OK, I got a RCA component cable from walmart for $9.

Then I saw at best buy they have a monster and a phoenix gold for much more money. the monster is $75 and the phoenix gold is $54.

Are there any differences? or is this just a marketing scheme?

12/22/2005 10:53:14 PM

More wanting your money in their wallet. There is no reason I'd pay that much for cables from Best Buy. You should never buy any accessories from Best Buy because many times the mark up is ridiculous.

But then again I dont own a HD TV. Buy em both, try them both and look at the image quality. If they are the same or close to it, get the cheaper cables.

[Edited on December 22, 2005 at 11:06 PM. Reason : to answer the question]

12/22/2005 10:59:14 PM

In certain cases, cheap cables can bite you in the butt. If the cables work for you though, and you don't notice any visual anomalies, then stick with them.

12/22/2005 11:11:49 PM

ive been told on this msg board that monster cables aren't worth it

12/22/2005 11:12:25 PM

Cable quality varies by the bandwidth and impedance tollerance.
its largly about signal integrity... the answer is YES cables do make a difference, but the price:notice ratio isn't proportional to the cost...

Buy shielded cables, they will have a good thick dielectric for the signal to travel in. As long as your getting shielded cables (I.e. thick cables) then your typically alright.

Monster brand cables aren't worth the money, the mark up on them is attrocious(sp?)

however cables DO make a difference, spending the money on a decent set of AR (acoustic research) from best buy will produce a noticiable difference over the skinny cables that come with something.

Also the thicker cables have thicker wire which make for less loss in the lines from I^2*R losses which is why they sound better in audio applications. Video applications high speed signal integrity is why you want to buy better cables... (thats a simple answer I could give several pages on this but no one would read it.)

12/22/2005 11:33:06 PM

It depends on what TV you own and what is supplying the signal. I work at a place where we have hand-made and tested component cables costing hundreds of dollars. If you are connecting the cables to a $20 DVD player then it doesn't make sense to spend more to get balanced cables with better shielding against noise.

You have to look at the system as a whole and decide what percentage you want to devote to the connections vs. the individual components. If thousands were spent on the TV, then those $9 cables are probably not the best choice.

12/22/2005 11:33:58 PM

I've used tin foil to replace a coax RG-59 cable once. It worked without any noticeable problems.

12/22/2005 11:34:52 PM

Quote :

"I've used tin foil to replace a coax RG-59 cable once. It worked without any noticeable problems. "

I'm willing to bet that this was for a very short run and it didn't work well for cable frequency's

RG-59 is 75ohm cable... 75ohm comes into play with RF applications... lower channels mean lower frequency so if your just connecting your VCR to channel 3 it hardly matters at all (has to do with wavelength and propogation velocity vs length of the cable wavelength decreases as frequency increases)

12/22/2005 11:37:34 PM

yeah, I was joining 2 coax cables for cable TV, so it was probably not for more than an inch... I joined the inner conductor, used some masking tape for the insulator, used more foil for the shield, and wrapped some duct tape around the outside.

12/22/2005 11:43:02 PM

heh resourcefull... but you know that connector is litterally less than a dollar at walmart?

but I can't say much... my antenna for the reciever in my bedroom is just a bare piece of foil...

I was just making sure the signal integrity point was addressed properly...

12/22/2005 11:52:04 PM

I just ordered an HDMI cable for $12.99 and some $5.49 component cables from the following company:
http://www.cablesforless.com
I don't have any 'high end' cables to compare them to though.

12/23/2005 10:00:07 AM

Monster Cables ARE good cables.

They also cost 10x what EXACT alternatives cost.

If you want real high end cables, check out bluejeanscables.com, if you just want pretty good and afforable stuff then cablesforless.com^ is pretty good or just get the GE component cables from Target. They are damn good, especially for the $

12/23/2005 11:36:33 AM

the only thing you may run into with cheap cables is EMI.. Monster cables and other high end cables may have better shielding against EMI, and highend cables don't attenuate the signal as much over the same distance so your devices will receive stronger signals.

I usually go middle grade, budget reasons, when I buy cables.. I'd buy acoustic research cables before I get monster cable.. but i tend to stay away from the standard cables radioshack sells..

12/23/2005 11:56:38 AM

this is a obscure point... but I feel like bringing it up... Signals travel in the dielectric themselves between the conductor and the ground, its where the sinewave actuall exists. A better controlled dielectric will give a better signal quality over all... (TEM modes)

BUT that goes back to the "where does it matter" and the performance:cost ratio rears its ugly head. The only time you should consider top of the line cables is when you have absolutely top of the line equipment all through and have no weaknesses. Home theater is only as good as your weakest part though so you want to match everything pretty well.

(I'm looking at a pair of AR's I bought at employee cost when I worked at best buy )

12/23/2005 1:33:45 PM

http://www.monoprice.com

has the best prices on cable that I've seen. Quality stuff too.

12/23/2005 2:33:39 PM

Quote :

"heh resourcefull... but you know that connector is litterally less than a dollar at walmart? but I can't say much... my antenna for the reciever in my bedroom is just a bare piece of foil... I was just making sure the signal integrity point was addressed properly..."

took every word right out of my mouth

12/23/2005 2:38:37 PM