Acoustic Research Cables

[skipsterut]

What's the general take on Acoustic Research cables. They have a "brand name" and seem to be rerasonably priced -- especially compared to Monster. I've read about "snake oil" etc. I have also heard Blue Jeans Cabel referred to favorably in this forum. But I'm finding I can get comparable (I think) AR cables for less money. Also at buyextras.com they have a line of generic cables that are very nicely priced. So is even an AR cable snake oil and the generics are just as good -- since I'm going no more than 6 feet in any one run.

I'm getting: 4 digital optical (Toslink), 1 DVI-HDMI, 1 HDMI-HDMI, and 1 RCA audio Y-splitter

BTW jaxvon -- I did buy the Belden UE-5000 soeaker cable from Westlake for $0.19 per foot. Great deal. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Any of these cables are fine except the "patch cables." You want some type of shielding, especially if you're running video. Patch cables have almost no shielding. Compare these to the others you've found, and go with the best price. There's snake oil in just about everything we buy (except maybe Honda's ).

http://www.partexpress.com/webpage.cfm?&DID=7&WebPage_ID=81&promo=21

 

[j_garcia]

I've used AR, generally the Pro2 line, for variuous installations and I've gotten no complaints from customers. During installation, the cables themselves seemed to be of good quality for both video and audio. check www.ac4l.com for deals on certain AR cables. PE has them as well, but AC4L has certain ones for less.

Bluejeans are excellent quality for the price, but as you said, they are also a bit more than various AR.

 

[skipsterut]

Thanks for the input.

OK -- Here's an update. Decided to go with all AR Pro II cables. Found a great selection of in stock AR cables at the best prices at beachaudio.com.

The specs on the Pro II line from AR are outstanding and the price point is terrific considering the quality -- a good value propostion IMO.

Ordered the following last Friday --

2 HDMI - 6' ($35.99 ea)
4 Digital optical audio - 6' ($14.99 ea)
1 Subwoofer - 15' w/Y-adapter ($14.99)
1 DVI-HDMI adapter ($27.99)
1 RCA audio Y-adapter - needed for an old mono source ($9.99)

$5.00 shipping

Should arrive by Thursday. I'll post how I like them next week after getting everything hooked up next weekend.

Also heres a link to the AR cables web site http://www.araccessories.com/Cultures/en-US/Recoton+AR/ -- consulting this site was indispensable since the descriptions on many cable supplier web sites really lack -- sometimes they don't even list the cable length!! So I just found what I need on the AR site and noted the model numbers. Then ordered by model number from beachaudio.

 

[jaxvon]

Looks like a good deal! AR makes solid cables for a reasonable price. I actually picked up a component video set from PE for like $9 on clearance for when I have a component video capable display.

Oh, and I'm glad you're happy with the speaker cable. Yeah, it's kinda stiff, but it's pretty compact and it's dirt cheap.

 

[furrycute]

I use a lot of Acoustic Research cables. My speaker cables are Acoustic Research 10gauge cables. Really really heavy, and good quality.

 

[skipsterut]

AR Cables look great

Just received the order of AR cables from beachaudio.com. Every one was in its plastic bubble retail package -- so they're "the real deal" (too bad the retail packaging is such a pain in the *** to open these plastic "safes") but it's reassuring to see them all packaged up "nice & proper."

Also received the Pioneer VSX-72 receiver todday (great timing to get both the receiver and cables on the same day -- wish I could claim the credit for great planning -- but it was just serendipity.)

Got the basics hooked up -- but then had to spend most of the night watching the White Sox beat and Astros - AGAIN! -- since I "hail from" the south side of "Chi-town" it's been a long dry spell and I need to "savor the moment."

I have to say its really great watching such a great sporting event on a 42" HDTV in 5.1 sound (even though I only have 2 fronts + a sub hooked up at the moment -- it still sounds fantastic)!!

But anyway -- back on topic -- I'm really pleased with both the AR Pro II cables themselves as well as the great service and low cost shipping ($5.00 flat rate) from beachaudio.com I ordered on Friday afternoon and received them today. Of course since beachaudio is in CA and I'm in UT the shipping distance wasn't that great, but I'm still pretty impressed with the service level.