GreenMonkey

Then they are faulty.

Monoprice makes great, non-faulty cables.

DVD Josh

They are imagining it, for the most part.

Supermallet

There are a lot of people at AVS who have a lot of problems with a lot of things.

MEJHarrison

Yes, at one end you have good cables for a super price. And the other end you have good cables for a price that should get the sellers thrown in jail. In-between you have good cables that aren't as expensive as the rip-off cables, but still cost more than the same cables at the lower price.

You've failed to prove the point of why anyone should care. If you can get the same thing for a lower price, why would you choose to pay more?

viking99

If I could get the same thing for a lower price I would. I will challenge anyone to buy an RCA-type cable (digital coax, component video, etc.) from Monoprice that is the equivalent of those sold by RAM. It just won't happen.

I've learned to avoid both ends of the price spectrum on many things (cars, houses, insurance, food, hotels, etc.) and focus on quality without the hype. I find it ironic that two of the most prevalent themes on the forums are a) Monoprice is the only way to go and b) why am I having all of these HDMI handshake issues? To each their own.

Josh H

By the same token, I challenge you to buy one from monoprice and compare it to what you have from RAM and see if see any difference in build quality or notice any signal degradation compared to the RAM cables.

Price isn't always a good harbinger of quality. Just because Burger Kings Black Angus combo's cost pretty much the same as a burger and fries at many sit down places doesn't mean the quality is the same.

Similarly, just because RAM is more expensive, it doesn't mean their cables are made any better, or that the difference is enough to warrant the extra expense.

At any rate, it's probably better not to talk so authoritatively about something you've not tried.

viking99

Well, based on that statement I can conclude that you HAVE done the side-by-side comparison. How did Monoprice's cable compare with the Belden cable? How did their connectors compare with the Canare RCA connectors? These are recognized, established name brand components assembled by a cable house right here in the good ol' USofA. What did you find out?

btw: I haven't eaten at Burger King for over 10 years (see my earlier post for comments about avoiding both ends of the pricing spectrum).

Josh H

Difference is, I'm not shying anyone away from RAM. If people want to buy there, that's fine. I'm sure they are fine cables.

I've never had a reason to try as I started at the bottom of the price ladder and haven been nothing but 100% pleased with the 10 or so cables I've ordered from monoprice.

That's generally how I shop for things, test out the cheapest options first, and work my way up the ladder if upon inspection the cheapest option isn't satisfactory. Seems like pissing away money to just always buy stuff in the middle of the spectrum without checking the cheaper stuff first.

But people can do whatever they want with their money.

viking99

Good point Josh. I hope you're not offended by our back-and-forth. I enjoy a good debate. For those with limited funds, the approach you just suggested is very reasonable. Many of us spent years on a budget, raising a family, having to try to get by with entry-level everything. If Monoprice works for someone then that is a good option. If you'll review my posts in this thread my primary point is that Monoprice shouldn't be portrayed as the only smart approach. Money isn't everything and Monoprice's cables are not the equal of everything else available. To suggest so would be misinformation.

Josh H

I'd agree with that. I don't think any would argue that there are better cables out there for audio and videophiles.

For me, I'm far from an audio or videophile, so even if fund weren't an issue I'd still use monoprice as I don't care/don't notice minute improvements from different cables etc. Plus I probably don't get much benefit given I tend to buy lower end receivers and TVs anyway.

Councelor

Now back on topic ...of all the cables I've bought from MP, they all have met or exceeded my expectations.....unlike Monster Cables.

Councelor

GreenMonkey

Scientific double blind tests have shown again and again that people cannot differentiate between a cheap cable and an expensive one, provided both cables are built correctly.

I don't care if the cables are made out of platinum-iridum silver alloy or something, put them against some monoprice cables in a double blind test, and no one will be able to tell the difference. Period. Any difference is simply the placebo effect.

Sdallnct

The prices are so cheap, I'd get the CL2 rated, just in case at a later date you want to put in wall or attic.

However, do be aware they are thicker and a little stiff. I have both the monoprice component and HDMI CL2 rated cables in 25' runs.

