They have a fourth-grade level website design, I can tell you that much...

Yes and No. They do sell directly, so you get a significant discount but I also believe that they use higher quality components.

If you want to be extra confident in your cable, you could go for this one:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

But the one you have selected should be good as well at that distance.

And this is based on the your experience with monoprice. which you've admitted in this thread is none. So how can they be higher quality components if you you've never used one. :confused:

My eyes tell me bluejeans > monoprice

I'll concede that Monoprice cables may not have the build quality of these other brands -- and something from BlueJeansCables.com may trounce them in terms of measurement testing or sheer heft. But, at the 10-12 foot length runs I'm using to wall mount my flat panel, I'd be buried by the costs of these "pro" cables.

I'll take the bargains at Monoprice anyday. The savings more than offsets any loss in quality I might be seeing or hearing.

-beebs

That will do just fine. However, sometimes, paying a little extra might make the pictures seem better to you ... even if they really are not. It's natural human behavior.

I told you that I have no experience with monoprice; I am just using common sense. A $1 McDonalds hamburger doesn't taste as good as a $5 diner hamburger, which doesn't taste as good as a $15 restaurant hamburger, etc (although some might argue with me). The point is that you get what you pay for - and I never, ever mentioned in this thread that monoprice is making bad products. But you tell me how they can sell a cable for a couple of dollars, make a profit, have a huge R&D facility and use high quality components? Is it magic, perhaps?

Sometimes I feel that monoprice gets so much attention on this board that people forget they can spend a little bit more (not talking about 'Monster Cable Best Buy' more) and get better quality.

For example, there a couple of links in THIS thread to monoprice, but you can actually get SIMILAR priced cables at bluejeans cable! YES, they also make inexpensive HDMI cables.

Okay, back to reality now.

Does a designer hubcap work better than a generic plastic hubcap? They will both prevent air from leaking out of your tire. That is exactly what it is with HDMI cable. It either works or it doesn't. There is nothing in between.

You keep getting stuck on this notion that because the monoprice cables are priced infinitely cheaper than all other cables, they are of inferior quality. Guess what? The Monster cables most people buy cost the same amount to make. They just don't sell for the same price. Probably the same could be said about BlueJeans cables. So yes, those Monsters cables or Blue Jeans cables might have shiny, spiffy packaging. Probaby because they markup is so good, they need something to set themselves apart from everything else.

But in terms of HDMI cables, it's all 0's and 1's. If there were something wrong or inferior about Monoprice's cables, they wouldn't work at all.

I buy all my cables, switchers, etc from monoprice.

Hell... even bought a longer power cable from them for my PS3 :up:

Huh??? Hubcaps prevent air from leaking out of tires?

Based on what I've read, it only makes a difference over very long distances.

That's what I thought it does. :( Am I wrong?

Hubcaps / Wheel covers are decorative items that either go over the hub (center) or the wheel/rim.

You are probably thinking of the valve stem or valve stem cap. (The valve stem being where you connect the hose to put air into the tire and the cap being the little cover that screws on the end)

They're just cables, people.

:lol:

ACTUALLY...

It's the screw-on tire air valve stem covers/caps that can help in stopping air leaks.

Some of then look like these:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...VL._AA280_.jpg

OH, DOH! & WHAT DO YA KNOW? -rolleyes- & -ohbfrank-

What Mr. Music said! :eek:

(That's why they call me, 'The Edit King'! :lol: )

-TEK! :editking:

HDMI is a digital signal. Either the picture is produced as intended or it isn't. With analog, you have degradation over distance with things being made worse if you use poor quality cable.

Monster cables are somewhat like Bose - you pay a lot for the marketing campaign. But Monster *does* make a good quality product (and we'll leave Bose out of the argument right there :) ). I would never consider using a cheap analog cable. You're doing your viewing experience an injustice if you do. But I cannot fathom how Monster expects people to believe that their HDMI cables can produce a 'better' quality picture when the picture is digital in nature??

Ironically, all my cables, including my HDMI cables, are Monster. I use them for three reasons: 1. I'm a reseller, so I get good pricing 2. The quality of the cables, especially the ends where a lot of wear and tear happens, is first-rate and 3. if a cable fails, it'll be replaced immediately, no questions or hassles.

That all being said, if I didn't get the pricing I do, I wouldn't touch Monster HDMI cables. I'd still buy their analog stuff, but that's it.

My $.02

First of all, you can't compare BJ cables with Monster Cables! They have the same strategy as monoprice, but then with higher quality components.

You can get to the point where certain 1's get low enough in voltage to look like 0's. What this means is a poorer quality cable may not manifest it’s shortcomings on better designed equipment.

