CC Monster HDMI Cable $24.95

[ywk820322]

Monster (HDMI300-1M EU) 300 Series HDMI to HDMI Cable 1m. Length - 3.28ft
Reg. $99.95
Instant Saving $75.00
so $24.95 + tax

*Instant Savings offer valid from 2009-01-19 to 2009-01-31. Limit 2 per customer, while supplies last.

[Viper98]

get 2x the length for 1/5 the price at monoprice.com

[tester3000]

Still not worth it... $25 for 3ft. Belkin HDMI cables are $10 for 6ft. And it's not like Belkin is some no-name brand company. If you are some die-hard monster fan, then this is good for you. But for the other 99.9% of the people, it's a cold deal.

[themanfromvlad]

What's cooler than being cool? Ice Cold.

[willy]

http://www.dolnetwork.com/RFD/smilies/frozen.gif

[nufan]

http://www.extracold.co.uk/images/extra-cold-beer.jpg

[dubby]

I don't know why everyone is bashing the OP, he is just trying to help you guys out by posting what he thinks is a good deal, no need to call him names and post stupid pictures of icebergs.

[canadiankorean]

I don't know why everyone is bashing the OP, he is just trying to help you guys out by posting what he thinks is a good deal, no need to call him names and post stupid pictures of icebergs.

Would you say the same if he posted an MDG deal?

[Rx-87]

:arrowu:

:lol:

mdg


needs no further comment :D

[sexyblackbmw]

In support of the OP:

Look at all you mean thrifty people picking on the OP.

OP Posts a deal on an HDMI cables, 75% off retail, and you all say its cold!

Sure price not so attractive when you compare it to a cheap poorly constructed $5 HDMI cable.

But when comparing it to other monster cables (with all their overhyped marketing) this is actually not a bad deal if you're looking to buy a monster HDMI cable! Yes, there are still some people that would prefer to buy well known Brand Name products.

All you "hardcore" AV experts buying high end, expensive Audio/Video equipment, and then you skimp by choosing the $5 chinese made cable? What happened? Ran out of money after buying your expensive AV Equipment? I'll laugh in your faces if you believe you're buying a good quality cables at $5 to connect your Bluray Players, HD Cable boxes. etc.

Everyone gets away with it working because you're dealing with a digital signal, etc. I hope no one is using the same logic here for speaker and anologue cables! I Also hope no one here using the $5 cables are running long lengths 20+ ft. Because you're losing out.

Just to mention the cardinal rule to go by when selecting cables: Your system is only as good as your weakest link!

BTW, I'm not stating monster cable is a high end cable by any means nor am I saying its the best option here. Belkin for $10 would be better if you're trying to save money.

I use much higher quality cables in my systems from a company called Transparent. It's just my personal choice from many years of experience in the AV world. For the differences I hear and see, I don't mind the cost nor am I cheap when it comes to purchasing cables. Lots of people can't see, nor are trained to pick up the differences. Its nice to educate the non believers when they're harsh on people trying to recommend the more expensive cables.

and to qoute an installer friend on this topic:

"I have been integrating AV equipment from a simple projector/ plasma install to complex touch control systems for over 10 years. I cannot tell you how many times I get called by clients who have either installed their own or hired a another company to install AV equipment to correct issues cause by low grade "cheap" cables. Many of you are quick to announce your 42", 47" 50" 60" or larger display but go cheap on the connectivity parts. This is just like purchasing Porsche but consistantly putting low grade fuel with water and wonder why it stalls on the take off."

"And by the way, 1's and 0's can get corrupted or lost just like any other type of signal and just because a picture is present doesn't mean all 2,000,000+ pixels are transmitted correctly."



I mean no ignorance or harm with my post, simply spreading my informed oppinion and trying to support the OP. Look at it this way, you make your choice, while others will choose the more expensive route. Don't get offended, its not your wallet getting lighter. Good Analogy would be, You can enjoy your "cheap" vodka while I enjoy my Grey Goose.

Thanks for listening and sorry for the long rant!

[recordman]

The $5 Chinese made cables from monoprice are not cheap quality. I have a handful of them, as well as other cables from monoprice. Can anyone confirm Monster is not made in China? We are talking about a 3.28 ft cable, so distance is a non-factor. I do have $2-$5 cables connecting a HD box, BD player to a good receiver. The $25+ Monster cables would not make my audio/visual experience any better. There's nothing wrong with people paying big money for these cables. Someone has to get the economy rolling; it might as well be them. :)


In support of the OP:

Sure price not so attractive when you compare it to a cheap poorly constructed $5 HDMI cable.

But when comparing it to other monster cables (with all their overhyped marketing) this is actually not a bad deal if you're looking to buy a monster HDMI cable! Yes, there are still some people that would prefer to buy well known Brand Name products.

All you "hardcore" AV experts buying high end, expensive Audio/Video equipment, and then you skimp by choosing the $5 chinese made cable? What happened? Ran out of money after buying your expensive AV Equipment? I'll laugh in your faces if you believe you're buying a good quality cables at $5 to connect your Bluray Players, HD Cable boxes. etc.

Everyone gets away with it working because you're dealing with a digital signal, etc. I hope no one is using the same logic here for speaker and anologue cables! I Also hope no one here using the $5 cables are running long lengths 20+ ft. Because you're losing out.

[sexyblackbmw]

The $5 Chinese made cables from monoprice are not cheap quality. I have a handful of them, as well as other cables from monoprice. Can anyone confirm Monster is not made in China? We are talking about a 3.28 ft cable, so distance is a non-factor. I do have $2-$5 cables connecting a HD box, BD player to a good receiver. The $25+ Monster cables would not make my audio/visual experience any better. There's nothing wrong with people paying big money for these cables. Someone has to get the economy rolling; it might as well be them. :)

Sorry I should of specified I was concentrating on the $5 cables anyone can buy at local bargain stores, like walmart, tscc, etc.

I did some more research on Monoprice cables, and they don't look half bad! Everything good is OUT OF STOCK though! sucks, and they're in the U.S., means I have to wait longer for shipping (and pay for it), and possibily pay duties... What was your experience like with shipping to your home?

I want to order some various cables to do some testing at home, see if they stack up to what I hear. I'll report back! This is the only way to compare cables.

edit: Ahhhh, $4.11 shipping for a $6 cable, and they use UPS.... bummer. I better order a lot to make it well worth it

I've always been fortunate to be able to buy high end cables at cost (Transparent, Kimber, Ultralink, Audioquest) and I've clearly stayed away from Monster cable even though I was able to get most of their top end stuff, for $20-50. I don't think its right to what they're doing to consumers, but hey, they're a business and their marketing schemes are ingenious. Its not only them. Most stores make $25 on a $200 DVD Player. And they make at least $100-150 on a $200 Cable. Why else would people think they push expensive cables so much? Just another business trying for huge profit margins!

[MikeMontrealer]

I use much higher quality cables in my systems from a company called Transparent.

Then you're willingly throwing money away.

There's crap cables, there's good quality cables, and then there's high-end overpriced cables that make no difference in any independent double-blind test ever conducted (I actually ask you to find one!)

Sometimes I feel like selling Ultra High-Purity Transparent Aural Elite Platinum series cables for $500 a pop. I'm pretty sure I could source the same factory in Taiwan that makes other high-end cables and I'll probably make a fortune screwing over audiophiles the world over.

[midget_man]

FYI - These were $19 at Canada Computers last week.

[sexyblackbmw]

Then you're willingly throwing money away.

There's crap cables, there's good quality cables, and then there's high-end overpriced cables that make no difference in any independent double-blind test ever conducted (I actually ask you to find one!)

Sometimes I feel like selling Ultra High-Purity Transparent Aural Elite Platinum series cables for $500 a pop. I'm pretty sure I could source the same factory in Taiwan that makes other high-end cables and I'll probably make a fortune screwing over audiophiles the world over.

This post is an epic fail. I won't even begin with you! :lol:

besides, its not your wallet or money I'm spending, Its my own; and who's saying I spend $500 a pop/cable? I never mentioned anywhere how much I spent on cables. You'd be appauled!

If I remember correctly, Transparent has never manufactered a cable by the name of "Ultra High-Purity Transparent Aural Elite Platinum series cables", Nor currently has anything by the name of this. I don't know what junk you claim to be selling but its not this companies cables. Must be the Taiwanese knock-off! Another fail on your part.

One thing you got right was the amount of money you can make running a successful audiophile cable company, but clearly failed when you proved you don't know the differences between anolog and digital signals, and how you never could actually distinguish differences between Transparent $500 cables and generic $5 cables. You're Clearly not an audiophile.

Please I don't want to hear anymore of this garbage of comparing $5 audio cables to $500 audiophile cables. It just shows whomever starts this argument is clearly misinformed on this topic.

We're talking digital HDMI cables here. And yes I did see this HDMI for $19 last week as well! They didn't sell any so they raised the price $5? I don't understand CC's logic.

[recordman]

Shipping is a bit expensive for the bulkier cables, but still reasonable. Anyway, if I have to drive to a B&M store, it takes time and gas. I think they ship by US PS, and there's no duties that I was charged for (I never order more than $20 at a time). I had to wait 1-2 weeks for my orders, which is fine with me because I never need any cables immediately. You can have them email you when your item of interest comes back in stock. Some times return to stock in 1-2 weeks. For the price they charge, one can afford to order a spare cable or two to kick around just in case family/friend needs one urgently.


I did some more research on Monoprice cables, and they don't look half bad! Everything good is OUT OF STOCK though! sucks, and they're in the U.S., means I have to wait longer for shipping (and pay for it), and possibily pay duties... What was your experience like with shipping to your home?

I want to order some various cables to do some testing at home, see if they stack up to what I hear. I'll report back! This is the only way to compare cables.

edit: Ahhhh, $4.11 shipping for a $6 cable, and they use UPS.... bummer. I better order a lot to make it well worth it

[PlayerOne]

For home systems, the quality of cable matters very little. Monoprice cables are more than adequate for home systems.

A fun little read:
http://consumerist.com/362926/do-coat-hangers-sound-as-good-monster-cables

For those that are too lazy, I snipped out a shorter version:

...ran an experiment on [me] and four other audio aficionados *snip* each time heard with the speaker hooked up to Monster Cables, and the other time, hooked up to coat hanger wire. Nobody could determine which was the Monster Cable and which was the coat hanger. The kicker? None of the subjects even knew that coat hangers were going to be used. *snip* This is for a short run of cable. If you're going over 50 ft, then you may benefit from better shielding, but for most home people's home theaters, this is not the case. Remember folks, just because something performs better spec-wise doesn't mean it actually sounds better. *snip* Of course, a coat hanger doesn't have a Monster Cable lifetime warranty, so if your coat hanger breaks, you'll have to go out and buy another coat hanger

For those that are wondering, the author and his friends are (or at least claim to be) people that's been in the AV industry for 20+ years

[MikeMontrealer]

This post is an epic fail. I won't even begin with you! :lol:

besides, its not your wallet or money I'm spending, Its my own; and who's saying I spend $500 a pop/cable? I never mentioned anywhere how much I spent on cables. You'd be appauled!

I never said you spent $500 on each cable. I just made up a number.



If I remember correctly, Transparent has never manufactered a cable by the name of "Ultra High-Purity Transparent Aural Elite Platinum series cables", Nor currently has anything by the name of this. I don't know what junk you claim to be selling but its not this companies cables. Must be the Taiwanese knock-off! Another fail on your part.

I made up the name as well. Apparently it's semi-realistic enough for my grand scheme to work.



One thing you got right was the amount of money you can make running a successful audiophile cable company, but clearly failed when you proved you don't know the differences between anolog and digital signals, and how you never could actually distinguish differences between Transparent $500 cables and generic $5 cables. You're Clearly not an audiophile.

http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/top-ten-signs-an-audio-cable-vendor-is-selling-you-snake-oil

http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/debunking-the-myth-of-speaker-cable-resonance

http://www.dansdata.com/danletters106b.htm Section "Audiophilia, continued, again"
http://www.dansdata.com/danletters117.htm Section "It continues"
http://www.dansdata.com/danletters118.htm Sections "Audio insanity 1,2,3"

http://www.ilikejam.org/blog/audio/audiophile.html

http://www.vxm.com/21R.64.html

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/06/snake-oil-alert.html -> a $500 ethernet cable. For audio enthusiasts.

http://www.verber.com/mark/ce/cables.html A posting from 1996 with a good discussion



Please I don't want to hear anymore of this garbage of comparing $5 audio cables to $500 audiophile cables. It just shows whomever starts this argument is clearly misinformed on this topic.

