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I was at Best buy today and i bought a nice hometheater system,DVD,and an HDTV I pretty much had monster cables forced down my throats, I know that for instance component video is better than S or composite, but do i have to buy monster cables? I also know fiber optic cables rate better than digital coaxial cables, so ill use a set of those, but again do I have to pay the premium for monster vs say cheaper options like solutions or recoton? I was looking at about an extra 350 dollars in cables and i wanted to think it over before i went ahead and purchased them. I got home, hooked everything up using the standard stuff and it sounds pretty good.so what do you guys think?
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Cables make or break your system. They can make a very expensive system sound like a Yorx or Spark-O-Matic. On the other hand they can squeeze out the best possible performance out of an OK system. IMO, Monster makes a lot of OK to bad cables. That being said, i would get the M550i for interconnects from Monster. They are pretty nice cables for the price.Also, why did you say the the optical cables are better than the coaxial? don't be taken in by the notion that toslink being light driven is a more stabel and purer form. The light has to come from a conversion before and after. the question is, in real terms does the Coaxial conversion sound better or worse than the optical conversion.
if you do a search for "Coaxial vs Optical" in the digital forum you will find a pretty good concensus that the Coaxial is better than the Optical connection. In my own experience, this is true. If you think this is counter intuitive because of the digital nature of the signal and how you send it should not make a difference.... theres a lot more to it.
I have a drawer full of toslink cables and i can safely say, that i will continue using the Coax as long as i can. Also, the toslink connector sucks! it comes off very easily.
The people on this forum are just a wealth of information that is thoughful and insightful... i would trust this forum's oppinion over any sales person ANYDAY!
I have definetly changed my way of looking at HT several times based on the assylum.
Good luck,
Sam
If yr good with a solder, you can consider making some which would cost a lot less.. I bought 2 lengths of Audioquests/Videoquests VSD4 and their S-connector heads to make an SCable. If your budget is less, you can go to the Cable assylum where there are plenty of DIY choices which costs less than 50 bucks and out perform those retailing over $300.
Save the money. I agree with others here that Monster offers only slight if any advantage over other cables. I paid the extra $30 at The Wiz in New York for a Monster S video cable for my DVD. Compared to the generic S video that came with it, I could tell no, and I mean no, difference.
It can be. I have found in terms of audio interconnects, the better the cable the better the sound, same for speaker cables. However, for video connections, most people don't have systems that are worth spending thousands on video cables. That said, I find what comes in the box with most DVD players are junk, even upgrading to RS cables is a step up!
in my opinion and many others monster cable is a rip-off. there are much better cables out there. monster has poor shielding and poor connection. they've taken a low quality cable, put an expensive looking connector on it, and jacked up the price. you would be much better off investing in nautilus or tributary cables. they are a little more but have triple shielding and amazing connectors. they are definitely worth the price. but second, if you are only using short cable runs (up to about 5 feet) the difference between cables will be so minute it won't be worth investing in good cables. However, a good cable can also add to the life of your component. a cheap cable leaves the terminals exposed and leaves them open for oxidation. you definitely want to purchase a cable that covers the entire terminal and fits snug. it should also be at least gold-plated. this prevents rusting which could destroy your component. i've found that expensive isn't always better. i've totally outfitted my home-theater with RCA high performance cables for about $100. it would cost about $500 for monster and there is minimal difference between the two.
I was referring to the entry level Monster Cables which are OK in terms of build quality and are around the $20 to $50 range. I would agree that paying more than that is not worth it. Also there are indeed lots of other cables on the market. I have both Tributaries and Monster in my system and while I perfer the first, I got the Monster Cable for less than $20 Canadian! That is a deal no matter how you slice it. Regardless, it is better than the junk that comes in the box with most DVD players.
Cabling is a point of contention amongst many, but I would go ahead and at least purchase good component cables (they don't have to be Monster, although Monster makes good products; I just bought a pair of their 'component' cables for my new rear projection hi-scan TV last week) for my DVD to TV connection. I've heard some people say that they are satisfied with cheaper Recoton or Radio Shack component cabling. Do some research on audioreview.com or this site, and you will find a cable that you can live with pricewise. I know some people spend hundreds or thousands on cabling, so personally, plunking down 60 or 70 bucks for a decent set of component cables makes me feel better, and that I am realizing the close to full or full potential of the technology I own.
-What I've learned is that the ONLY way to determine if different cables are worth it is to try them in your own system A/B'd with the old cables. Find a dealer that will let you return the cables for a full refund if not satisfied...and try them out for yourself. Sometimes expensive cables are TOTALLY worth it, and sometimes the cheap-o cables are actually better.
you don't always have to spend your money and try them out for yourself. one of the main factors that steals from picture and sound quality is shielding. if you run your cables right next to electrical wires you get feedback from them. you can see which cables will work better for you by taking into account how long the distance of cable will be run, will it run next to electrical wires, and how much shielding will i need to keep the interference out. the longer the run and the more electricity around it the more shielding you'll need. a secret to get around the electrical part is to tie your electrical wires together and direct them away from all A/V sources.
I can't believe how many people knock Monster on here...I know there are others both more and less expensive, and I know that some work better for some people than others, but think of all the variables here guys.Do a little research on Monster, the "cheap cable with fancy connectors", come on, Monster is not stupid. I have a vast assortment of their cables that are cut open (samples), both audio and video, and they are by no means cheap. As for the connectors, check out the turbine connectors. You will almost pull your jack-pack off if you try to pull them "straight" off (without twisting them).
And just one more thing, research who uses them. People like Santana, he uses them in his recordings, and he is just one to name a few (I don't need to prove these so I won't list them all). And GEORGE LUCAS, guess what the ranch is wired with, I'll give you three guesses and a hint ( his cables start with the letter "M"). Bottom line, buy monster and you won't be dissatisfied. After all, you wouldn't buy a Benz and run Mastercraft tires on it would you?
Agreed, but you mentioned the "M" and neglected to say that in fact the M series or Z series is some of their best cables and can cost several thousand dollars... and the names you quoted are not likely to buy the cheap cables from Monster which you can buy for 20 bucks for their recordings. And, for the price of their high end cables, i would NOT be buying Monster and would easily choose Cardas or even MIT!For the general consumers that are unlikely to justify the spending as much on cables than they did on their system, there ARE better cables out there for the money. The only cable that i have used from Monster in the under 50 buck range that sounds good is their M550i cable.
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