When I upgraded to a HD projector, I was getting some problems (a sort of very faint scan line slowly moving across the screen). I narrowed it down to the component cables I was using (RGB cables with RCA ends screwed in). My cables have to run right past my furnace in the attic and I'm guessing they were picking up interference from it. Absolutely no problems with the Monoprice CL2 component cable. So I picked up a CL2 HDMI cable when I got a PS3.

I have since added a Monoprice 5X HDMI switcher and replaced all my short HDMI cables with monoprice.

Everything I have received from them has been good quality and shipped quickly.

exm

[QUOTE=viking99]While I think BB/Monster deserves all the negative comments that they get, I don't necessarily support the OP's implication that Monoprice is the way to go. I don't want cheap cables, I want quality cables at reasonable prices. Personally, I've been buying everything from RAM. Their coax digital cables and component video cables just have that look and feel of "quality." Same for their "high-end" HDMI cables. They're not

exm

How do you explain that (even) my wife and I heard a significant difference in quality when I upgraded my speaker cables to QED biwire?

Sweet Baby James

This debate will rage on forever. One camp will always say that there is no difference in sound between lamp cord and an exotic boutique cable. They will also say that you're imagining a difference and you're a sucker for snake oil. I am in the camp that says that there is a difference. Expensive doesn't neccessarily make it better to an affordable cable and the subtle improvement might not justify the incredible cost difference. To my ears, I can hear a difference in certain cables(not every cable). It's definitely easier to detect a difference when using higher resolving equipment than basic home theater equipment. Just my $0.02.

lizard

You might be surprised. I purchased three foot RCA plug cables from Monoprice for just over $2 a pair and the build quality was outstanding. Heavy duty, well shielded, gold plated plugs. I use them for my 5.1 analog audio connection. They were not the flimsy things packed in with most CE equipment. Eventually one gets to the question "what is good enough?". But to dismiss Monoprice because you equate inexpensive with poor quality is a mistake IMHO.
That latter point is a red herring. In my experience handshake issues have to do with the order that one turns on one's equipment. It has nothing to do with HDMI cables.

While you have have "learned to avoid both ends of the price spectrum on many things", that doesn't make your rule of thumb always true. There are many satisfied customers here who would say that Monoprice is an exception to your rule.

While first post in this thread is a bit hyperbolic, my sense is that this thread is intended to alert HD newbies that they don't have to buy a high-priced cable from Best Buy or a place like that. Those stores make more money from overpriced accessories than they do from the equipment the cables are intended to hook up. I learned about Monoprice from others here at DVD Talk and I am grateful that they took the time to post those messages. For good quality at least cost, Monoprice is hard to beat.

GreenMonkey

For the same reason that some people get better when they get fed sugar pills.

If it's not a double blind test it's not valid. If you wanted to hear a difference, you heard one. Simple as that.

Look, some folks have this subjective idea that if they can hear it it exists. In my mind, if you can't prove the existence of something, it is 99% likely it doesn't exist.

gimmepilotwings

exm

I disagree. My wife doesn't believe in any A/V upgrade and she confirmed my thoughts that the new cables greatly improved bass and added more dynamic to the sound quality. Heck, I still have my old cables. I am going to do a 1:1 test (old cable left speaker, new right speaker).

GreenMonkey

It could have been that the volume was a tad different, that ambient noise changed a little, that your wife was in a good mood that day, anything.

If it isn't a double blind test it isn't really a valid observation.

It has been proven again and again that speaker cables make absolutely no difference. Tests of high-end cable vs lamp cord yield no difference that people can discern. This has been proven scientifically. It is a fact. Period. Anything else is superstition. Believe what you will, but it's just like believing in Voodoo or Big Foot.

There's a reason for the scientific method. It keeps us from believing in things that aren't real

wewantflair

Can you, in the interests of academia, ask your wife to explain what "more dynamic to the sound quality" means?

exm

I will do the test this weekend.

More dynamic means that you can hear more in a song than previously. Like that you actually realize which instruments are being used in a song instead of one blurry song.

geocab

Could you provide a link to some of these tests, please? Thanks.

GreenMonkey

here's one:

http://www.provide.net/~djcarlst/abx_data.htm

Just do a google search for double blind test and whatever you are intersested in (speaker wires, component cables, whatever).

There's a guy that offered several thousand dollars to anyone who could pick out the difference between amps too, don't have the link available.