I don't get it. On page two, you said that you had no experience with monoprice, then here you say that bluejeans use higher quality components. :hscratch: I haven't used bluejeans cables, so I won't comment on the quality of their cables, but I own/use monoprice and monster cables, and you can compare the two; they have comparable quality.

Seriously, monster cables are just as good as monoprice cables. Don't let people fool you into thinking that monoprice cables are better.

-wink-

Yes, and a Kia car is as reliable as a Toyota, since they're both cars correct? Oh wait, I haven't driven a Kia so I can't comment...

Gizmodo did a proper shootout among a $250 Monster 35 ft HDMI cable, a $35 Monoprice 35 ft HDMI cable, and a $54 Monoprice 50 ft HDMI cable. Some choice quotes from their conclusions (emphasis theirs):

"It never pays to buy a Monster cable first."

"I have no doubt, given our testing, that Monster cables can outperform other cables in video formats that are not yet in use. What does this mean for a consumer? Does it make sense to spend $300 now on a 50-foot cable, assuming you will spend thousands to upgrade all of your video equipment around it in the next few years? Logic dictates that the answer is no."

"The only people who should buy Monster cable are people who light cigars with Benjamins."

Couple of stories regarding the excellent cables from monoprice;

About 16 months ago I went from a Infocus X1 projector to Optoma HD70. I used the same cheap component cables which run in my attic and are about 25 ft long. Almost immediately I noticed a very faint double line almost like a double image of sorts. I troubleshooted every way I new thinking it was some sort of grounding. I checked all connections carefully. Finally I ran another cable but not in the attic, just laying in my theater room. Image was perfect. No problems. So I ordered a new component cable from monoprice and ran it in the attic. Image was perfect, no problems. Since the cables go right past the furnace I'm assuming the crappy cable was picking up interference from it, the monoprice does not.

Because of that experience I replaced 100% of my cables with monoprice and also ran an HDMI cable. All in the attic. No issues at all.

Last week I upgraded to Dish HD since I got a new HD tv for the living room at x-mas. I had ordered a mess of cables from monoprice. To my surprise the dish dude was very knowledgeable and knew his stuff (we talked equipment, best way to hook up, how I could get and external HD for the DVR, etc, etc). He agreed to help me hook up all my equipment, so I passed him the end of one of the monprice HDMI cable and he took one look and said "wow, this is some heavy duty nice cable, must have been expensive".

I believe cables do make a difference. In college I worked at the highest high end audio store in Dallas (there was no surround sound then). We sold many different types of speaker wires and interconnects. But I also don't believe that more money always gets you better. I also believe that once you get to good or very good, you start getting a diminished return on your investment. To go from very good to great is a very, very small step and very expensive (IMHO this applies to most things in audio video). So do I believe the monoprice to be the best available? No of course not. Do I believe it to be very good? Yes I do. Do I believe better is available? Yes, only ever so "slightly" better? And the cost for the "every so slightly better" is a lot and in my set up and in my situation, not near worth it. Do I think Monster is better? No, I think it is worse.

I spent about 20 minutes today explaining to a customer that he didn't need to buy the $130 monster HDMI cable that Best Buy was trying to hawk to him for his PS3. I wrote down Monoprice.com on one of our business cards and I hope he listened to me. His wife was agreeing with me 100% but he looked skeptical the entire time. He kept saying "But Best Buy said this, Best Buy said that. The Monster cables have a higher khz rating which gives it better picture quality yada yada yada"

Some people never learn. -_-

You said you never used monoprice cables, not blue jeans cables, right? Then shouldn't that be ... "Oh wait, I haven't driven a Toyota so I can't comment..."?

Wow. So, you have never had a monoprice cable, never used one, yet you know BJ cables are higher quality. How is that possible? Seriously. Sit and re-read your statement. Think about it. That's right. Let it sink in.

You are stating something as fact, but it's not. It's your opinion. You are welcome to it, but don't state something so resolutely, when it's clearly not fact.

Monoprice.com definitely made some money from this thread. I have some Wii component cables in my cart now as we speak, and I just heard about the place about 10 minutes ago.

Not directed at me I know, but I am using both in my set up right now. I personally prefer BlueJeans, I honestly think they are of better quality. I still recommend Monoprice, I'm using their HDMI cable for my 1080i DVR.

Can someone please recommend the best splitter to purchase at MonoPrice.com when my HDTV has only one HDMI input, but I have two HDM players (red and blue) with their own HDMI cables?

My knowledge of techie stuff is equal to J6P. Generally, I try to find a smart guy and then play follow-the-leader! Thanks to all for pointing the way to MonoPrice for my HDMI cables! Now, which is the best splitter to buy? Thank you in advance for sharing your knowledge with those of us who are lost in this high-tech arena!