Hey, now you're talking about $500 cables!

Like I said, there are certainly crap cables that exist at the lower end of the price range. My only point is that quality cables that perform the same as ones 10-100 times more expensive are readily available. In any case, I don't feel like having this argument; I just find someone on the other side of it using RFD ironic.

[sexyblackbmw]

For home systems, the quality of cable matters very little. Monoprice cables are more than adequate for home systems.

A fun little read:
http://consumerist.com/362926/do-coat-hangers-sound-as-good-monster-cables

For those that are too lazy, I snipped out a shorter version:


For those that are wondering, the author and his friends are (or at least claim to be) people that's been in the AV industry for 20+ years

My home systems and your home systems are a lot different I guess.

I WOULD NEVER hook up my $12,000 Loudspeakers, and my $20,000 worth of pre/power amps with $200 Monster Cables, let alone a bloody coat hanger like this moron! What a stupid comparison. I call it BS. And I'm sorry $5 Monoprice.com cables won't cut it for my 2 channel system, I've already done similar tests with chinese made cables and the results are horrifying. Maybe they'll be alright for the home theatre setups in my home. I'm going to buy and try them to give a fair comparison before I say anything bad about them.

Remember your systems are only as good as their weakest link.


I've noticed people have a lot of learning to do about sound and audio cables here. Maybe I can help.

Offtopic since we're talking about Digital Video cables here, but good read nontheless.

Start with this great article from Stereophile on Tara labs cables. Even the reviewer was skeptical at first and told the company rep not to bother bringing his cables by. After he gave some new cables a chance, he was shocked by the differences he heard.

here is the link http://stereophile.com/cables/1206tara/index.html

and for people who don't want to read it all, a quick summary


I listened to it through Harmonic Technology's top-of-the-line Magic Link One interconnect, and the sound of that disc was as astonishing as it's always been. Then Bryan replaced the Magic Link One with whatever TARA Labs interconnect he'd brought, which included a mysterious black box that he placed behind the Steelhead. I gritted my teeth and opened my skeptical ears.

What I then heard from that familiar recording I will never forget. That one stupid interconnect had completely transformed not only the sound of that recording, but my expectations of how close the playback of recorded music could come to live music. I understand that all of the cable in the chain, from the recording gear in Kingsway Hall to Bernie Grundman's mastering room, was not this new interconnect. I understand any skepticism about how one piece of wire could so dramatically alter the sound of an audio system. But it did.

Conclusion
Don't hate the messenger. A length of TARA Labs The Zero arrived in my listening room unannounced and unheralded, and I had no idea what it cost. But when it was inserted in my system, I knew immediately what it was doing to the sound. And when the entire system was wired with Zeros, it sounded even better.

Is the Zero's astonishing performance the result of its low-pressure dielectric? The lack of insulation or dielectric material around the conductor? The in-phase propagation of frequencies only a bat can detect? The parallel construction, which yields ultrawide bandwidth and ultralow capacitance? The floating-shield/star-ground arrangement, which avoids terminating RFI/EMI contamination into the RCA plug's ground and thus directly into the associated equipment? All of that? Some of that? Other reasons yet unknown?

I don't know. All I know is that everyone familiar with my system who's come down here for a listen during the many months the Zeros have been here has easily been able to hear their purifying effect on the music. My wife, though a good listener, hardly qualifies as an audiophile, and she nailed it in a minute.

[sexyblackbmw]

I never said you spent $500 on each cable. I just made up a number.



I made up the name as well. Apparently it's semi-realistic enough for my grand scheme to work.



http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/top-ten-signs-an-audio-cable-vendor-is-selling-you-snake-oil

http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/debunking-the-myth-of-speaker-cable-resonance

http://www.dansdata.com/danletters106b.htm Section "Audiophilia, continued, again"
http://www.dansdata.com/danletters117.htm Section "It continues"
http://www.dansdata.com/danletters118.htm Sections "Audio insanity 1,2,3"

http://www.ilikejam.org/blog/audio/audiophile.html

http://www.vxm.com/21R.64.html

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/06/snake-oil-alert.html -> a $500 ethernet cable. For audio enthusiasts.

http://www.verber.com/mark/ce/cables.html A posting from 1996 with a good discussion



Hey, now you're talking about $500 cables!

Like I said, there are certainly crap cables that exist at the lower end of the price range. My only point is that quality cables that perform the same as ones 10-100 times more expensive are readily available. In any case, I don't feel like having this argument; I just find someone on the other side of it using RFD ironic.

Interesting articles! Thanks. I believe a lot of the writers were and probably still are skeptics to the audiophile world, especially towards expensive cables. You can't give a fair comparison to people who don't have an open mind to hear any differences. A lot of them don't have the trained ears either to distinguish the subtle differences. This goes for a lot of people especially basing their research soley on internet forums and what others are telling them rather than buying the products and doing the comparisons for yourself.

Hearing and sound is subjective, and everyone will always have their different perspective on this topic.

I personally speak from thousands and thousands of hours of listening time to various home audiophile setups that I've owned over the past 20+ years, and the equipment I've sold and tested at the AV stores I worked part time through University many years ago.

And hey, everyone loves a great deal! Thats why I enjoy RFD. Great group of people as well! When it comes to my passion of Audio/Video, prices are no object for better performance and realism of experience.

[MikeMontrealer]

Agree to disagree, then. At least you're polite about it and haven't called me a flaming heretic.

[PCDawg]

The $5 Chinese made cables from monoprice are not cheap quality. I have a handful of them, as well as other cables from monoprice. Can anyone confirm Monster is not made in China? We are talking about a 3.28 ft cable, so distance is a non-factor. I do have $2-$5 cables connecting a HD box, BD player to a good receiver. The $25+ Monster cables would not make my audio/visual experience any better. There's nothing wrong with people paying big money for these cables. Someone has to get the economy rolling; it might as well be them. :)

Pretty much most HDMI cables are made from China. I actually have a couple HDMI from monoprice that has broke on me(the connector ends somehow came off, and once they are broken, you can not re-align the pins and put it back together.) I actually had two that broke and they were not from the same purchase order. Though I didnt fret as they were cheap. I still buy cheap HDMi cables as my max length is 6ft.

Whats so funny is while i was in Hong kong this past winter, my uncle had a PS3 which he brought from a major retailer and they pushed an expensive HDMI cable for him, and where was this cable made in??? MADE IN CANADA LOL unfortunately it didnt have a company name on it.

[kleptodathief]

r these the BLUE colord monster version? i got suckered into buying these on boxing day! sure it looks good and is slim and fits snugly but picture/audio wise, its no different vs monoprice ugly orange ones! i paid like 36 bux shipped too! :mad:

[XxXSnake23XxX]

yay monster!:confused::confused:

[bylo]

[B]Sorry I should of specified I was concentrating on the $5 cables anyone can buy at local bargain stores, like walmart, tscc, etc.The signal is digital, i.e. a bit is either 1 or 0. Even a wet noodle can transmit that. I've used both Monoprice and "local bargain store" HDMI cables with no discernable difference. There can't be any because, again, it's either 1 or 0.


I did some more research on Monoprice cables, and they don't look half bad! Everything good is OUT OF STOCK though! sucks, and they're in the U.S., means I have to wait longer for shipping (and pay for it), and possibily pay duties... What was your experience like with shipping to your home?You didn't look very hard, e.g. their flagship 6' HDMIcable (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024008&p_id=3992&seq=1&format=2). As for shipping, they usually ship same day and it gets here in a week. Yes they charge for shipping but even so the total cost is ~$10. There are no taxes (GST/PST), duties or brokerage fees as long as the value of the shipment is under CA$20. My experience with several orders from Monoprice has been very favourable. If only all online merchants were as good as they are.


I want to order some various cables to do some testing at home, see if they stack up to what I hear. I'll report back! This is the only way to compare cables.Don't waste your time. Remember, a bit can be either 1 or 0. There is nothing variable or qualitative about it to compare. This is one of the rare situations where things really are either black or white. There are no shades of grey as with analog.


edit: Ahhhh, $4.11 shipping for a $6 cable, and they use UPS.... bummer. I better order a lot to make it well worth itWrong! They ship by USPS -- United States Postal Service -- not UPS -- Unmitigated Pond Scum. The main difference is that they don't charge outrageous brokerage fees. As I said, keep the order under $20 and there are no additional fees, duties or taxes. That GST/PST savings offsets a lot of the shipping costs compared to buying in Canada.


I've always been fortunate to be able to buy high end cablesHave I got a deal for you: Denon 1.5m Ethernet Patch Cable -- "only" US$499 (http://www.usa.denon.com/productdetails/3429.asp) :D

[mightydrake]

@sexyblackbmw : OMG, you are sooo off topic. The post is about HDMI cable and your talking about your 1000$ overpriced analog cable. Everyone knows that there's a difference from a cheap analog cable to a good one, but you gotta admit that 500$ a cable is overpriced even if they are good. But remember that here we're talking about HDMI, digital signal. Do your homework, because a 5$ HDMI == 300$ piece of crap from Monster Cable. There's no need to test anything. Let me help you (http://letmegooglethatforyou.com/?q=hdmi+cable+testing+results&l=1)

[captn]

This post is an epic fail. I won't even begin with you! :lol:

besides, its not your wallet or money I'm spending, Its my own; and who's saying I spend $500 a pop/cable? I never mentioned anywhere how much I spent on cables. You'd be appauled!

If I remember correctly, Transparent has never manufactered a cable by the name of "Ultra High-Purity Transparent Aural Elite Platinum series cables", Nor currently has anything by the name of this. I don't know what junk you claim to be selling but its not this companies cables. Must be the Taiwanese knock-off! Another fail on your part.

One thing you got right was the amount of money you can make running a successful audiophile cable company, but clearly failed when you proved you don't know the differences between anolog and digital signals, and how you never could actually distinguish differences between Transparent $500 cables and generic $5 cables. You're Clearly not an audiophile.

Please I don't want to hear anymore of this garbage of comparing $5 audio cables to $500 audiophile cables. It just shows whomever starts this argument is clearly misinformed on this topic.

We're talking digital HDMI cables here. And yes I did see this HDMI for $19 last week as well! They didn't sell any so they raised the price $5? I don't understand CC's logic.

How funny is it that you try and use "Epic Fail" (a term originally coming from a bad Japanse to English translation) when you have trouble understanding some plain English.

It's obvious "Ultra High-Purity Transparent Aural Elite Platinum series cables" was a funny example of how people buy overpriced cables based on silly names.

By the way, Digital sound is not subjective. It doesn't improve with better cables. Like someone said, 1 or 0.

[tester3000]

Wow,, this thread has turned into a flame war. IBTL!

[smacd]

Of course, it started with Monster!:D

[prof_frink]

In support of the OP:

Look at all you mean thrifty people picking on the OP.

OP Posts a deal on an HDMI cables, 75% off retail, and you all say its cold!

Sure price not so attractive when you compare it to a cheap poorly constructed $5 HDMI cable.

But when comparing it to other monster cables (with all their overhyped marketing) this is actually not a bad deal if you're looking to buy a monster HDMI cable! Yes, there are still some people that would prefer to buy well known Brand Name products.

All you "hardcore" AV experts buying high end, expensive Audio/Video equipment, and then you skimp by choosing the $5 chinese made cable? What happened? Ran out of money after buying your expensive AV Equipment? I'll laugh in your faces if you believe you're buying a good quality cables at $5 to connect your Bluray Players, HD Cable boxes. etc.

Everyone gets away with it working because you're dealing with a digital signal, etc. I hope no one is using the same logic here for speaker and anologue cables! I Also hope no one here using the $5 cables are running long lengths 20+ ft. Because you're losing out.

Just to mention the cardinal rule to go by when selecting cables: Your system is only as good as your weakest link!

BTW, I'm not stating monster cable is a high end cable by any means nor am I saying its the best option here. Belkin for $10 would be better if you're trying to save money.

I use much higher quality cables in my systems from a company called Transparent. It's just my personal choice from many years of experience in the AV world. For the differences I hear and see, I don't mind the cost nor am I cheap when it comes to purchasing cables. Lots of people can't see, nor are trained to pick up the differences. Its nice to educate the non believers when they're harsh on people trying to recommend the more expensive cables.

and to qoute an installer friend on this topic:

"I have been integrating AV equipment from a simple projector/ plasma install to complex touch control systems for over 10 years. I cannot tell you how many times I get called by clients who have either installed their own or hired a another company to install AV equipment to correct issues cause by low grade "cheap" cables. Many of you are quick to announce your 42", 47" 50" 60" or larger display but go cheap on the connectivity parts. This is just like purchasing Porsche but consistantly putting low grade fuel with water and wonder why it stalls on the take off."

