of course the suckers who actually bought this stuff defend it. they don't want to look like idiots.
I'd tend to agree thomsbrain, way overpriced for ok quality at best. Some cable however you can use and abuse for years setting up and tearing down.
that totally depends on the speaker/crossover and can be completely the opposite with electrostats and other planar speakers.
I think it's all about perception. If you read a lot of high-end hi-fi (not that cheap bose or yamaha crap) they talk about smoothness and soundstage. Some of it sounds a bit farfetched to me. These are people who level their shelves, set the equipment up on these wierd little pointy thingies, and more. I refuse to go high end, but I also refuse monster, they're just a name that sounds impressive. Get some kimber kable, or nordost. kimber seems to be more common sense to me. Don't bother with good cables for a computer speaker system, not really worth it.
I don't think they're overpriced, because looking around you see way more overpriced wires (Cardas comes to mind) selling for hundreds and thousands of dollars per cable.
Again, you're making judgements about something you've never heard. Critical listening is an acquired skill, and some people will never hear "it". And if you love music and hear it on a really high end rig, well that's pretty much it.
IMHO...
The majority of people do not need to buy them, they won't notice any difference. The only people that benefit are those w/ McIntosh amps and spend 30k on their systems (well, in the audiophile range).
Joe Sixpack who buys a nice receiver for 1k, speakers for ~500$ and puts them in a room where the sound dynamics hinder the sound, much more than normal cables would, won't notice a difference.
But places like Circuit City, Best Buy, and Soundtrack fool these people into spending way too much money on cables for the systems they have. They are overpriced (and overkill) for the majority of people.
The majority of people do not need to buy them, they won't notice any difference. The only people that benefit are those w/ McIntosh amps and spend 30k on their systems (well, in the audiophile range).
Joe Sixpack who buys a nice receiver for 1k, speakers for ~500$ and puts them in a room where the sound dynamics hinder the sound, much more than normal cables would, won't notice a difference.
But places like Circuit City, Best Buy, and Soundtrack fool these people into spending way too much money on cables for the systems they have. They are overpriced (and overkill) for the majority of people.
I bought them for my home stereo and maybe I'm nuts but I heard a difference. Plus, even if they don't make a audible difference, they still look super cool. It's not like I am running 22-gauge RadioShack zipcord to my speakers. 
Been thinking about buying the Monster cable rewire kit for my Klipsch computer speakers. And I'm not a guy to waste money on stuff I think is unnecessary.
Been thinking about buying the Monster cable rewire kit for my Klipsch computer speakers. And I'm not a guy to waste money on stuff I think is unnecessary.
Siddhartha
Lifer
- Oct 17, 1999
- 12,505
- 3
- 81
Awhile back Audio or Stereo Review compared expensive and cheap brands of speaker wire and found very little difference in performance.
Stereo Review is a joke, or was when it still existed. In 20 years they never gave anything a bad review, and rarely reviewed anything really nice.
Monster Cables may be good, but a lot of the pricing is markup from their advertising hype.
You need to have a good situation to really make these obviously better than standard cables (room, speakers, receiver, players- these all can make a real difference and overshadow your bad ass cables, no matter what they are). And that means a lot of $. So if you're already spending a lot money, you should invest in better cables.
You need to have a good situation to really make these obviously better than standard cables (room, speakers, receiver, players- these all can make a real difference and overshadow your bad ass cables, no matter what they are). And that means a lot of $. So if you're already spending a lot money, you should invest in better cables.
Funny this is, the inventor of McIntosh used regular 12ga zipcord when doing demos at the McIntosh labs. I recall reading that in an article somewhere off avsforums.
Muse
Lifer
- Jul 11, 2001
- 41,348
- 10,471
- 136
Agreed. I think a whole whole LOT of the high end audio market is driven by the Emporer's New Clothes syndrome, and Monster etc. cabling is definitely part of that scene. I spied one at a flea market a couple months ago, about a 6 footer. Asked how much and the guy said $1. I passed it up. My home theater system sounds great (see Baby Rigzilla in my sig) and the cabling is adequate but didn't bleed my bank account.
