changeover, and not leave the room. It's not like audio, your eyes are the measuring stick.

I suppose you could turn off the TV during each switch. That might approximate a double blind test. So you'd not want to do it with many of today's technologies, perhaps a CRT direct view model. Better sit close.

[OldDude]

[QUOTE=Spiky]Yes, I know. But it requires you to not see the changeover, and not leave the room. It's not like audio, your eyes are the measuring stick.

[QUOTE]

I don't agree. The most common form is the ABX test:
*You are presented A, identified
*You are presented B, identified
*You are presented X (not the moderator) and asked to identify it as either A or B. The selection of X is randomized, and neither the tester nor the subject know in advance whether X will be A or B.

When X can not be reliably identified after exposure to A and B, A and B are assumed indistinguishable. Note that you are not asked which is better, although, of course, if X is readily distinguished, that would be a good secondary question.

[Djangoman]

Just got a 1 m QED Qunex P-CV1 component cable to see by myself how "good cable" performs compared to "cheapie cable" (red-white-yellow RCA). This QED cable is supposed to be good, as it is "award winner" What Hi-Fi Magazine.

Unfortunately I find very little difference. I don't feel like watching something new, or experiencing different sense like, say, when I find the difference between viewing DVD in progressive scan mode and non progressive..

The only thing I notice is that on dark / black scenes which usually look noisy and murky, now it looks smoother, or even soft. But still, this is quite subtle difference, I don't think most people can notice that.. Other than that, I found no difference... no such thing as better depth, richer color, picture looks more "alive" or whatsoever they're advertising. . or maybe I just can't identify them?

Or maybe anyone here can point out which DVD that can be used as reference in distinguishing good cable vs bad cable? BTW, my hardware is 26" Samsung LCD TV R71B and Pioneer 676A DVd player (it's similar to 575A model).

[Spiky]

Smoother dark scenes sounds like "richer color" and more "alive" to me. Not sure why you expected something like switching display tech, it is only a wire.

Assuming the picture is perfect when it leaves the player, a cable can only damage it. A better cable damages it less, that's why it may look better. And considering that topnotch cables can be found/made for peanuts, it is worthwhile to get a good one instead of a mediocre one for the same or more money.

[waynekerr]

Monoprice doesn't ship outside of the USA and Canada



Hi

can a fellow Canadian comment on buying from Monoprice. What are the shipping rates? I couldn't find it on their site.

Thanks

[warbird]

Happy new year!
They ship using USPS Air Parcel for Canada.

To figure out the shipping costs, just put any item in the shopping cart and hit 'add to cart'. Next enter your Canadian postal code and press “get S&H rate”. No need to actually buy anything at that point.

For example, I entered “V8K1A6” and the shipping & handling was $3.73 for a $13.96 priced item.

[Sdallnct]

I'm actually have some trouble with the RG6 cables I'm using for component. At least I think it is the RG6 cables. I've ordered some CL-2 rated component cables from monoprice...will see how they do.

[Spiky]

What's wrong? Might be those extra connectors, that isn't an ideal setup.

Unless they are short and you can't bend them....RG-6 is pretty thick. ;)

[Shazam]

Is there any real difference in performance if you're using video component cable of expensive brand like Monster, QED, IXOS, etc. compared to say, cheap RCA cable, as usually included in DVD player (the red, white, and yellow cable - that would work as component cable right?)

Does expensive cable truly enhance the video performance? I'm using a 26' LCD.. and I would also liek to know how's the difference in bigger screens...

Thanks in advanceYou can certainly try out the el cheapo cables. I used mine for a bit, but the main issue with them is that they're very, very flimsy. I broke them by simply moving the cable around when they were plugged in.

I have used them before in similar situations. The picture quality was indeed worse.

Just get something, anything that's a bit more solidly constructed.