"And by the way, 1's and 0's can get corrupted or lost just like any other type of signal and just because a picture is present doesn't mean all 2,000,000+ pixels are transmitted correctly."



I mean no ignorance or harm with my post, simply spreading my informed oppinion and trying to support the OP. Look at it this way, you make your choice, while others will choose the more expensive route. Don't get offended, its not your wallet getting lighter. Good Analogy would be, You can enjoy your "cheap" vodka while I enjoy my Grey Goose.

Thanks for listening and sorry for the long rant!

BS.

http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2008/02/20/packing_the_deal/

[supe]

I'm a senior software engineer and will vouch for cheap hdmi cables!

HDMI transmits digital signals, meaning the cable either works, or it doesnt. Unlike dinosaur analog cables, where the build of the cable actually matters, HDMI cables IMO are superior in everyway. HDMI transfers full 7.1 audio and 1080p video IN ONE CABLE.

Monster HDMI cables = fail

[Kyle_87]

Speaking of HDMI cables, does any1 know where i can get 1.3a/b/c long HDMI cables?

I am looking for 35ft and 40ft...Monoprice doesnt carry any of those sizes at 1.3 spec

Hmm nvm found http://www.bluejeanscable.com

[Astin]

Good Analogy would be, You can enjoy your "cheap" vodka while I enjoy my Grey Goose.

Off-topic for sure, but it's a pretty apt analogy, if unintentionally so. Grey Goose is my mixing vodka because it is so tremendously overrated, but people keep bringing me bottles of it as a gift. Works well with mix, or in a "martini" with other booze, but straight up? Meh.

Buy a bottle of Ketel One for less and enjoy something that's actually worth it.

Back on topic - umm... yah, Monster is blahblahblahblah... can't we talk about Bose now? :)

[supe]

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=tDw2ZSDzlMw

Nail in the coffin.

[blakjak]

You can have all the proof in the world that there's no difference between the highly overpriced Monster cables (or similar) and cables from Monoprice, for example, but it's still a waste of time. The people that spend $500 on a cable for digital signals will always argue about it as they need to justify wasting this kind of money on "superior" brand name cables. Unfortunately, they are really only trying to justify it to themselves and don't want to feel like they've fallen prey to the big marketing machine, which they have.

Think of it as a life lesson and don't get suckered again. But at the same time, don't bother trying to sucker others into making the same mistake you did. Most people here at RFD do their homework and they know better.

[cf18]

My home systems and your home systems are a lot different I guess.

I WOULD NEVER hook up my $12,000 Loudspeakers, and my $20,000 worth of pre/power amps with $200 Monster Cables, let alone a bloody coat hanger like this moron!

Then what are doing in a crowd that would price match over a pack of $5 DVD-R?

I think you are one of those FS/BB sale shilling for Monster because of the big comission. Just forget it, we already see other places selling Monster cables for what they are really worth (http://www.shopxscargo.com/product_catalogue/cat_product_details.asp?category_id=6&product_code=23950&sub_category_1_id=9&category=Accessories).

[slimysnot]

stop bashing the OP! you could have chosen to inform him/her that you can get the same quality cable but cheaper from a different with appropriate links. but some of you chose to just flame randomly on these boards!

yes, most rfd-ers don't buy monster cables. it doesn't mean we should fill the thread with garbage comments (like this one; talking about how garbage our comments were).

[sparrow_69]

The way I see it, there is no real point in arguing with ppl like sexyblack. Whether or not the high-end cables make a difference, they will try to justify the extra expense. The way I see it, I know better than to drop 100$ on a cable, so I save myself some $ If others want to spend that kind of coin, so be it.

I do try to steer friends in the right direction though. One of my sister's friends purchased a new home theater. He's the type of person that constantly shows off his stuff, to the point of annoying the hell out of people. He purchased a few 100$ monster cables at a "discount", extended warranty and FS installation... I just quietly chuckled at his ignoreance. In the end, he spent 500$ on a crap home theater and he's got a sharp d64 with banding. He likes to show off his "killer" home theater, but I know better :)

But his monster hdmi cables are 1080P certified LOL

[cccccory]

In support of the OP:

Look at all you mean thrifty people picking on the OP.

OP Posts a deal on an HDMI cables, 75% off retail, and you all say its cold!

Sure price not so attractive when you compare it to a cheap poorly constructed $5 HDMI cable.

But when comparing it to other monster cables (with all their overhyped marketing) this is actually not a bad deal if you're looking to buy a monster HDMI cable! Yes, there are still some people that would prefer to buy well known Brand Name products.

All you "hardcore" AV experts buying high end, expensive Audio/Video equipment, and then you skimp by choosing the $5 chinese made cable? What happened? Ran out of money after buying your expensive AV Equipment? I'll laugh in your faces if you believe you're buying a good quality cables at $5 to connect your Bluray Players, HD Cable boxes. etc.

Everyone gets away with it working because you're dealing with a digital signal, etc. I hope no one is using the same logic here for speaker and anologue cables! I Also hope no one here using the $5 cables are running long lengths 20+ ft. Because you're losing out.

Just to mention the cardinal rule to go by when selecting cables: Your system is only as good as your weakest link!

BTW, I'm not stating monster cable is a high end cable by any means nor am I saying its the best option here. Belkin for $10 would be better if you're trying to save money.

I use much higher quality cables in my systems from a company called Transparent. It's just my personal choice from many years of experience in the AV world. For the differences I hear and see, I don't mind the cost nor am I cheap when it comes to purchasing cables. Lots of people can't see, nor are trained to pick up the differences. Its nice to educate the non believers when they're harsh on people trying to recommend the more expensive cables.

and to qoute an installer friend on this topic:

"I have been integrating AV equipment from a simple projector/ plasma install to complex touch control systems for over 10 years. I cannot tell you how many times I get called by clients who have either installed their own or hired a another company to install AV equipment to correct issues cause by low grade "cheap" cables. Many of you are quick to announce your 42", 47" 50" 60" or larger display but go cheap on the connectivity parts. This is just like purchasing Porsche but consistantly putting low grade fuel with water and wonder why it stalls on the take off."

"And by the way, 1's and 0's can get corrupted or lost just like any other type of signal and just because a picture is present doesn't mean all 2,000,000+ pixels are transmitted correctly."



I mean no ignorance or harm with my post, simply spreading my informed oppinion and trying to support the OP. Look at it this way, you make your choice, while others will choose the more expensive route. Don't get offended, its not your wallet getting lighter. Good Analogy would be, You can enjoy your "cheap" vodka while I enjoy my Grey Goose.

Thanks for listening and sorry for the long rant!



Uggh, you again? Here we go.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=tDw2ZSDzlMw

But I guess we should take your word over one of the top production engineers at CBC because you listened to a lot of music and you worked part time in an electronics store a few years ago.

[sexyblackbmw]

Uggh, you again? Here we go.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=tDw2ZSDzlMw

But I guess we should take your word over one of the top production engineers at CBC because you listened to a lot of music and you worked part time in an electronics store a few years ago.


Hey! nice to see you again.

You guys misunderstood me. I never supported Monster cables in any form.

But a few of you have the wrong picture of digital signals and digital cables.

Why does every Digital audio/video source and device HAVE ERROR CORRECTION? Think about it for a minute and ask yourself, well if digital signal is perfect, and there's no room for loss, only 0's and 1's, then why would my DVD player/digital device, etc have ERROR CORRECTION to fufill missing information? Hmmm its not rocket science people.

Here are your experts + educated buddies from Highdefforrums and AVS forums also confirming not to buy the Monster $100 BUT be weary of the $1-5 HDMI cables as well, to prove my point and experience; and I`m not spreading false information that the quality of a digital cable does still matter, and digital signals do part-take in some interference, and even loss.

http://www.highdefforum.com/high-definition-news-informative-articles/60498-how-hdmi-cable-scam-works-3.html

http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/archive/index.php/t-758680.html

Some qoutes for those whom don`t feel like reading through or believe in my experience;


I second what MauneyM said. But, there is usually much more room for the signal being unclean in the digital realm than in the analog realm so while "quality" does matter to some extent - it matters much less than in the analog realm. I'm not an expert in the latest HD video technologies or in analog signal loss, but I do know something about digital data.

In the digital realm you only have to worry about whether or not the signal is clean enough for the (cheap) electronics to correctly discern the 1's from the 0's. There can be noise, but as long as it isn't great enough to confuse the bits then everything is fine (though over time cable kinks may increase the noise and better quality cables will survive kinking better than low quality cables). On the other hand, there is a lot of data going back and forth so what may be unnoticeable noise on an analog signal may be enough to blur out a few bits here and there.

Once the noise gets to the point where the (cheap) electronics cannot figure out the 1's and 0's it comes down to a game of percentages. For errors that occur very infrequently then there may be checksums and other error recovery data in the stream that help it detect and repair the missing data. For errors that occur a little more frequently it may be impossible to reliably replace all of the missing data and so the receiving end has to guess what should have been there with varying degrees of success (they may leave the data from a previous frame, turn it all black so as to not stand out so much, or try to create a smooth waveform from the neighboring data). I'm pretty sure that digital audio devices have some fairly decent forms of error correction built in because the effects of missing data are so grating, but I'm not familiar with HDMI video devices - does anybody know how sophisticated they get with error detection and recovery?

The advantage of digital is that the receiving end can very reliably "know" when data was missing because the checksums don't add up whereas in the analog realm it is impossible to know whether that static that came through was a signal loss or whether the material being presented really had some static in it. So, digital transmissions can work around missing data whereas analog transmissions simply have to present it and hope that was what was intended.

Some electronics (like the Motorola cable boxes for example) have a service screen that gives you statistics on the number of packets with correctable and non-correctable errors. This lets you determine if you need to replace or upgrade some of your coaxial cables or not. If you have non-correctable packets then definitely fix the problem - if they are all correctable or if you don't have any then it is up to your comfort level.

It would be nice if the TV had such a status screen - then choosing an HDMI cable would be a simple matter of buying something cheap, hooking it up, and letting the TV tell you if it is getting errors or not - no errors means you are done (modulo whether or not the cable is so cheap that it will degrade over time/handling). As it is, we have to look with our eyes and guess whether or not error correction is going on... :-(


and




Originally Posted by eHDMI
But with an HDMI cable, you aren't sending any oscillating analog waves, nor any power. What you are sending is a low-power digital signal.

What do you think a digital signal is??? (Hint: Oscillating analog wave.) As any digital engineer can tell you, the actual waveform looks more like a "dirty" sine wave than a square wave.

And the quality of the cable affects how clean the sine wave. A poor-quality cable will result in distorted signals that CAN lead to loss of digital information (because the TV doesn't know if the 1.0 volt signal it's seeing is supposed to be a 0 or a 1 - it's become too corrupted).

Quote:
What this means to you is that there really is no such thing as a "better" HDMI cable. Either an HDMI cable works or it does not.

********. Again, any digital engineer can tell you there's a difference in wires, and a poor wire can disrupt a signal & make it unreadable, while a high-quality, high-bandwidth cable will keep the digital signal clean. Perhaps the original author ought to stop opining on things he clearly does not understand.

Not that I think $100 cables should be purchased.
But neither would a P-O-S $1 cable work properly...
you might get a picture, but it would be filled with numerous bit-errors.
Nobody wants that.


I've run plenty of digital signals over cables in my life. We even had to design and build our own ultrafast buffer boards for cables on high-end In-Circuit-Emulators because they wouldn't run reliably at speed due to the cables. I am so glad they developed and implemented the JTAG specification so we no longer have to spend a fortune on ICE's that don't work.

Overshoot
Undershoot
Crosstalk
Ringing
Capacitance
Inductance
Resistance
EMI

They all corrupt digital signals over a cable. Yes, a digital signal is more robust than an analog signal--it takes a lot more to corrupt it and at low frequencies is nearly incorruptible.

But we are not talking about low frequencies--the last time I checked the maximum frequency for HDMI is equivalent to 1.65 GHz (and around 750 MHz for typical HDTV). At these frequencies you are very much talking about an analog signal (albeit conveying digital information).

HDMI has been designed to operate properly under typical conditions--The connectors and cables are specially designed to minimize deleterious effects, signals are transmitted in such a way that any transmission problems are cancelled as much as possible and the data itself has redundancy and error correction.