I'm using one of these right now in my setup, and it works perfectly, but it does require that you actually get up and push the button to switch the input:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

But there is also a new model coming in (at least I think it's new, I haven't seen it before and it still can't be ordered yet), that is 1.3 certified, powered, and remote-controlled:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

Either of these would probably serve you well.

No.

As a rule, I buy all my cables from Amazon.com. You just can't find any inexpensive cables at Best Buy, Circuit City or even Radio Shack anymore.

I bought a component video cable for $5.00 and a coaxial digital audio cable for $2.00. Somethign those crooks at the electronics stores would have charged at least $35.00 a piece for the MONSTER brand name and an inconsequential gold plating.

And one could argue that there IS a difference. I personally don't think so but it'd also be nice if these stores would at least give you the option of choosing the more inexpensive choice.

:lol: at the BJC cheerleader.

It just seems suspicious about the love that monoprice gets from some forum members. Makes me wonder if they're affiliated.

I have a combination of BJC cables (HDMI), QED (speaker cable) and Monster Cable (analog)

Read what I wrote earlier:
"I have no experience with monoprice, but I do believe in 'you get what you pay for'. So either monoprice has to be a miracle store that can deliver top notch cables for dirt cheap, or somehow somewhere they use lesser quality components in their cables/connectors."

Let's turn things around. Have you tried more expensive cables? Perhaps they *ARE* an improvement. So stating that monoprice is the holy grail without testing other cables is equally not a fact.

Yes, we are all shills for Monoprice. The same could be said about you and your insistence that Blue Jeans Cables are better than Monoprice, despite your stated lack of experience with Monoprice cables.

Bottom line is, people use them, people like them (cost and functioning), and rarely do people have a problem with them. That is pretty much all it takes for people to want to pass the word along.

Others have tested. You may think that "you get what you pay for" and there are companies that LOOOOVE customers that think like that. Quite often, you DON'T get what you pay for. Monoprice seems to have reduced overhead, and therefore does not need to rape people on cable prices. Perhaps BLC, while offering a better deal than most, is still overpricing their cables.

I would like to add that I have never made a purchase from either MC or BLC. Just calling things as I see them.

First problem is stating "I do believe".

Second problem, which has been pointed out for the umpteenth time, the cost to make a Monoprice cable is probably very close or identical to what it costs to make a Monster cable. Can I say that with 100% certainty? Not 100%, but pretty close. How would I know this? Well, considering I used to work in retail sales of electronics/games, etc. I've seen the cost sheets on Monster products. The retail markup would make your head spin.

So, basically what Monoprice is doing is instead of marking up and making a huge profit, they are making up for on volume sales. think of Monoprice as the Costco of cabling. Their profit isn't a bunch per cable, but overall on the quantity they sell, it is. Also, by cutting out the middlemen, sales people, and other costs associated with business, they don't have to pass along those labor costs into the price of the cable.

I'm not sure it can be explained any other way. If you can't understand this very simple concept of business then it's pointless to continue this discussion.

As for saying Monoprice is the "holy grail" of cables, those are your words, not mine. I never stated any cable they provided was superior to another cable. I'm simply making the point that their cables cost less and do the same as a more expensive cable. Prove to me it's not a worthy product and I'll sell every single one of their cables and buy something else.

I know the markup on Monster Cables is enormous , so we're not in disagreement here.

Thank goodness I understand the 'simple' concept of business... :rolleyes:

The thing you fail to see is that YES there is a huge markup in cables like Monster, but they also in fact DO use higher quality components. So the COSTS of making these cables and R&D ARE higher than monoprice. If you're sitting behind your computer typing that the quality of the cable itself (not the quality what we see/hear) is the SAME with monoprice and let's say Monster, then it IS pointless to continue this discussion.

The debate should be if a higher quality cable leads to an improvement in quality.

I never said it's not a worthy cable. For most people monoprice is exactly what they need: an apparently good quality cable for not a lot of money. My 2 points are:
- There ARE similar priced alternatives to monoprice. Amazon marketplace for once, or the cheaper cables at bluejeanscable.
- Some people in fact DO notice a difference in quality; mainly because they are using higher quality components. So for those people, it might make sense to look into better cables. I would never recommend for anyone to buy a $50 HDMI cable, if they're connecting a $60 DVD player to a $200 receiver. That doesn't make sense. But if I connect my $500 HD DVD Player to my $7,000 processor, let me quote "You can get to the point where certain 1's get low enough in voltage to look like 0's. What this means is a poorer quality cable may not manifest it’s shortcomings on better designed equipment. "

Never used Blue Jeans (I don't trust my credit card with a website that looks like it was designed with Geocities templates) but I've ordered large gauge speaker cables and optical audio cables from them and the build quality is outstanding. I have them powering an Onkyo 605 to a set of 5.1 Polk speakers. I now tell everyone I know about Monoprice. I'll definitely be ordering from there again when I get my PS3.