iLLWiLL

...are so damn confusing.

Can someone please tell me why there are like 10 different models of the same cable type (like, s-video, for example). It's so damn confusing. Is the cheapest MONSTER s-video or component cable that much lower quality than the highest priced Monster cable?? Why can one pair monster cables at Best Buy cost $50, and the same cable type cost $200 as well?

I want to get an s-video cable for satellite-to-TV, and a pair of component cables for dvdplayer-to-TV. Any recommedations??? Thanks.

__________________
P4 3.0GHz @ 3.6GHz, 1MB, 800MHz, LGA775 // Zalman CNPS9500A LED // ASUS P5GDC-V Deluxe mobo // 3GB dual-channel RAM // Cooler Master Cavalier 1 case (silver) // Antec TruePower 550W power supply // 160GB Western Digital SATA hard drive // ASUS GeForce N6600 GT 128MB video card // HP w2207 22" widescreen LCD // NEC 3500A DVD+/-writer (silver) // Pioneer DVD-116 drive // Logitech mx510 mouse

LegendKiller

Monster cable is generally regarded as a waste of money. You are better off buying the decent cables at Radio Shack.

Bires

While I don't think the radio shack cheapos are the way to go, MC's $ are more brand name than actual performance.

Check out www.partsexpress.com.

__________________
Five years...

iLLWiLL

but what's so great about the cables there?

ArkiStan

I'm guessing they deliver comparable quality for less.

iLLWiLL

what about the brands found at bestbuy and circuitcity? (I'd rather not buy online and have to wait for shipping)

brands like PureAV, Acoustic Research, Recoton, and GE?

zippyjuan

Radio Shack cables work just fine. You will not see a better picture if you use Monster or any other higher priced cables. Just make sure you have a good connection. People think since they cost more they must be better.

__________________
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz

iLLWiLL

does the same go for surge protectors?? Should i go cheap here too?

I bought an $80 Monster 1850 joule surge protector. Waste of money????? I have a brand new 30" Wega hdtv, as well as my computer hooked up to it...

Leon

There's always www.bettercables.com

thekidrocks

I feel it depends on if you can measure a difference. I dare anyone to actually measure a difference between cables that will relate to a performance improvement from system to system.

Monster is, IMHO, cashing in on the cable/snake oil department. They DO have some impressive cables for audio, but the price is insane. From my observation with audio cables, it's a matter of the electrical characteristics of the cable in relation to the same for the source and destination equipment. I've had high-end (read: you can't buy them at Best Buy) Monster and AudioQuest cables that sounded excellent in some locations - and I've had Radiio Shack cables sound just as good in others.

However a Monster power filter is another matter. I have some of them myself. I like their build quality, and when you find them on sale or at a clearance due to a new model, they are priced fair. What disturbs me is the bogus Monster demo stand you see at stores. The thing is rigged - tells you a lot about a company and their integrity.

smeakim

Well I can tell you I have monster cables, radio shack cables, and no name cables. I use the monster only for the direct connection between my DVD Player and my high Def TV. The rest of my cables are from www.AVcable.com. You can customize the cables to length, connections, and anything else you can think of. They are pretty inexpensive and post all their specifications. I have never had an issue with them and they are high quality. I think the only real way to tell if there is a difference is to have specialized audio and video equipment to test the signal and such. I don't waste my money on Monster anymore.

Grimm

For a surge protector you probably shouldn't go too cheap. But you probably shouldn't go Monster either. You can probably get an APC for a lot less that protects just as well or better. 600 joules is considered high grade protection. 1850 joules means you spent money on a lot more than you need. APC sells 1050 joule surpressors that you can get at newegg for around $20+ shipping.

ufcrusher

Monster cable has different levels of quality. For example, you mentioned the S-Video cable. They will have S-video 1, s-video 2. s-video 3, and then there reference line up - z series. They also have their M line which I dont know anything about, S-video 1 is generally not worth buying as it doesnt really give you any benefits as its just a base level cable. S-video 2 and 3 have different construction and materials. The reference line up usually will be their best quality materials, thicker cables to help not "restrict" the flow and a nylon sleeve. Lately, they have begun offering different versions of their original 4 levels for sale at places like Bestbuy, target, etc. with slightly different names and or being THX-certified.

When it comes to cables, you will generally find that people have EXCEEDINGLY different opinins on what is necessary/quality. For example, on AVSForums I have seen tons of people who think there is no difference in a $1 cable and a $10000 cable. No matter the difference in construction, material, shielding, or terminals...they say its all packaging.

Then you have people who have conducted their own tests, such as me, with multiple different levels of cables on the same TV with the same source and seen the different picture quality. I have all level 3 or higher cables from monster...but I should point out a fact that many people on the board already know, I used to sell electronics and received substantial discounts on my cables. When I was recently setting up an LCD for my father, we tried several differnt cables/brands and he also thuoght that the monster was a much better picture. (In that case it was against the non-monster brands sold at radio shack, belkin-av cables from bestbuy, and a few others that I dont recall right now.)