That doesn't mean a poorly designed or constructed cable that doesn't follow all the rules layed out by the HDMI organization will work properly.

Here is a good source for theses so called engineers, and spec sheet people who say this is all wrong and BS. Warning; don`t bother reading if you don`t have an electrical engineering degree: http://www.hdmi.org/download/HDMISpecification13a.pdf


Thanks for stating the obvious with that ridiculous CBC article, and investigation.

Oh and Monster cables answer to that SILLY CBC investigation, and basic signal test! I agree, they are big morons buying their cables from Bestbuy and Futureshop, and its best to shop elsewhere. Any educated AV enthusiast already knows this FACT. :lol:

This should spark some flames in here :lol:

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=XIw6lrghOt0

[SpicYMchaggis]

If your spending 30000$+ on speakers I guess it makes sense that you would spend 500$ on cables

When your TV & home theatre is only worth around 5000$ I cant justify spending the extra on these monster cables (have you seen the markups on these they are still posting a profit on 24.95)..

4$ Monoprice HDMI cables work fantastic for me and since I put my Xbox360, PS3, Sat, to my reciever and then my reciever to my TV thats 4 HDMI cables and Im not going to spend 500$ + on cables for an IMO unnoticable difference (I honestly think any noticable difference on my level is more physcological than physical)

I think spending that extra 500$ on the TV at the point of purchase will give you a way better picture

[MikeAK]

Print "MONSTER" on these so called "cheap" HDMI cables from monoprice and all the "highend cable" supporters would never know the difference.

[LowTec]

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/audiophiles-cant-tell-the-difference-between-monster-cable-and/


We gathered up a 5 of our audio buddies. We took my "old" Martin Logan SL-3 (not a bad speaker for accurate noise making) and hooked them up with Monster 1000 speaker cables (decent cables according to the audio press). We also rigged up 14 gauge, oxygen free Belden stranded copper wire with a simple PVC jacket. Both were 2 meters long. They were connected to an ABX switch box allowing blind fold testing. Volume levels were set at 75 Db at 1000K Hz. A high quality recording of smooth, trio, easy listening jazz was played (Piano, drums, bass). None of us had heard this group or CD before, therefore eliminating biases. The music was played. Of the 5 blind folded, only 2 guessed correctly which was the monster cable. (I was not one of them). This was done 7 times in a row! Keeping us blind folded, my brother switched out the Belden wire (are you ready for this) with simple coat hanger wire! Unknown to me and our 12 audiophile buddies, prior to the ABX blind test, he took apart four coat hangers, reconnectd them and twisted them into a pair of speaker cables. Connections were soldered. He stashed them in a closet within the testing room so we were not privy to what he was up to. This made for a pair of 2 meter cables, the exact length of the other wires. The test was conducted. After 5 tests, none could determine which was the Monster 1000 cable or the coat hanger wire. Further, when music was played through the coat hanger wire, we were asked if what we heard sounded good to us. All agreed that what was heard sounded excellent, however, when A-B tests occured, it was impossible to determine which sounded best the majority of the time and which wire was in use. Needless to say, after the blind folds came off and we saw what my brother did, we learned he was right...most of what manufactures have to say about their products is pure hype. It seems the more they charge, the more hyped it is.

[gheart008]

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/audiophiles-cant-tell-the-difference-between-monster-cable-and/

You're a tad late there buddy...

[captn]

Here is a good source for theses so called engineers, and spec sheet people who say this is all wrong and BS. Warning; don`t bother reading if you don`t have an electrical engineering degree: http://www.hdmi.org/download/HDMISpecification13a.pdf


Maybe you shouln't be tellling people what to read considering your comprehension problems. "Super monster ultra special cables"

It doesn't take an engineer to spot digital problems. Digital sound and video doesn't get "fuzzier". Yeah, all us people using cheap cables don't notice the quality like you do? We miss out when the sound blanks out or the screen becomes pixelated? Don't be silly. Stop trying to justify your wasted purchase on overpriced cables.

[sexyblackbmw]

Print "MONSTER" on these so called "cheap" HDMI cables from monoprice and all the "highend cable" supporters would never know the difference.

Never in any of my posts did I say 99% of people would see any differences between HDMI cables. The argument here was a digital signal still suffers from interference, and loss! Never did I say anyone would see the loss.


Maybe you shouln't be tellling people what to read considering your comprehension problems. "Super monster ultra special cables"

It doesn't take an engineer to spot digital problems. Digital sound and video doesn't get "fuzzier". Yeah, all us people using cheap cables don't notice the quality like you do? We miss out when the sound blanks out or the screen becomes pixelated? Don't be silly. Stop trying to justify your wasted purchase on overpriced cables.

Let me guess, you must be a Monoprice.com cable fan?

What are you talking about? Clearly I'm not the one who has reading comprehension problems here. Like I said above,

Never in any of my posts did I say 99% of people would see any differences between HDMI cables. The argument here was a digital signal still suffers from interference, and loss! Never did I say anyone would see the loss.

The technical specs article posted from hdmi.org was to back up the qoutes posted about Digital signal loss. Obviously you have no electrical engineering background to understand how this occurs. I warned the newbies not to bother reading it. Not sure why you continued to make yourself look ridiculous on challenging my post :P

I have no problem spending money on cables from manufacters like Transparent, Kimber, Audioquest, and Ultralink. At the cost prices I get them at, I'm not spending much more than you are with your Monoprice cables, for the $500+ cables (retail price not what I paid). And after spending thousands and thousands of dollars on audio video equipment I have no problem spending for the better cables. USE LOGIC. Am I really going to connect $50,000+ of audio/video equipment with the $5 cables? Hell no. Why would I sell myself short? But don't look at me, I'm not your typical 99% of Audio/video enthusiast sheep who brag about owning expensive TV and nice dvd player, reciever and speakers then buy and connect it with the $5 wire telling myself "ahh there's no difference, the cheaper cables are just the same".

Sure thats fine with the average joe's Sony TV (or insert common brand here), Sony (or insert common brand here) reciever, and Sony (or insert common brand here) speakers. He/She won't see or hear any differences with this equipment. But when you own higher end equipment, its another story. Every link in a high end system matters. I hope you can understand and appreciate that.

And so you can continue to buy your "cheap" cables and tell yourself they're just fine and I'll continue to enjoy my choices.

Great debate, Thanks for the fun

[brucedlx]

OK then mr. audio/video expert, if I hooked up 20 of the exact same tv's to 20 of the exact same blu-ray players, used 19 monoprice cables and 1 monster cable, would YOU, who claim to be a part of that special 1% of gurus, be able to tell me which one was the monster cable?

Of course you would not.

Yes, maybe that super-expensive machine that tests at a bandwidth HIGHER than any blu-ray player is capable of outputting, you would be able to detect small differences.

Congratulations, those monster cables can show a couple of lines and numbers on a high-tech machine, but as far as watching blu-ray movies it's the SAME.

If not for "true video experts" like yourself, monster cables and other such scams would cease to exist.

[sexyblackbmw]

OK then mr. audio/video expert, if I hooked up 20 of the exact same tv's to 20 of the exact same blu-ray players, used 19 monoprice cables and 1 monster cable, would YOU, who claim to be a part of that special 1% of gurus, be able to tell me which one was the monster cable?

Of course you would not.

Yes, maybe that super-expensive machine that tests at a bandwidth HIGHER than any blu-ray player is capable of outputting, you would be able to detect small differences.

Congratulations, those monster cables can show a couple of lines and numbers on a high-tech machine, but as far as watching blu-ray movies it's the SAME.

If not for "true video experts" like yourself, monster cables and other such scams would cease to exist.

And I agree with you! For Digital video I and 99% of other people probably wouldn't see any differences.

I don't support Monster. Please don't get this idea. There are much better choices out there if you want a high end cable.


Read my previous before you post.

"Never in any of my posts did I say 99% of people would see any differences between HDMI cables. The argument here was a digital signal still suffers from interference, and loss! Never did I say anyone would see the loss." - Me

Now do the same test with Audio interconnects and speaker cable, except exclude monster cable, and compare your monoprice anolog audio cables to say my Transparent audio cables, and you'll even tell the differences!

But its all about the Law of diminishing returns. If you're using a $1000 AV reciever, there's no point in using high end cables like Transparent, etc. You won't hear much difference. You're better suited to monoprice, etc.

Wow, you guys really love Monoprice.com. I'm definatly going to buy some to do some testing in my own systems, and be sure to pass them along my good friend, an owner of a Canadian Audiophile magazine for a nice review on these Monoprice.com audio cables.

[MikeAK]

Never in any of my posts did I say 99% of people would see any differences between HDMI cables. The argument here was a digital signal still suffers from interference, and loss! Never did I say anyone would see the loss.

So what's your point then?... You're now talking in circles

[Viper98]

Never in any of my posts did I say 99% of people would see any differences between HDMI cables. The argument here was a digital signal still suffers from interference, and loss! Never did I say anyone would see the loss.


but here's the thing

while digital cables suffer from loss and interference when they are working there is no difference between a $1 cable or a $1000 cable since digital is digital. a loss quality or interference will result in a loss of the entire feed so as along as your video/audio isn't cutting out you are not getting ANY benefit.

[MikeAK]

but here's the thing

while digital cables suffer from loss and interference when they are working there is no difference between a $1 cable or a $1000 cable since digital is digital. a loss quality or interference will result in a loss of the entire feed so as along as your video/audio isn't cutting out you are not getting ANY benefit.

That's always been my understanding with digital. It's either there or it isn't.

[captn]

Never in any of my posts did I say 99% of people would see any differences between HDMI cables. The argument here was a digital signal still suffers from interference, and loss! Never did I say anyone would see the loss.



Let me guess, you must be a Monoprice.com cable fan?

What are you talking about? Clearly I'm not the one who has reading comprehension problems here. Like I said above,

USE LOGIC. Am I really going to connect $50,000+ of audio/video equipment with the $5 cables? Hell no. Why would I sell myself short? But don't look at me, I'm not your typical 99% of Audio/video enthusiast sheep who brag about owning expensive TV and nice dvd player, reciever and speakers then buy and connect it with the $5 wire telling myself "ahh there's no difference, the cheaper cables are just the same".


Great debate, Thanks for the fun

Yeah, you couldn't even tell when someone was making fun of you for buying cables with fancy names. You thought he was acutally saying Transparent made "Super fantastic sparkle unicorn fantasy" cables or such.

You should use some logic. It's completely stupid to use something more expensive when something cheaper will do the same job. USE LOGIC.

You think you're dinky stereo system matches up to the $millions in sales my company does with HDTV broadcasting hardware? You sound like some amateur bragging about your "home system". You'd be fired for making some stupid suggestions like "Lets use Transparent" cables with the boxes they sell because they cost more but make no difference.

[b1unt3d]

definitely "epic fail"

.. if I bold it, it it makes me right... right?

[FusionSenses]

sexyblackbmw has his point. Don't flame him.

1 argument says: The quality of a digital cable, ie HDMI, is not based on the price. It's based on if the QA dude actually check if the cable is within the spec. The material doesn't matter much as long as it's within spec, with enough shield for the length to get 1 and 0 right, then $5 cable is no different to $500 cable.

Yes, signal get noise even in digital, but corrected most at the receiving side.
But if the signal is lost in digital, then we see skips. And some out of spec HDMI cables actually do that.

I do believe more expensive cables have higher chance of following the spec than $3 ones. But is it worth 15 times over?


I expect ppl will call me monster fanboy for the above statements. lol
Same thing happens when I say I like windows 7.

[sb_tor]

ah sexyblack is back! was missing you from the "denon 1909 is better than 789" conversation.

From what I know, monster HDMI cables are very well constructed and well shielded. As such, they are likely to last longer than the monoprice cables (which are also certified and pretty well constructed). However while they are working and you are using a cable under (say) 12 feet, there will be no difference in output. Analog cable is a different thing altogether and not relevant to this deal.

[jeff76]

Hmm... now that these Monster cables aren't super expensive, I really don't want to buy them. I might even throw out all my old Monster cables and find a more expensive brand.

[lorax1284]

I think SBBMW's original post was to the following point:

If you TRASH a poster because they are posting what they think is a good deal, will they want to post again when a (possibly) "hot" deal comes along?

And admit it... if you could buy a 3 metre Monster Cable brand HDMI cable for $11, you'd buy one, wouldn't you? Even if a monoprice 3 metre HDMI cable is only $9. You're spending 2 dollars "needlessly"... so there IS a value to Monster brand over Monoprice brand, and as with many deals, the value judgement is left to the reader, not necessarily the poster.