Well, question then: What kind of systems are you guys running with these cables? I didn't put mine in 'system rigs' because it's overclocked too much jk I'm running a NAD C370 integrated, C270 power amp, both in bridge mode (1 to each speaker), and the C541 cd player. As far as cables go, I'm using the same ones I got when I bought the whole deal, so I can't personally vouch for differences in cabling. When I got rid of an older Yamaha CD player, I did notice a big difference there, as the NAD is smoother, but that's beside the point. I wish stores had a 'try it for a few days' policy, because this crap is so expensive, once you buy it, you're sorta stuck. It won't sound the same when you take it home as opposed to when you hear it in the store. I've moved this thing to 5 different rooms over the course of the past two years and each time it never fails to amaze me as to how different it sounds. I fear this is the speakers and the acoustics of the room however. I do know these amps are extremely transparent. Not that I'm a big Metallica fan (sellouts), but their black album sounds somewhat harsh and tinny, and it's not the system. I don't think cables would be able to change the way a CD sounds enough to kill that. One rule I've always heard is: buy good interconnects, speaker cables don't matter so much, just get a big enough gauge. I don't mean to inflame anyone with this, hope I didn't. And I'm out.
I'm running a NAD C370 integrated, C270 power amp, both in bridge mode (1 to each speaker), and the C541 cd player. As far as cables go, I'm using the same ones I got when I bought the whole deal, so I can't personally vouch for differences in cabling. When I got rid of an older Yamaha CD player, I did notice a big difference there, as the NAD is smoother, but that's beside the point. I wish stores had a 'try it for a few days' policy, because this crap is so expensive, once you buy it, you're sorta stuck. It won't sound the same when you take it home as opposed to when you hear it in the store. I've moved this thing to 5 different rooms over the course of the past two years and each time it never fails to amaze me as to how different it sounds. I fear this is the speakers and the acoustics of the room however. I do know these amps are extremely transparent. Not that I'm a big Metallica fan (sellouts), but their black album sounds somewhat harsh and tinny, and it's not the system. I don't think cables would be able to change the way a CD sounds enough to kill that. One rule I've always heard is: buy good interconnects, speaker cables don't matter so much, just get a big enough gauge. I don't mean to inflame anyone with this, hope I didn't. And I'm out.Originally posted by: HappyCracker
Well, question then: What kind of systems are you guys running with these cables? I didn't put mine in 'system rigs' because it's overclocked too much jk
When I was running a system like yours I had a pair of $70 Kimber speaker cables, and they were nice I guess because I didn't have a frame of comparison. Then one day I got a pair of Analysis Plus Oval - 12 biwires (for my new speakers which hadn't arrived yet) and I hooked them up to my NAD 304 (NAD 521 -> NAD 304 -> NHT Super One) and I couldn't believe how much fuller my system sounded. There was a lot more deep bass, and the system was a lot smoother. This was the first time I had heard the difference a cable can make and I was surprised.
The other thing that really surprised me (and I have noticed this particularly with the Super Ones) is that they sound so much better with a good amplifier and front end, so much so that I couldn't believe it. I was using a pair of PSB Alphas that sounded really good (and were all I could afford at the time) but I kept remembering a demo of the Super Ones I heard at a store and how nice they were. I never thought that they sounded nice because of the expensive equipment powering them. Anyhow I finally bought the Super Ones, and they just didn't sound as good in my system as I remembered them. One day I tried them just for kicks on my new front end and amplifier and I realized that these speakers really needed a good front end to sound their best. The PSBs were much less system dependent. This also kind of made me understand why some magazines will say things like "no $350 speaker has any to sound this good," "puts some speakers costing 3 times as much to shame" etc. I think the biggest reason is that they test these more humble speakers with thousands of dollars of electronics and remember how nice they sounded when powered by stuff that no actual owner will ever really use with them.
As for the topic, Monster cables are usually bad for the money. I've heard 3rd hand that particular models are good for the money (but you won't find them at BB - usually these are the ones that cost several hundred dollars or so), but nobody that I trust has ever said something like that. One thing that Monster does make well, and is usually considered a good deal are the HTS-1000 and the HTS-2000 powerline conditioners/surge supressors. They are now replaced by the Powerbar 1100 and 2100, which cost more but are not really any better than the predecessors (which can still be found on the internet for good prices). These actually do a good job of making a good system more quiet and they really do improve on your TV/DVD etc. I used the free test disc that BB had during christmas and observed a simple test pattern to see the difference, and there is quite a difference. Now this thing isn't the best or anything, but for the $90 you can find the HTS-1100 for - it is a bargain and works very well.
As for cables if you have decent equipment are probably already using something like Kimber, Audioquest, Straightwire lower-end stuff, if you have a better system you already should know what your doing so I won't bother mentioning any of the almost hundreds of companies making hi-end cables. However, if you bought your system at BB or CC you will gain little or nothing by using Monster or even stuff like Kimber, Audioquest etc. Invest the money on a better system next time (if you care) and don't buy any audio/video stuff at BB (again if you care to get into better stuff - some people don't care, and that's fine). But if you are one who is happy with BB, CC stuff then don't waste your money - go buy some movies or CDs instead.
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