I would hope that you are not using a standard surge protector, but rather a monster clean power source. A surge protector by itself does nothign to help your picture quality/sound quality. However, many companies offer clean power sources/line scrubbers including Belkin in their pure aV line.

__________________
Welcome my son, welcome to the machine...Where have you been? It's alright we know where you've been....

iLLWiLL

I have the Monster one with cable/satellite input, that SUPPOSEDLY gives better picture/sound....the HT700.


Thanks everyone for your input -- keep 'em coming.

I'm just wondering if I should return this Monster surge protector that I have. I'm not hurting for money, but if a $30 surge protector does the same exact thing with the same performance, then why keep it...

ufcrusher

I dont know if saying ht700 was a typo or not, but there is no ht700 to my knowledge that has a clean power source. I even did a quick look on the monster cable website and they have an ht800 but not an ht700.

A quick google seach indicated an mpht700hp but said nothing about it having the clean power. The interesting thing is that this model, which is listed for sale at places such as Target and Circuit City, is not listed on the monster website.

What I would recommend is looking to see in the literature whether it states it has the clean power chips. The most basic would be Stage 1, which if memory serves is only put on the video. Stage 2, which I should clarify is 2 seperate levels of filtering, but they also include the audio outlets. Then there is Stage 3 and higher. My equipment has Stage 3 filtering, but I would have to double check that. If it were up to me, if it only has stage 1 filtering, I would probably return it for one that had at least stage 2 filtering.

Raider007

http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/artic...7,pg,1,00.asp#

review of cables...monster is the same as anything else basically...

faither

Re surge protectors, I picked up two of these and am very happy...

DarkFury

I actually go to Fry's now and buy some of their General Electric "premium shielded cables" which cost a fraction of what Monster cables cost and work just as good... Gold plated ends and acid free insulation and whatnot...

If I can get a SUPER deal on Monster cable... then I'd use it, but I sure as hell ain't gonna pay full price for it.

__________________


DarkFury's Pimptopia - Don't Hate the Playa, Hate the Game!
Home of the Original OG Pimp (accept NO imitations)

iLLWiLL

no, that wasn't a typo...but yeah, that's the one. On the box it says "Home Theatre PowerCenter (HT700)". It only says "mpht700hp" on my receipt. It is "Stage 1, v.2.0".

but is all that necessary to have for your system? Can its performance be seen?


I don't know. I'm sure these HIGH-PRICED products *do* provide better performance than the generic stuff. But like others have said here -- at what cost??? I don't know if it's worth 2 to 10 times the cost of the generic stuff. And I don't have the resources, the time, nor the desire to test and compare various cables (particularly Monster's numerous "stages", which absolutely turns me off to them). Therefore I'm going with what seems the general consensus on the internet -- I'm just going to go with the inexpensive stuff

Thanks everyone for your input

iLLWiLL

Oh...one more thing --

Will i see much difference from coaxial to s-video? What about from composite to component? I want to run s-video cable from my satellite box straight to my tv...and also component cable from my dvd player to my tv. Thanks.

sizemic1

Go to Walmart for Cables. They're easily 25-30% cheaper than anywhere else.

__________________
[___]
(O lllllll O)
[]==O=[]

thekidrocks

Another chime-in for me... this time on the power protection. Personally I am not sold on filtering need as much as I am on the surge protection.

Long ago, I purchased a Panamax Max 1000. I don't know if they are even made anymore - but what it does is the key. If the voltage goes over/under a set level, all 3 legs are disconnected between the components and the wall. Yes even the ground goes open. After a shutdown condition such as power being restored after a storm, there is a significant delay until the unit lets the system go back on-line.

One day, my system would not come on. Some basic testing revealed that it was the Panamax. It failed - but the attached equipment was fine. Since it's under a lifetime warranty (there is a small service charge), they fixed it and sent it back as new.

Now THAT's the lind of protection that's worth it. I can't say my system sounds a bit better, but it still works!!!

Kudos

Especially on an LCD screen, you'll see a big difference between coaxial and s-video. My aunt has a 26ish inch LCD TV, and HDTV.
They had the HDTV hooked up to components with crappy cables from the cable company actually. The picture looked horrible. I ended up hooking everything up just the way you want to hook up your TV, and it looked MUCH better. I eventually got a set of monster component cables and hooked them up to the cable box, not much of a difference honestly but I felt better having the components hooked up for the cable box, and s-video for the dvd player

Basically, from best to worst right now:
HDMI
DVI
Component
S-Video
Coaxial

__________________
Shut up, dummy.

Apex

http://www.monoprice.com/home/index.asp

Great place to buy cabling.

__________________
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance - it is the illusion of knowledge.
Daniel J. Boorstin (1914 - )

InfiniteNothing

I can't wait until analog IO is gone.

__________________
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.

iLLWiLL

Amen to that

faither

I got them for a great price $149 each with free shipping & no tax. Got them more for the surge protaction than the "clean" power as Tampa is a haven for lightening. Figured you spend all that money on equipment, it would be a shame not to have it protected.

AlpineJay

You forgot RCA composite between S-Video and coaxial.

__________________
If con is the opposite of pro, then what's the opposite of progress?