So, you may think the deal is cold, and so you post to that affect, backing it up with evidence (similar but better deals, or things like the CBC video) and part of the RFD community is that deals are vetted and commented on i.e. any cable that is 3 x the price of a similar Monoprice cable is still 3 times more expensive than is needed. So, the posting of the icebergs etc. is apt. People who are still convinced that Monster cables on sale is a 'good deal' need to learn quickly that it is not. And the posters have some fun with it by posting little cartoons.

But do be kind and gentle with posters, especially newbies. Thank them for the cold deal, but gently explain why it is cold. You might want to explain to them (even via PM!) with links to the monster cable test articles etc. and so on. You don't have to attempt to humiliate the poster. It's a great way to make a potentially enthusiastic new member run for the hills: and more members means more eyes out for hot deals, so don't go chasing people away!

So, SBBMW was giving you all a collective "now, play nice boys..." which I think is appropriate. Don't try to hard to DISCOURAGE people from posting deals.

I don't think the deal's merits or lack-thereof is the topic at all any more: somehow the merits of "boutique" A/V cables and discussion forum propriety have become intertwined.

So, Monster cables are a rip off at just about any price, and we should be a little less scathing when we pronounce a deal "cold".

[ASharp]

Would you say the same if he posted an MDG deal?

Trick question. MDG doesn't have deals. :razz:

Also, Monoprice wins.

[LonesomeDove]

I have no problem spending money on cables from manufacters like Transparent, Kimber, Audioquest, and Ultralink. At the cost prices I get them at, I'm not spending much more than you are with your Monoprice cables, for the $500+ cables (retail price not what I paid). And after spending thousands and thousands of dollars on audio video equipment I have no problem spending for the better cables. USE LOGIC. Am I really going to connect $50,000+ of audio/video equipment with the $5 cables? Hell no. Why would I sell myself short? But don't look at me, I'm not your typical 99% of Audio/video enthusiast sheep who brag about owning expensive TV and nice dvd player, reciever and speakers then buy and connect it with the $5 wire telling myself "ahh there's no difference, the cheaper cables are just the same".

Sure thats fine with the average joe's Sony TV (or insert common brand here), Sony (or insert common brand here) reciever, and Sony (or insert common brand here) speakers. He/She won't see or hear any differences with this equipment. But when you own higher end equipment, its another story. Every link in a high end system matters. I hope you can understand and appreciate that.

And so you can continue to buy your "cheap" cables and tell yourself they're just fine and I'll continue to enjoy my choices.

Great debate, Thanks for the fun

Hard to imagine someone paying $50,000 for audio equipment. Most people on the RFD forum are happy with a $5 savings. Since most people don't have such high end audio equipment, a $5 monoprice cable is fine.

[Instagator]

Monoprice FTW.

Bleh.
Saw this on tv. Researched a bit, bought mono price.
Just because its expensive doesn't mean its better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIf8HLZK6a8

[game_fanatic]

I've personally never bought from Monoprice (yet) but when I did buy the PS2 Component Monster Cables (I was duped into thinking they were soo superior, thank you Official PlayStation Magazine) I found the build quality on them was quite amazing, in terms of sturdiness and thickness. Are Monoprice cables similar?

[badkaraoke]

I like & can legitimately see and hear the difference in a nice, thick, well insulated, gold plated cable with quality hardware for the connectors. Lots of companies make that. I get my 12 guage oxygen free, well insulated speaker wire from home hardware and put the banana plugs on myself. I use real speakers, not the puny, novelty "kit" ones that you can get at the pharmacy, either.

IMHO it's not hard to find a company or store dumping a name brand quality cable with the above qualities & that generally speaking is good enough for my stuff, which is hardly high end but deserves avery chance it can get. Mid line at a discount...I got a 10 foot set of Belkin component cables for 12 bucks on extreme close out at Zellers, for example, and they're built for speed. They're about as good as any high end cable I've used when working with music the last 20 years and as a side benefit, no one ripped me off. I suggest using the low end crappy ones until you can find the mid lines at affordable prices.

This thread is trollers paradise because you can insinuate that anyone who doesn't buy the magic cable is cheap and/or deaf. On the opposite side of the flame war you could also say that anyone who DOES buy the magic cable is a fool and/or deaf. I see that you are calling each other illiterate too. Rock on.

But the truth of the matter is, there is no magic cable. Sorry. Cables do matter but no one company, like Monster with a huge advertising budget who go around suing people for silly things like no tomorrow, has a monopoly on cable. Since it seriously costs very little to make their cable and they are selling a BRAND they need to protect it - so when you buy Monster you're buying advertising & legal expenses and art & BRAND. it's just too simple a business really.

Monster has really cool shirts.

[captn]

I like & can legitimately see and hear the difference in a nice, thick, well insulated, gold plated cable with quality hardware for the connectors. Lots of companies make that. I get my 12 guage oxygen free, well insulated speaker wire from home hardware and put the banana plugs on myself. I use real speakers, not the puny, novelty "kit" ones that you can get at the pharmacy, either.

IMHO it's not hard to find a company or store dumping a name brand quality cable with the above qualities & that generally speaking is good enough for my stuff, which is hardly high end but deserves avery chance it can get. Mid line at a discount...I got a 10 foot set of Belkin component cables for 12 bucks on extreme close out at Zellers, for example, and they're built for speed. They're about as good as any high end cable I've used when working with music the last 20 years and as a side benefit, no one ripped me off.

This thread is trollers paradise because you can insinuate that anyone who doesn't buy the magic cable is cheap and/or deaf. On the opposite side of the flame war you could also say that anyone who DOES buy the magic cable is a fool and/or deaf. I see that you are calling each other illiterate too. Rock on.

But the truth of the matter is, there is no magic cable. Sorry. Cables do matter but no one company with a huge advertising budget is going to have a monopoly on quality, it's just too simple a business really.

Don't fall for BMW's rants. Almost everyone knows that cables matter for analog. This is a thread about digital HDMI cables. For digital, it doesn't take an audiophile to spot when sound cuts out.

[bylo]

Are Monoprice cables similar?
The $4 Monoprice cables are definitely better than the generic ones at Zellers, RCSS, Factory Direct, etc. The Monoprice cables are shielded, have ferrite cores at both ends and have gold-plated contacts. While all of that is nice to have even that isn't going to be an issue for most people.

As I've said before, electrically none of this matters unless you have a long cable run (6' isn't long) and/or there's a lot of electrical interference nearby. Even then it probably makes no difference. Remember the signals are digital, i.e. 1 or 0. The discussion about rounded square waves, sine waves, etc. is a bunch of b*llsh*it couched in techno-babble. Signals coming from a cable box or DVD player are strong enough that none of this matters.

A second issue is mechanical. If you insert and remove cables regularly and/or rerun them then after some time there may be a mechanical failure, e.g. a connector will break. But how many people mess with HDMI cables once they've installed them? And even if the cable fails, you can replace it with another from Monoprice ten or more times before you've spent anything like Monster prices.

[bylo]

Almost everyone knows that cables matter for analog.Virtually all electrical engineers must be the exceptions :-0

[supe]

I like & can legitimately see and hear the difference in a nice, thick, well insulated, gold plated cable with quality hardware for the connectors. Lots of companies make that. I get my 12 guage oxygen free, well insulated speaker wire from home hardware and put the banana plugs on myself. I use real speakers, not the puny, novelty "kit" ones that you can get at the pharmacy, either.
...

But the truth of the matter is, there is no magic cable. Sorry. Cables do matter but no one company with a huge advertising budget is going to have a monopoly on quality, it's just too simple a business really.

Its people like you who waste all of our time. You are referencing analog cables in a digital world. Thats like comparing a computer to a typewriter.

[badkaraoke]

Its people like you who waste all of our time. You are referencing analog cables in a digital world. Thats like comparing a computer to a typewriter.

There is a difference between a well shielded HDMI cable with good connectors running 12 feet and something you bought at the dollar store running twleve feet. I have both types of cables, I can see it. Stilll, you don't have to buy monster.

Also, my DIVX DVD player outputs in component only. We haven't left the analogue world yet, my friend. And in some ways (not in this case, obviously) , that's a good thing.

And dude, you're willing to use these pieces of junk to listen to music?! Hell, you brag about it...
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=482845

So, seriously? Just shuddup.

[sexyblackbmw]

I think SBBMW's original post was to the following point:

If you TRASH a poster because they are posting what they think is a good deal, will they want to post again when a (possibly) "hot" deal comes along?

And admit it... if you could buy a 3 metre Monster Cable brand HDMI cable for $11, you'd buy one, wouldn't you? Even if a monoprice 3 metre HDMI cable is only $9. You're spending 2 dollars "needlessly"... so there IS a value to Monster brand over Monoprice brand, and as with many deals, the value judgement is left to the reader, not necessarily the poster.

So, you may think the deal is cold, and so you post to that affect, backing it up with evidence (similar but better deals, or things like the CBC video) and part of the RFD community is that deals are vetted and commented on i.e. any cable that is 3 x the price of a similar Monoprice cable is still 3 times more expensive than is needed. So, the posting of the icebergs etc. is apt. People who are still convinced that Monster cables on sale is a 'good deal' need to learn quickly that it is not. And the posters have some fun with it by posting little cartoons.

But do be kind and gentle with posters, especially newbies. Thank them for the cold deal, but gently explain why it is cold. You might want to explain to them (even via PM!) with links to the monster cable test articles etc. and so on. You don't have to attempt to humiliate the poster. It's a great way to make a potentially enthusiastic new member run for the hills: and more members means more eyes out for hot deals, so don't go chasing people away!

So, SBBMW was giving you all a collective "now, play nice boys..." which I think is appropriate. Don't try to hard to DISCOURAGE people from posting deals.

I don't think the deal's merits or lack-thereof is the topic at all any more: somehow the merits of "boutique" A/V cables and discussion forum propriety have become intertwined.

So, Monster cables are a rip off at just about any price, and we should be a little less scathing when we pronounce a deal "cold".

Thank you lorax1284 for seeing my original point on this thread to support the Original Poster.

Hey sb_tor! Nice to see you! how you doing? Thanks for posting as well! We need more people posting audio/video deals, and creating threads for audio debate on here. I know you agree its educating, interesting, and fun!

Sorry to those who were offended by my posts, and I appologize for possibily sparking the flame war in my attempts to support the original poster.



There is a difference between a well shielded HDMI cable with good connectors running 12 feet and something you bought at the dollar store running twleve feet. I have both types of cables, I can see it. Stilll, you don't have to buy monster.

Also, my DIVX DVD player outputs in component only. We haven't left the analogue world yet, my friend. And in some ways (not in this case, obviously) , that's a good thing.

And dude, you're willing to use these pieces of junk to listen to music?! Hell, you brag about it...
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/s...d.php?t=482845

So, seriously? Just shuddup.

LMAO :lol: Well said!

I must be ancient to prefer my McIntosh MVP-871 turntable over any of my DVD players and Music DVD`s. I`m serious! Just as entertaining watching the record go round as it is watching a concert on screen! :lol:

[Eyies]

Wow it's 2009 and we're here worrying about digital data loss over a HDMI cable? Please.. Of course a electrical signal can have heightened or lessened voltage which may lead to a change in signal (i.e. 1->0, 0->1), but combined with bit parity checking, and shielding made of the cheapest materials this is completely a non-issue.

To just put some perspective on this, I've recently completed a 3rd year communications course, and according IEEE specifications typically have typically a acceptable rate of failure for communication over a WIRELESS channel in the order of 10^-10. That's one bit being flipped every 10,000,000,000 bits. Wireless digital communication is many many magnitudes more receptive to interference and degradation of signal -- let alone a wired one (to which, I don't know off the top of my head the approximate rate of failures).

And any expensive cable will have rate of failure in the same magnitude - be it it'll possibly keep the voltage levels of the signal closer to it's intended range but the end result after parity checking and leveling of the signal? Same failure rate..


Effectively, there is virtually zero difference between any cable other than perhaps the build quality, and quality of the manufacturing of the product to ensure it is within specification.

[Martin (deal addict)]

I've personally never bought from Monoprice (yet) but when I did buy the PS2 Component Monster Cables (I was duped into thinking they were soo superior, thank you Official PlayStation Magazine) I found the build quality on them was quite amazing, in terms of sturdiness and thickness. Are Monoprice cables similar?

I've just ordered more gear from Monoprice today. I found their HDMI cables are great quality.

