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Help: Where do I find good deals on Monster Cables?

C

christopherojeda

Member
Well, I want to upgrate all my audio and video cables to something better than the basic. I am thinking of getting Monster (not sure if they are the best but will consider other recommendations) but where can I get them for a good price?
 
For PC, I wouldn't bother upgrading. If you realy want to, go with gold cables.

For HT systems, then it would be hard to get them for "a good price". They are good, medium quality cables. You will pay a decent price for em 😉

Armani
 
Actually, these would be for my Sony ES Home/Audio System. I've lived poor to buy a nice system based on the logic that I do actually get a lot of use out of it (which is true) but the cables are the cheapos that come with each A/V component. I saw some decent prices on Ebay but I have to see what the auctions close for.
 
go look for audioquest cables......you can often find the old model lines available online, which are great cables, but can be had for good deals. i'll see if i can't find one of the places i used to buy cables from.
 
I was talkin about to some real audio nut a little while ago (who just happened to be one of my professors at college) and I asked him about getting some monster cables. He went off on me about how I didn't need them and how Monster Cables were garbage and overpriced. I can't remember the specifics...but if there are any real audiophiles in here, are Monster Cables really worth the premium u pay for them?
 
no they're not

the general gist of it is monster cables are PROPER size cables


ie 18 gauge or watever instead of the 20/22 you're using (or something like that); well this is true for speaker wire anyway, i'm not sure about A/V cables

 
NeuroSynapsis is right on the money. You can get higher guage speaker wire without buying Monster brand cables. I mean hell, its all just copper wiring...as long as its thick enough its the same thing.

The only place I'd recommend monster or some high end stuff is for your inter connects, S-video, and component video. You need better quality shielding on those cables.
 
Go to HomeDepot and buy 14 or 16GA. lampwire for your speakers. They may have some inter-connects but if not, go to radioshack and buy their gold plated cables. About 1/2 the price of Monster and the same quality.
 
sorry, i didn't address the issue of whether monster is actually worth the money....no, not usually. for the same amount of money you pay for monster, you can usually find a better cable with a different brand, just look around and visit some of the audio sites.... stereophile usually has some good reviews, although many might be out of your price range, but it could give you a good idea as to what is out there. good luck!
 
So I checked out some A/V forums and man those people are split into believers and non-believers (no kidding that is what they call themselves). Anyhow, the believers say that cables make a difference and the non-believers say it doesn't. It doesn't help that some studies have been done with blind tests and the believer couldn't tell the difference between a $5 cable and a $100 cable....what to do now?
 
Just get some heavier gauge wire with golden contacts/plugs and you'll be set. No need to pay for then name when you can get the same thing at Radioshack. Although, I would investigate the links some others have given you, because Radioshack isn't the cheapest either.
 
There isn't ANY difference, as long as you use the correct gauge wire. I remember reading about a test where they took some hard core audiophiles who were pro-expensive cable believers, and blindfolded, they couldn't tell the difference between expensive cables, and coat hangers.

What the expensive cables ARE good for is for a DJ or someone who moves their system around a lot. They will last under constant assembly/unassembly better.

Otherwise, save your money.
 
i bought 12 gauge cables for my z560s..

frankly, if you want plain cables (side by side wires) for speakers, any 12 gauge will do. you can go for the oxygen free if you want, its what i got. www.partsexpress.com to look for stuff. its a good site for wiring needs, even bulk.


monster cables are waaaay overpriced, period.
 
You can argue however you like about being a believer or not, but I would certainly wager that dollar for dollar, the value you get out of monster cables is ridiculously low. That is to say, if I have 100-200 dollars to spend, I will get much better sound improvement by investing it into other parts of the system and spending 10-15 bucks for a quality 16 gauge oxygen free speaker wire from Lowe. I would go even further to say that this rule of thumb will hold true until your system is worth well over $5,000. At this point, well, if you have to worry about blowing an extra couple of hundred, then you probably shouldn't have that setup in the first place.

Another interesting point though is that I have heard that it can make a significant difference by having a quality interconnecting system. Apparently, if your contacts at the reciever or speaker are poor, you can have sparking which will manifest itself as small popping in the sound. Haven't had much of a chance to verify this phenomenon or examine just how good is good enough, but it seems to make sense anyway.

My .25 cents....(inflation and all)

J
 
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