Truth behind $100 and $5 HDMI cables

In stores, the cables typically go for around $50. I got one on Amazon for less than $1 (plus $6 shipping), and it works perfectly. My understanding is that it’s a digital cable (i.e. just 1’s & 0’s coming through), so the quality of the cable doesn’t mean anything.

I’ve been getting cables (HDMI, Composite, AV) from http://www.cablewholesale.com and have nothing but good things to say. Great prices, fast shipping. They’re based in the SF Bay Area (local for me) and I usually get my shippment 2-3 days after I place the order.

Collin

This reminds me of when I used to sell printer cables at a retails store. We had one that was $7, and another that was $30. There was really no difference and in fact, they were both the same cable. The only difference was the branding and the packaging. Our sales people did a good job convincing buyers that they needed the $30 cable though.

Griff,
You bring up a good point. I have always struggled with buying component wires after making a large tech purchase: televisions, receivers, etc. Best Buy has always tried to push Monster Cables on my purchase, but I always turn them down. I believe that you are correct in your name brand deduction. However, I would like to see some real comparisons on different systems between generic cables and name brands.

That’s All I Got,

4four1ones
four_ones
http://www.lockergnome.com/4four1ones

In the analog days I actually had more problems with premium cables than the cheap kind. It was hard to get the rigid connectors on the premium cables to reliably mate with the cheapo rca jacks on the back of most components. Also, the weight of the cables themselves caused problems if they weren’t supported. Some of them were so beefy they damaged the jacks on the stereo.

The cheapo rca cables were usually light and flexible enough to mould themselves around the jacks (and stay there). I couldn’t hear the difference in sound quality of the super cables, but I could tell when they weren’t making contact.

Si.

Truth behind $100 and $5 HDMI cables…

…if you’re like me, you don’t spend your day LOOKING at your cable; you just want it to use….

I agree Chris. When I picked up my 42″ LCD, I wanted an up converter model DVD player. Walmart had a Philips 1080i for less than $60.00 out the door, and it came with an HDMI cable. The picture is superb! My neighbor says it loks better than his Plasma, and he buys top of the line stuff. Thanks Chris, I was thinking of buying a new cable to see, but now I won’t.

Keep in mind also that HDMI is a digital cable, not analog. So either the data gets to the destination, or it doesn’t, there is no gray area. Analog cables can pick up interference etc. So if a $5 cable works, it’ll work the same as a $100 cable. Maybe not for as long!

There are few areas where, over the years, I’ve seen as much FUD as with cables in general and with AV cables in particular.

Monster has been around for awhile and, early on, established a good name. My experience with them over the years, however, has been very similar to yours - especially with audio cables and speaker wire. High prices are charged for what amounts to a paltry difference in performance

There certainly can be a difference in the quality of cables, but in significant measure, the ability to perceive the difference between an inexpensive cable and a ridiculously high priced one is dependent on the listener/viewer and the quality of the componets.

They buyer needs to do just what you’ve done: be sure that the price paid - at any level- represents a meaningful expenditure.

While that may be true for HDMI I think you need to do some more research. I know that first hand there is a marked difference between some of the crap that radio shack sells and higher end stufff. I had a stereo miniplug running in my car to get audio from my ipod into my car stereo, and I can say that when I used the Radio shack version it was far less clear and loud than when I bought a higher end version. The same may not hold true for other cables, but i have yet to test this with my HDMI connection.

Where analog is concerned, Monster, Kimber, and Audioquest all make superior cables, and if you (that is, anyone) can’t tell the difference, it is beacuse your system isn’t capable of resolving the differences.

In the digital realm, much less quality is needed, for sure, but crosstalk, amongst other things still can affect the signals, which can cause problems. Anyone who doesn’t understand that should not be discussing the subject. On the other hand, the cable should cost $100, even for Monster. Much of that was due to the rip-off mindset of the powers that be at Radio Shack (how do I know? I managed a few stores for them, a few years ago.). I’m sure that same Monster part number could be had online for much less.

Still, differences do exist.

Check out http://www.monoprice.com They have good quality cables at amazingly low prices. For example their basic 6ft HDMI cable is $4.24. I’ve used them for all kinds of home theater accessories and always been pleased with the value.

Good article, right on.

For the most part you are absolutely spot on, however just to clear the air on digital signal transmission over wired cable:
Cable capacitance and impedance can cause serious issues with the square wave transmission of those 0’s and 1’s. This may or may not be noticeable depending on the length of the cable and the architecture of the transmitting component (cable/satellite box, DVD player, etc) as well as the receiver (HD TV). What this means is a poorer quality cable may not manifest it’s shortcomings on better designed circuitry. One thing to bear in mind is price may not be the determining factor in quality.
Monster has typically been grossly overpriced and the shills at Best Buy help perpetuate this. There are a number of online vendors selling all types of quality digital signal cables for very reasonable prices. Unless
you’re seriously time compromised, I’d suggest ordering on the Web.
Happy Holidays y’all!

I agree with Shawn - another vote for Monoprice.com. I’ve bought a lot of cables from them, and am very happy with both the quality and (especially!) the price.

Also, a tip for those of you buying LCD panels that you’re planning to mount on the wall: Mounts are now a very close second to HDMI cables in terms of insane overpricing: BB and CC stores, for example, sell mounts for anywhere from $100-250! I used a tilting wall mount from Monoprice.com to hang my 42″ Sharp LCD that ran about $25 — and it’s every bit as solid and well-made.

Rob

I agree but only in theory. In practice I found some discrepancies. My best friend bought a cable for $10 and the TV did not see it. He tried another inexpensive cable and still the 46″ Sharp Aquos would not recognize the signal. So he gave in and ordered a Monster cable. Volla ! It worked. I recommend a high quality cable especially if you are going longer than 6 feet. The additional diameter of the signal conductor reduces signal loss & possibly better shielding yields a better or less interfered with signal. Stores love to sell the expensive Monster cables as they yield 40-60 percent profit. They need this to boost the profit percentage of a low profit margin expensive TV. Buy the Monster Cable online & pay a reasonable markup and avoid aggravation.

Dudes/Dudettes: I bought an HDMI Monster Cable on eBay for 6 bucks, plus 5 bucks shipping. Know what? It works, and it works damn fine.
HDTV looks great, but to take the argument a step further, it looked just as great with the component cables.

I do see a difference, however in my Best Buy bought RCA Upconverter DVD player that cost me a grand total of $29.99!! Buck buck bhwat???
Yep, and it looks damn fine, too.

Best Buy HDMI hawkers use the old game of enticing you to pay out $100 for cables simply because you were stupid enough to buy a $5000 HDTV, also from them. Best Buy was good…once upon a time!

There are alternatives. Look around!

yes they are indeed.. as long as you are using it for less than 15 feet run.. inspiretech sell a pretty good quality hdmi cable as well….for $5

http://www.inspiretech.com/c-31-hdmi-cables.aspx

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