For example, I previously bought a 20ft cable for in-wall installation - 22AWG cable from monoprice was under $30US - I dread to think how much an equivalent cable from Monster would be. This is a really thick and well made cable. In fact I had to trim the plastic case off the plug at one end to get it through my 5/8" conduits and this made no difference to the integrity of the end connections at all. Underneath the plastic was solid metal.

The weak point of cables is probably the pins at the end - especially if you are plugging and unplugging e.g. in our house we use a PS3 on more than one TV. Monoprice has a great solution - port savers. 8" HDMI cables with a male and female end that you leave in your equipment to save wear and tear on your HDMI port. Only costs around $3 or $4. If the female end gets damaged just replace it at a cost of $4 dollars instead of taking your PS3 or TV in for repair at huge cost.

If Monoprice has a fault its that their stock is often sold out - but that says something in itself.

[badkaraoke]

Effectively, there is virtually zero difference between any cable other than perhaps the build quality, and quality of the manufacturing of the product to ensure it is within specification.

Not true. A HDMI cable that is lossy or noise-sensitive will induce digital noise ('sparklies') into your picture. Just because the signal is good enough to get the two devices to sync up doesn't mean that it will work properly 100% of the time. As the cable gets longer, the likelihood of problems goes up.

The same is true for component video cables - you can have intermittent sync dropouts or reduced image clarity, even though 'it works'.

There is no advantage to mega-$$$$ cables.

There IS an advantage to BETTER cables, in terms of wire gauge, soldering quality, shielding, bend radius, etc. However, price and quality have little or no relationship to each other in this market.

The only thing you can guarantee is that the cables sold at the large retailers are way overpriced.

[badkaraoke]

http://tiny.cc/AoxhG


The Truth About Monster Cable - Grand Finale (Part III)I warned you that it was back on. Monster's priciest—a $250 35-foot HDMI cable—goes toe-to-toe with Monoprice's longest and thickest—a $35 35-footer and a $53 50-footer. Which will win? Or more importantly, which will fail? Let's have a look, shall we?

As I mentioned this morning, I skipped the testing on the shorter cables because, using Monster's own gear, we showed that they could carry today's 1080p signal without trouble. (One, from XtremeHD, had trouble with some extreme video simulations, but it passed all of the real-world simulations, so you can keep using it... for now.)

But as you know, both the 35-footer and 50-footer from Monoprice failed the 1080p test in the lab. I used the very same cables from the lab for the real world test below, and guess what? The 35-footer did just fine, as did the 35-ft cable from Monster. But Monoprice's 50-footer gave me some unmistakable trouble signs, as you will see below.

[samsquatch99]

Let me see if I can sum up this thread.

1. OP posts a deal which he thought was a good deal but it turns out it wasn't.

2. A few RFD'ers come along and point out to him that it is a cold deal (in a rather unnecessary fashion).

3. SexyBlack comes along and sticks up for the original OP (good idea) but completely misses the point that this thread was about a DIGITAL cable and not analog cables for his overpriced $25,000 sound system.

4. Many educated people try to point this out to him.

5. SexyBlack doesn't get it...and never will.


Here's what I think post #2 should have read:

OP. Thanks for the post but one thing to keep in mind is that 99% of the time you buy a digital cable from Monster, you will be paying too much. There are lots of threads that go over this topic in detail on RFD and other forums. A great place to check out is monoprice.com for your home theatre needs.

END OF THREAD

[badkaraoke]

3. SexyBlack comes along and sticks up for the original OP (good idea) but completely misses the point that this thread was about a DIGITAL cable and not analog cables for his overpriced $25,000 sound system.



Reads like he's talking about the quality of the cable build being important. Analog or digital, that's true.

[Eyies]

Let me see if I can sum up this thread.

1. OP posts a deal which he thought was a good deal but it turns out it wasn't.

2. A few RFD'ers come along and point out to him that it is a cold deal (in a rather unnecessary fashion).

3. SexyBlack comes along and sticks up for the original OP (good idea) but completely misses the point that this thread was about a DIGITAL cable and not analog cables for his overpriced $25,000 sound system.

4. Many educated people try to point this out to him.

5. SexyBlack doesn't get it...and never will.


Here's what I think post #2 should have read:

OP. Thanks for the post but one thing to keep in mind is that 99% of the time you buy a digital cable from Monster, you will be paying too much. There are lots of threads that go over this topic in detail on RFD and other forums. A great place to check out is monoprice.com for your home theatre needs.

END OF THREAD

samsquatch99 for mod :)

[samsquatch99]

Reads like he's talking about the quality of the cable build being important. Analog or digital, that's true.

LOL...and so it goes on.....

[badkaraoke]

LOL...and so it goes on.....

LOL! Sad.

...the thread doesn't have anything to do with the dude's "overpriced sound system".

[burnt_toast]

i have to ask: badkaoke & sexyblackbmw, did you two buy all your cables together to get a discount or something?

[Astin]

Why not jump in some more?

Let's get this out of the way first, so there's no confusion.

I don't own Monster anything. Nor any other "high-quality" brand of cable.

I have a few monoprice cables currently hooked up to my system. Which is admittedly NOT a 6-figure build.

But I think the discussion has been lost again (not the topic, this is sooooo far off-topic that there's no going back).

BUILD QUALITY of a cable DOES matter. Digital or not. Why? Simple... the absolutes cheapest, low-quality cables you can find are ****. Connectors are loose, pins bend and break more easily, cables are frayed, shielding is non-existent.

I once bought two HDMI cables from the local surplus store. I hooked mine up with no problems, but my friend's wouldn't work. I assumed it was her TV since everthing else between us was identical. I recently upgraded and got new HDMI cables for my system and gave her my old one... it now works fine. The problem was the incredibly cheap cable that wasn't transmitting a readable signal. I got a good one, she got a bad one.

My point is that the "High-end sucks" crowd goes to the same extremes that the "High-end is da bomb!" crowd goes to, just on the opposite side.

In the end, any cable is just a length conductive material (copper), threaded or solid core, single or multiple, wrapped in an insulator and shielding of some sort, with both ends attached to a connector. If the copper and shielding are even of mediocre quality, and the connections are solid and generally non-reactive (ie.- won't rust, won't tarnish, and aren't adversely affected by current), then you won't notice a difference over a relatively short distance with a run-of-the-mill signal (even 1080p).

If, however, the material and build is absolute crap, and the cable doesn't conform to recognized standards, then you CAN have interference, loss of signal, loss of quality, and possible unworkability.

Sure, Monster and others are ridiculously overpriced, but I'm pretty sure the executives and founders know they're selling a brand and a lifestyle, not an actual product.

Where does going with highest-quality build and materials come into play? MAYBE over longer lengths (say, 50m for in-wall builds), with next-generation signals. Otherwise, anything from Nexxtech to Monoprice to Bluejean to Monster will give you pretty much the same result. If someone wants the peace-of-mind they get from a high-priced cable, that's their perogative. Hell, I don't know, maybe a $50,000 receiver doesn't have error correction because people are afraid it will mess with the "purity" of the original signal, in which case, you'd want extra shielding and better quality connections and thicker copper or something. I don't know.

[badkaraoke]

BUILD QUALITY of a cable DOES matter. Digital or not. Why? Simple... the absolutes cheapest, low-quality cables you can find are ****. Connectors are loose, pins bend and break more easily, cables are frayed, shielding is non-existent. .

Ding!

I don't know TOO much about monoprice but I can agree completely with the sentiment expressed above.

[bokep]

YAWN

Another Mac|MDG|Monster thread

They all start with "M"...

...and always end the same way

[Martin (deal addict)]

"'Sure, Monster and others are ridiculously overpriced, but I'm pretty sure the executives and founders know they're selling a brand and a lifestyle, not an actual product'"

The difference between high end jeans or sneakers and a high end HDMI cable is you can't actually see the cable behind your equipment. You would have to be stupid to buy one of these cables as a lifestyle statement unless you got a huge ego boost dropping $100 bucks on a cable in front of the sales assistant. I don't think such a person would ever find themselves logged onto redflagdeals.com so no point preaching to them here.

[number8888]

Let me see if I can sum up this thread.

1. OP posts a deal which he thought was a good deal but it turns out it wasn't.

2. A few RFD'ers come along and point out to him that it is a cold deal (in a rather unnecessary fashion).

3. SexyBlack comes along and sticks up for the original OP (good idea) but completely misses the point that this thread was about a DIGITAL cable and not analog cables for his overpriced $25,000 sound system.

4. Many educated people try to point this out to him.

5. SexyBlack doesn't get it...and never will.


Here's what I think post #2 should have read:

OP. Thanks for the post but one thing to keep in mind is that 99% of the time you buy a digital cable from Monster, you will be paying too much. There are lots of threads that go over this topic in detail on RFD and other forums. A great place to check out is monoprice.com for your home theatre needs.

END OF THREAD

As logical as that is, it's taking out all the fun. I rather enjoy the chaos myself.:cheesygri

Serioulsy, at 75% the monster cable from OP is still too expensive. A cheaper monoprice cable would do the job just as well. That's the consensus here, even though it was expressed in a rather mean-spirited way.



YAWN

Another Mac|MDG|Monster thread

They all start with "M"...

...and always end the same way

You forgot BOSE! :lol:

[samsquatch99]

As logical as that is, it's taking out all the fun. I rather enjoy the chaos myself.:cheesygri

there is truth to what you're saying

[JC69]

Got to chime in. I like my Monoprice cables. Cheap..good quality and shipped fast.

Also...some people have expensive toys but remember...Confuscius he say "man who have Ferarri does not necessarily know how to drive".

[sexyblackbmw]

Let me see if I can sum up this thread.

1. OP posts a deal which he thought was a good deal but it turns out it wasn't.

2. A few RFD'ers come along and point out to him that it is a cold deal (in a rather unnecessary fashion).

3. SexyBlack comes along and sticks up for the original OP (good idea) but completely misses the point that this thread was about a DIGITAL cable and not analog cables for his overpriced $25,000 sound system.

4. Many educated people try to point this out to him.

5. SexyBlack doesn't get it...and never will.


Here's what I think post #2 should have read:

OP. Thanks for the post but one thing to keep in mind is that 99% of the time you buy a digital cable from Monster, you will be paying too much. There are lots of threads that go over this topic in detail on RFD and other forums. A great place to check out is monoprice.com for your home theatre needs.

END OF THREAD


Haha, you`re hilarious!

#5 should read, The RFD Bargain Police attempt to defeat Sexyblackbmw + convert him to being a Monoprice.com cable cult member! :razz:

Dear god, is there some secret underground Monoprice cult I dont know about...:confused: Do the cult members surface whenever the Monster word is brought up :confused: Is the Monoprice Cult at war yet with the Monster Cable cult :confused: :lol:

And please, By posting a few details about my system, I could further get accross my point that some people (including myself), after spending the big bucks, and appreciating the differences that Audiophile and high end video equipment offers, what would stop me and any other person who owns equipment of this caliber to purchase better cables. Remember, at this level, money is no object to any of these people, who see and hear the differences. Theres article after article I could show you all proving the better companies (NOT MONSTER) design and manufacter better performing cables then your run of the mill Internet based company like (omg, dare I say it) Monoprice! But thats besides the main point of this thread. Just trying to prove sometimes spending more money gets you better performance almost anyone can clearly appreciate! (That sounds redundant in a bargain community - Flame Suit On)

This company isnt the holy grail of Cables: The major flaw in Internet based cable companies I see, is you cannot buy them locally. Meaning when I need a cable, I cannot get in my car, drive down to a nearby location and physically pick the cable up, pay for it with cash, and drive home and install it right away. Any issues, and I can return it (in person) right away for a full refund, or replacement if its defective.

Instead, with your Internet based company like (omg, dare I say it again) Monoprice:

1. I have to wait for them to replenish stock, since everything I want is OOS and theres no ETA -1

2. Pay with credit card (USD conversion at credit card conversion rates + 2% creditcard fee) -1

3. Pay ridiculous shipping charge for a small box of cable that weighs nothing to begin with. (it should be free IMO for customer choosing to purchase their cables in the first place) -1

4. Finally after the wait to recieve the shipment in the mail, find out they sent a defective cable thats DOA, and having to waste my time shipping the product back to company, and waiting for a replacement again (They probably wont cover those shipping costs for you for cables at their prices) -1


5. Most people are obviously going to order more than $20 at these prices; (video/audio cables, wall mounts, other accesories, etc) then you have to worry about Duty fees, etc. More costs on top of your order -1

6. They say they were shipping my order via UPS. That in itself is scary. -1000000000

7. After all those negatives, this Monster HDMI deal in support of OP, seems a little more attractive (Flame Suit On) :lol:

So after all the extra costs, and time wasted with the Internet retailer, I could just go down to my local store and pick up a Belkin HDMI for $10. As everyone here insists theres no differences between Monoprice and every other brand of HDMI cables. Why would I give Monoprice.com my money :confused:

When Monoprice Builds a local store here in Canada that I can drive to locally to buy their cables, I will Join your Monoprice Cult! :razz:

[JC69]

My last order from Monoprice was about $50 CDN including 3 HDMI cables and a few toslink optical cables etc, no taxes charges or fees to pay, shipping was about $10...delivered within a week. Considering I saved well over $100 CDN by going this route the wait for me was worth it. I shopped there after seeing the multiple threads on the company here and I'm now a convert. I just sent in another $50 order for more cables. They also sell plasma and LCD wall mounts starting at $25 US which is a very good deal if you've seen the prices in big box stores.

The quality of the cables is fine. I might not be an audiophile, I have a nice system and it sounds fine to me, but I consider myself well read and a good judge of quality and I'm perfectly happy that my digital signals aren't going to suffer over this small distance and with very limited local interference.

[Martin (deal addict)]

Haha, you`re hilarious!

#5 should read, The RFD Bargain Police attempt to defeat Sexyblackbmw + convert him to being a Monoprice.com cable cult member! :razz:

Dear god, is there some secret underground Monoprice cult I dont know about...:confused: Do the cult members surface whenever the Monster word is brought up :confused: Is the Monoprice Cult at war yet with the Monster Cable cult :confused: :lol:

And please, By posting a few details about my system, I could further get accross my point that some people (including myself), after spending the big bucks, and appreciating the differences that Audiophile and high end video equipment offers, what would stop me and any other person who owns equipment of this caliber to purchase better cables. Remember, at this level, money is no object to any of these people, who see and hear the differences. Theres article after article I could show you all proving the better companies (NOT MONSTER) design and manufacter better performing cables then your run of the mill Internet based company like (omg, dare I say it) Monoprice! But thats besides the main point of this thread. Just trying to prove sometimes spending more money gets you better performance almost anyone can clearly appreciate! (That sounds redundant in a bargain community - Flame Suit On)

This company isnt the holy grail of Cables: The major flaw in Internet based cable companies I see, is you cannot buy them locally. Meaning when I need a cable, I cannot get in my car, drive down to a nearby location and physically pick the cable up, pay for it with cash, and drive home and install it right away. Any issues, and I can return it (in person) right away for a full refund, or replacement if its defective.

Instead, with your Internet based company like (omg, dare I say it again) Monoprice:

1. I have to wait for them to replenish stock, since everything I want is OOS and theres no ETA -1

2. Pay with credit card (USD conversion at credit card conversion rates + 2% creditcard fee) -1

3. Pay ridiculous shipping charge for a small box of cable that weighs nothing to begin with. (it should be free IMO for customer choosing to purchase their cables in the first place) -1

4. Finally after the wait to recieve the shipment in the mail, find out they sent a defective cable thats DOA, and having to waste my time shipping the product back to company, and waiting for a replacement again (They probably wont cover those shipping costs for you for cables at their prices) -1


5. Most people are obviously going to order more than $20 at these prices; (video/audio cables, wall mounts, other accesories, etc) then you have to worry about Duty fees, etc. More costs on top of your order -1

6. They say they were shipping my order via UPS. That in itself is scary. -1000000000

7. After all those negatives, this Monster HDMI deal in support of OP, seems a little more attractive (Flame Suit On) :lol:

So after all the extra costs, and time wasted with the Internet retailer, I could just go down to my local store and pick up a Belkin HDMI for $10. As everyone here insists theres no differences between Monoprice and every other brand of HDMI cables. Why would I give Monoprice.com my money :confused:

When Monoprice Builds a local store here in Canada that I can drive to locally to buy their cables, I will Join your Monoprice Cult! :razz:

Would Monster honour their lifetime cable warranty if a buyer used it to hang himself/herself and damaged it? It may be a risk when they find out how much the equivalent monoprice cable costs. Its the lifetime of the owner not the cable right? If it were the lifetime of the cable it would be over the moment the cable died. Anyone know the answer?

[Unicron]

RCSS Superstore sells 6ft HDMI 1.3a cables for $7-10

[zzz3]

Haha, you`re hilarious!

#5 should read, The RFD Bargain Police attempt to defeat Sexyblackbmw + convert him to being a Monoprice.com cable cult member! :razz:

Dear god, is there some secret underground Monoprice cult I dont know about...:confused: Do the cult members surface whenever the Monster word is brought up :confused: Is the Monoprice Cult at war yet with the Monster Cable cult :confused: :lol:

And please, By posting a few details about my system, I could further get accross my point that some people (including myself), after spending the big bucks, and appreciating the differences that Audiophile and high end video equipment offers, what would stop me and any other person who owns equipment of this caliber to purchase better cables. Remember, at this level, money is no object to any of these people, who see and hear the differences. Theres article after article I could show you all proving the better companies (NOT MONSTER) design and manufacter better performing cables then your run of the mill Internet based company like (omg, dare I say it) Monoprice! But thats besides the main point of this thread. Just trying to prove sometimes spending more money gets you better performance almost anyone can clearly appreciate! (That sounds redundant in a bargain community - Flame Suit On)

This company isnt the holy grail of Cables: The major flaw in Internet based cable companies I see, is you cannot buy them locally. Meaning when I need a cable, I cannot get in my car, drive down to a nearby location and physically pick the cable up, pay for it with cash, and drive home and install it right away. Any issues, and I can return it (in person) right away for a full refund, or replacement if its defective.

Instead, with your Internet based company like (omg, dare I say it again) Monoprice:

1. I have to wait for them to replenish stock, since everything I want is OOS and theres no ETA -1

2. Pay with credit card (USD conversion at credit card conversion rates + 2% creditcard fee) -1

3. Pay ridiculous shipping charge for a small box of cable that weighs nothing to begin with. (it should be free IMO for customer choosing to purchase their cables in the first place) -1

4. Finally after the wait to recieve the shipment in the mail, find out they sent a defective cable thats DOA, and having to waste my time shipping the product back to company, and waiting for a replacement again (They probably wont cover those shipping costs for you for cables at their prices) -1


5. Most people are obviously going to order more than $20 at these prices; (video/audio cables, wall mounts, other accesories, etc) then you have to worry about Duty fees, etc. More costs on top of your order -1

6. They say they were shipping my order via UPS. That in itself is scary. -1000000000

7. After all those negatives, this Monster HDMI deal in support of OP, seems a little more attractive (Flame Suit On) :lol:

So after all the extra costs, and time wasted with the Internet retailer, I could just go down to my local store and pick up a Belkin HDMI for $10. As everyone here insists theres no differences between Monoprice and every other brand of HDMI cables. Why would I give Monoprice.com my money :confused:

When Monoprice Builds a local store here in Canada that I can drive to locally to buy their cables, I will Join your Monoprice Cult! :razz:

I have ordered from monoprice in the past and in one case all 3 of my cables where DOA (would loose sound due to interference). After a 5 minute phone call they shipped me out 3 new ones at no cost and they said i could throw out or keep the defective ones. Yes the shipping is quite tedious but its hard to complain considering the level of service and the overall savings. Additionally as long as orders are split up into groups of $20, using USPS will result in no duty or custom fees. Why dont you give them a try, you might be surprised :). They are the same as some of my old monster ultra 1000 i bought a while back at cost, and i would like to think my setup is decent enough in which differences could be picked up, if any. Dont get me wrong i agree with that there are differences in construction and hence quality (i.e. interference and such) but for the most part widely available cables such as monster, belkin and monoprice are the same, thus when someone posts a deal, and in a very deal oriented website, chances are they will be corrected.

[sexyblackbmw]

I have ordered from monoprice in the past and in one case all 3 of my cables where DOA (would loose sound due to interference). After a 5 minute phone call they shipped me out 3 new ones at no cost and they said i could throw out or keep the defective ones. Yes the shipping is quite tedious but its hard to complain considering the level of service and the overall savings. Additionally as long as orders are split up into groups of $20, using USPS will result in no duty or custom fees. Why dont you give them a try, you might be surprised :). They are the same as some of my old monster ultra 1000 i bought a while back at cost, and i would like to think my setup is decent enough in which differences could be picked up, if any. Dont get me wrong i agree with that there are differences in construction and hence quality (i.e. interference and such) but for the most part widely available cables such as monster, belkin and monoprice are the same, thus when someone posts a deal, and in a very deal oriented website, chances are they will be corrected.


Great reply! Thank you! I take back what I said about warranty issues/headaches

[El Baz]

Ok, going back to the original post. 24.99 for Monster HDMI at CC. What is CC? Circuit City? I don't think we have one in Ottawa.

Does anyone have a good/decent suggestion on an HDMI cable I could buy for cheap at a local store? Where could I find this Belkin HDMI? I just got Rogers HD and need a little boost.

[tester3000]

CC is CanadaComputers. Here's the link.
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=017797&cid=CA.383.359

Here's a 6ft Belkin HDMI cable.
http://www.sigelectronics.com/Gift-ideals/Under-20/Belkin-Pure-AV-HDMI-Audio-Avideo-Cable-6

Currently it's $20, but it occasionally comes on sale for $10. Still if you need the length,, it's a better deal than the Monster.

[XxXSnake23XxX]

LAWL @ the poll!

[El Baz]

CC is CanadaComputers. Here's the link.
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=017797&cid=CA.383.359

Here's a 6ft Belkin HDMI cable.
http://www.sigelectronics.com/Gift-ideals/Under-20/Belkin-Pure-AV-HDMI-Audio-Avideo-Cable-6

Currently it's $20, but it occasionally comes on sale for $10. Still if you need the length,, it's a better deal than the Monster.

Thanks!

[Martin (deal addict)]

So after all the extra costs, and time wasted with the Internet retailer, I could just go down to my local store and pick up a Belkin HDMI for $10. As everyone here insists theres no differences between Monoprice and every other brand of HDMI cables. Why would I give Monoprice.com my money :confused:

When Monoprice Builds a local store here in Canada that I can drive to locally to buy their cables, I will Join your Monoprice Cult! :razz:

Monoprice sells a lot more than just your standard 6ft HDMI cables - 100s of products they don't even sell at FS and BBY. When I got my home theatre products shipped I saved around 75% after shipping costs, delivered in 2 days. You have to pay PST and GST on delivery but you pay those taxes at the store as well.

Any chance of showing the results of the RFD poll to monoprice and getting a RFD discount towards the shipping costs?

[Justpete]

There is something to be said for a cable's bare minimum standard. In that, the $5 cable you get from Wu's electronics may not be up to par with the quality needed to transmit a digital signal. The cable could be loose inside from the connectors, their may be no shielding, etc.

However, once you get a well made cable, an extremely well made cable makes no difference whatsoever. Degradation through attenuation of a digital signal does not occur in Ethernet until 328 feet. I doubt that any attenuation would occur in hdmi cables (99% less than 20 feet), so long as the cable is half-decently made. These $500 ethernet cables from Denon and $400 HDMI cables from Monster are idiotic, and anyone paying for them would be wiser to spend their money elsewhere.

[wallee]

Ok, going back to the original post. 24.99 for Monster HDMI at CC. What is CC? Circuit City? I don't think we have one in Ottawa.

Does anyone have a good/decent suggestion on an HDMI cable I could buy for cheap at a local store? Where could I find this Belkin HDMI? I just got Rogers HD and need a little boost.

Try RCSS (Real Canadian Super Store) if you have one or even Loblaws have been spotted having 6' cables for around or under $10. I picked up a 2 pack of 6' at Walmart for $30.00. Good alternatives if you need an HDMI cable right away.

I have purchased from Monoprice many times with no problems before. I ended up selling the two 6' 24awg cables I bought from them as they were to stiff to use with my TV mounted on the wall. The two pack from WM was actually cheaper after factoring in shipping and exchange.

And to the OP, thanks for posting. Don't let the negativity keep you from posting again.

[number8888]

Haha, you`re hilarious!

#5 should read, The RFD Bargain Police attempt to defeat Sexyblackbmw + convert him to being a Monoprice.com cable cult member! :razz:

Dear god, is there some secret underground Monoprice cult I dont know about...:confused: Do the cult members surface whenever the Monster word is brought up :confused: Is the Monoprice Cult at war yet with the Monster Cable cult :confused: :lol:

And please, By posting a few details about my system, I could further get accross my point that some people (including myself), after spending the big bucks, and appreciating the differences that Audiophile and high end video equipment offers, what would stop me and any other person who owns equipment of this caliber to purchase better cables. Remember, at this level, money is no object to any of these people, who see and hear the differences. Theres article after article I could show you all proving the better companies (NOT MONSTER) design and manufacter better performing cables then your run of the mill Internet based company like (omg, dare I say it) Monoprice! But thats besides the main point of this thread. Just trying to prove sometimes spending more money gets you better performance almost anyone can clearly appreciate! (That sounds redundant in a bargain community - Flame Suit On)

This company isnt the holy grail of Cables: The major flaw in Internet based cable companies I see, is you cannot buy them locally. Meaning when I need a cable, I cannot get in my car, drive down to a nearby location and physically pick the cable up, pay for it with cash, and drive home and install it right away. Any issues, and I can return it (in person) right away for a full refund, or replacement if its defective.

Instead, with your Internet based company like (omg, dare I say it again) Monoprice:

1. I have to wait for them to replenish stock, since everything I want is OOS and theres no ETA -1

2. Pay with credit card (USD conversion at credit card conversion rates + 2% creditcard fee) -1

3. Pay ridiculous shipping charge for a small box of cable that weighs nothing to begin with. (it should be free IMO for customer choosing to purchase their cables in the first place) -1

4. Finally after the wait to recieve the shipment in the mail, find out they sent a defective cable thats DOA, and having to waste my time shipping the product back to company, and waiting for a replacement again (They probably wont cover those shipping costs for you for cables at their prices) -1


5. Most people are obviously going to order more than $20 at these prices; (video/audio cables, wall mounts, other accesories, etc) then you have to worry about Duty fees, etc. More costs on top of your order -1

6. They say they were shipping my order via UPS. That in itself is scary. -1000000000

7. After all those negatives, this Monster HDMI deal in support of OP, seems a little more attractive (Flame Suit On) :lol:

So after all the extra costs, and time wasted with the Internet retailer, I could just go down to my local store and pick up a Belkin HDMI for $10. As everyone here insists theres no differences between Monoprice and every other brand of HDMI cables. Why would I give Monoprice.com my money :confused:

When Monoprice Builds a local store here in Canada that I can drive to locally to buy their cables, I will Join your Monoprice Cult! :razz:

I totally agree that for analog signals, then quality the high prices are justified. Especially for the case for speakers cables because you want a good clean signal to drive speakers. Thus cables with good shielding and low resistance is very important, and nobody is arguing about that.

On the other hand when it comes to digital signals (such as HDMI/Toslink/ethernet) then the quality becomes less important. For digital signals it either arrives to the destination or it doesn't. Yes buying very cheap cables would run the risk that it is so poorly made that the signal indeed doesn't go through at all. However if the signal does go through, then you are already getting the best quality signal you can get. So a $5 cable is performing just as well as a $100 dollar one, and in this case, no one in their right mind would get the expensive one.

Many RFDers like myself has purchased from them and has determined to be a reliable place to get quality products cheaply, and want to pass it on to fellow members. Pretty much all you "negative" points above are moot as vouched by numerous people in this thread alone. Which is why it gets so many recommendations.

It's not a Monoprice cult. People has been posting HDMI cables from other places like RCSS for $9 those are very much encouraged.

Rather it's a anti-Monster cult. As you get no additional value from their expensive cables, the general consensus is that they are a rip-off. There are similar response to BOSE, MDG, and Premier.

In the end fellow RFD members just want to educate. Of course it's a public forum and everybody is entitled to their opinions. :)

[maebach]

I bought my HDMI cable from Zellers. Canadian stores FTW!!! 12 ft for $14.97

[Justpete]

I bought my HDMI cable from Zellers. Canadian stores FTW!!! 12 ft for $14.97

I just ordered some 15ft cables for $6.26 US from monoprice! They also have some great prices on banana clips.

[PCDawg]

I just ordered some 15ft cables for $6.26 US from monoprice! They also have some great prices on banana clips.

If you are in toronto, Sayal Electronics (Scarborough and Mississauga locations) both have a 2pack for $2.00 CDN and it looks exactly like these ones at monoprice.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10401&cs_id=1040115&p_id=2801&seq=1&format=2

[Justpete]

If you are in toronto, Sayal Electronics (Scarborough and Mississauga locations) both have a 2pack for $2.00 CDN and it looks exactly like these ones at monoprice.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10401&cs_id=1040115&p_id=2801&seq=1&format=2

That's great, had I seen it sooner. Those are the ones I actually got. I only payed $9.21 in UPS brokerage fees for a $90 order. (I got 6 15ft cables, 10 banana clips and had it delivered express ($30).. (well, because I'm partly lazy and partly because I DESPISE running the speaker wire through those tiny holes in the back of the receiver. God, free at last. Feels so good!!!

[Justpete]

If you are in toronto, Sayal Electronics (Scarborough and Mississauga locations) both have a 2pack for $2.00 CDN and it looks exactly like these ones at monoprice.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10401&cs_id=1040115&p_id=2801&seq=1&format=2

ps, one of the guys at work suggested I try active surplus.. (despite having a true hate-on for that place, I did, since we're 2 mins away from there). They wanted $3-4.50 for each banana clip of a decent quality. That's $6-9 a pair! That place is a sham. Now I remember why I don't go in there...

[Gutty96]

IF I could ever find some local store were I am selling HDMI cables for around $10 I would buy them. But, since I can't. I just made my 5th order of 5 6ft cables from monoprice.com last night.

I don't really need any right now, but the last five I had, I made $5 each on selling them to people who where THRILLED to return their $150 cable from FS, and buy mine for $15.

And before you ask, yes I did tell them where, and how much paid, but most just wanted to pay the extra $5 then wait for shipping. $5 for getting a cable NOW is one thing. $150 is another.

[S_G]

OP Posts a deal on an HDMI cables, 75% off retail, and you all say its cold!I am going to list up a turd for $10,000, then mark it down to $1 and claim it is over 99% off.


Sure price not so attractive when you compare it to a cheap poorly constructed $5 HDMI cable.Oh, really? Tell me how this cable is better constructed than a "poor" $5 HDMI cable.


and to qoute an installer friend on this topic:

"I have been integrating AV equipment from a simple projector/ plasma install to complex touch control systems for over 10 years. I cannot tell you how many times I get called by clients who have either installed their own or hired a another company to install AV equipment to correct issues cause by low grade "cheap" cables. Many of you are quick to announce your 42", 47" 50" 60" or larger display but go cheap on the connectivity parts. This is just like purchasing Porsche but consistantly putting low grade fuel with water and wonder why it stalls on the take off."

"And by the way, 1's and 0's can get corrupted or lost just like any other type of signal and just because a picture is present doesn't mean all 2,000,000+ pixels are transmitted correctly."No offense, but your friend is a douche. An HDMI cable can only be so "good". Whether you line it with 12 inches of solid copper or you cover it with plastic, it's not going to get much better at a length of THREE FEET, unless you have a 15-year-old lamp sitting next to it.

An analog cable is MUCH more susceptible to interference. That's why it is easy to cheap out on them. Those companies would use simple, really thin gauge wiring with little shielding and sell it to you for a few bucks. HDMI cables have more stringent standards.

Monster cables are prettier, but that's it. It costs them the exact same to manufacture their cables as it does any run-of-the-mill $5 brand, because they are the same. If you want to spend money on a higher quality cable, do some research and get the ACTUAL better cables. Don't think "hey, this is more expensive, so it must be better". Get a thicker gauge, get something with big ferrite cores, get something with better shielding, etc.


I mean no ignorance or harm with my post, simply spreading my informed oppinion and trying to support the OP. Look at it this way, you make your choice, while others will choose the more expensive route. Don't get offended, its not your wallet getting lighter. Good Analogy would be, You can enjoy your "cheap" vodka while I enjoy my Grey Goose.

Thanks for listening and sorry for the long rant!Grey Goose is not a digital vodka. There are literally tens of THOUSANDS of different ways to make vodka, however minute in their differences. They will result in different tastes. An HDMI cable only needs so much for it to be effective.

[sexyblackbmw]

I am going to list up a turd for $10,000, then mark it down to $1 and claim it is over 99% off.

Oh, really? Tell me how this cable is better constructed than a "poor" $5 HDMI cable.

No offense, but your friend is a douche. An HDMI cable can only be so "good". Whether you line it with 12 inches of solid copper or you cover it with plastic, it's not going to get much better at a length of THREE FEET, unless you have a 15-year-old lamp sitting next to it.

An analog cable is MUCH more susceptible to interference. That's why it is easy to cheap out on them. Those companies would use simple, really thin gauge wiring with little shielding and sell it to you for a few bucks. HDMI cables have more stringent standards.

Monster cables are prettier, but that's it. It costs them the exact same to manufacture their cables as it does any run-of-the-mill $5 brand, because they are the same. If you want to spend money on a higher quality cable, do some research and get the ACTUAL better cables. Don't think "hey, this is more expensive, so it must be better". Get a thicker gauge, get something with big ferrite cores, get something with better shielding, etc.

Grey Goose is not a digital vodka. There are literally tens of THOUSANDS of different ways to make vodka, however minute in their differences. They will result in different tastes. An HDMI cable only needs so much for it to be effective.

:lol: This thread was done last week! Quit your whining. You make it sound like your trying to educate me on basic knowledge; myself and my grandmother knew 30+ years ago before you were born junior.

[duckdown]

Monoprice cables of all kinds here (optical, hdmi, dvi, component)

Never had a problem, and the price is great

[sledbc]

I've purchased many cables from monoprice over the years. I just finished hooking up my projector through a Denon 2808ci receiver with HDMI switching, using all monoprice cabling. The best part is that even though I ordered the incorrect length cables initially, monoprice had no problem accepting them as a return and switching them out for the correct length (30' instead of 25')
Their customer service and product support is excellent which is another bonus for monoprice.

[S_G]

:lol: This thread was done last week! Quit your whining. You make it sound like your trying to educate me on basic knowledge; myself and my grandmother knew 30+ years ago before you were born junior.Uh, huh. Says the guy who has made the most uneducated posts in this thread. And you need to work on your grammar, senior.

[maxaudet]

I paid $20 for a "premium" one from a no name brand.

I use it to hook up my PS3 to my 32" LCD and been using it for a year without any problem.

I wouldn't pay more for a HDMI cable.

[apvm]

Got mine from factorydirect $8.88, couldn't wait for shipping from monoprice since I wanted to watch BR during Christmas.

[kleptodathief]

so all this comes down to LENGTH issues? if u need a LONG hdmi cable, its best to go with monster? short as in less then 8ft, i guess cheap cables won't 'degrade' the quality? :confused:

im using that blue CC $25 monster cable for my ps3 HDM1 while using the cheap orange monoprice HDMI3 for my 360....i DO NOT notice any quality differences..same chit to me

[bylo]

Got mine from factorydirect $8.88, couldn't wait for shipping from monoprice since I wanted to watch BR during Christmas.I have both. The Monoprice is definitely "better" in that it has ferrite cores at both ends, gold-plated contacts and thicker wire. As for any perceptible difference in how well it does its job. None.


so all this comes down to LENGTH issues? if u need a LONG hdmi cable, its best to go with monster? short as in less then 8ft, i guess cheap cables won't 'degrade' the quality? :confused:Only if your IQ is smaller than your shoe size (even using the European sizing system.)

[El Baz]

Not sure if this has been posted before but I found some cheap HDMI cables that are not Monoprice or the Monster "24.99 deal."

Loblaws - Gloucester. 6 ft cable $6.99 and 10 ft is $14.44.
They had a lot left and they were fine to me.

[Justpete]

so all this comes down to LENGTH issues? if u need a LONG hdmi cable, its best to go with monster? short as in less then 8ft, i guess cheap cables won't 'degrade' the quality? :confused:

im using that blue CC $25 monster cable for my ps3 HDM1 while using the cheap orange monoprice HDMI3 for my 360....i DO NOT notice any quality differences..same chit to me

Only if the alternative to monster is poorly built.. I'm not sure at which point an HDMI signal degrades, but since ethernet doesn't degrade until 328 feet, then I'd say you're pretty safe. (unless you get a 300+ HDMI cable... which is highly unlikely). However, I do not no the exact numbers and at what point a premium made cable would make any difference.