Cable Price Difference Too Good to be True? (Blue Jeans vs. Impact Acoustics)

[cdye]

I'm doing some cable shopping for my new system, and the prices at Blue Jeans generally are MUCH lower than Impact. Am I missing something? Is there an advantage to Impact Acoustics that I'm not aware of?

I'll list my itemized comparison followed by (BJ) and (IA) for prices from each place.

HDMI-HDMI Cable, 3 ft.: $21 (BJ) and $70 (IA)
DVI-HDMI Adaptor: $30 (BJ) and $12 (IA)
12 Gauge Speaker Cable, 100 ft.: $40 (BJ) and $86 (IA)
DVI-HDMI Cable, 6 ft.: $32.50 (BJ) and $85 (IA)
Subwoofer Coax, 6 ft.: $21.50 (BJ) and $24 (IA)

I want to buy quality interconnects, but since both vendors are referenced frequently in these forums, I'd assume nearly equal quality.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Nick250]

There is no advantage to be gained by buying the Impact cables. I personally use Radio Shack because there is one less than a mile from me. It's all pretty much generic stuff regardless of price.

 

[zumbo]

I have a variety of cables.

Bluejeans
Ixos
AR
Tara Labs

I like the Bluejeans the best, however, the AR cables are great. The connectors(rca) are much higher quality than what you will get with RS cables. RS cables don't fit snug enough for me. I was in the local BB last night, and looked at some PRO II cables by AR. Very nice. They were SACD/DVD-A (5.1 cables) for $99.99. Found them on ebay for $43.00. They are on the way.

 

[Leprkon]

HDMI-HDMI Cable, 3 ft.: $21 (BJ) and $70 (IA)
DVI-HDMI Adaptor: $30 (BJ) and $12 (IA)
12 Gauge Speaker Cable, 100 ft.: $40 (BJ) and $86 (IA)
DVI-HDMI Cable, 6 ft.: $32.50 (BJ) and $85 (IA)
Subwoofer Coax, 6 ft.: $21.50 (BJ) and $24 (IA)

Thanks for your help.

I'm a little confused by your purchase. The HDMI/HDMI makes sense, then either the DVI/HDMI cable or the DVI/HDMI adapter would make sense...

are you using the adapter for your computer ? if so, what is the HDMI/DVI cable for, satellite box ? I would be very impressed to see a TV with three HDMI inputs..

by the way Zumbo, you might check this site for excellent values on AR cables:

http://www.accessories4less.com/

I've tried the e-bay route for cables and it's not something I'd care to repeat. A company named MooseCo, sometimes know as Muccianti Brothers, a company out of Illinois, cashed my money order then refused to send me the items. They also wondered why I would not rescind my negative feedback in return for a promise they would send the cables "soon".

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

It's hard to beat Blue Jeans for pricing. Zumbo is correct in saying the terminations are very important. If you're one to pull the unit out every so often, you want a nice tight fit, and one that won't unsolder itself.

 

[zumbo]

by the way Zumbo, you might check this site for excellent values on AR cables:

http://www.accessories4less.com/

I've tried the e-bay route for cables and it's not something I'd care to repeat. A company named MooseCo, sometimes know as Muccianti Brothers, a company out of Illinois, cashed my money order then refused to send me the items. They also wondered why I would not rescind my negative feedback in return for a promise they would send the cables "soon".

Thanks. I checked a4less, as well as Amazon before I purchased. Both great places for cables. I got a better deal from http://stores.ebay.com/Get-Wired-Cable_W0QQsspagenameZL2QQtZkm. And, I prefer to use Paypal.

 

[cdye]

Leprkon, my setup is listed in the previous thread in this forum that you helped me out on (recommended setup).

I'm setting up my satellite and DVD player as inputs (HDMI only) to my receiver and sending the HDMI output from the receiver to the TV.

I know this is kinda weird, but my TV and satellite receiver only have DVI outputs. They both also have optical audio. I already have a DVI-DVI cable, so I plan to use it for my video connection. My DVD player, which is on the way has HDMI.

So. . . my setup will look like this:

Satellite: DVI-DVI cable out with DVI-HDMI adaptor, optical cable out to my new receiver (Yamaha RX-V2600) (optical in, HDMI in)
DVD Player: HDMI cable out to receiver HDMI in
TV: HDMI-DVI cable (HDMI from receiver to DVI in on television)

I am VERY new to this and haven't purchased the cables to this, so if any one has other suggestions with my setup, I'd appreciate the help!

 

[ScottMayo]

I have both AR and Blue Jeans in my system. I like the Blue Jeans a bit better cosmetically, but both work just fine. I tend to buy AR when I happen to need one of their stock lengths, and BJ otherwise - and BJ for any cable I expect to connect and disconnect over and over. If a BJ cable ever failed in normal use, I suspect BJ would replace it.

Radio Shack sells junky wire for way too much money. I've given up on them completely.

For optical, I buy from monoprice.com. They have an uneven reputation, but the one time I wanted a 25' optical cable, they had it in stock and very cheaply.

Measure twice, add a foot, order once.

 

[Leprkon]

So. . . my setup will look like this:

Satellite: DVI-DVI cable out with DVI-HDMI adaptor, optical cable out to my new receiver (Yamaha RX-V2600) (optical in, HDMI in)
DVD Player: HDMI cable out to receiver HDMI in
TV: HDMI-DVI cable (HDMI from receiver to DVI in on television)

I am VERY new to this and haven't purchased the cables to this, so if any one has other suggestions with my setup, I'd appreciate the help!

I'm on board now... didn't even think about going to the receiver !!!

does the sat box come with a hard-wired DVI cable ? otherwise I would recommend you just get two HDMI/DVI cables. A straight-wired cable is much less likely to have problems than throwing an adapter into the mix. From your prices, it's only a two-dollar difference.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Measure twice, add a foot, order once.

Hey, I like this But at times, even this is short. Maybe running a string first, especially when it is not a straight run but through walls, etc

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Hey, I like this But at times, even this is short. Maybe running a string first, especially when it is not a straight run but through walls, etc

Or add as much as 3 feet. Sometimes you don't have access to the back of your entertainment center, and have to pull the receiver out and down on the floor. That extra slack really comes in handy.

 

[Nick250]

Radio Shack sells junky wire for way too much money. I've given up on them completely.

I have never have observed a problem with the quality of Radio Shack Gold cables and have never had a failure with any of their interconnects. What is junky about their wire? Speaker wire is speaker wire. In addition their prices are the same as like products at BB or the like here in Eastern MA.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Or add as much as 3 feet. Sometimes you don't have access to the back of your entertainment center, and have to pull the receiver out and down on the floor. That extra slack really comes in handy.

Now that is what I should have done But, there is a next time

 

[zumbo]

I have never have observed a problem with the quality of Radio Shack Gold cables and have never had a failure with any of their interconnects. What is junky about their wire? Speaker wire is speaker wire. In addition their prices are the same as like products at BB or the like here in Eastern MA.

The problem with the radio shack cables is the connectors. On their audio(rca) cables, the connectors are cheap. They are designed the same way a cheap set that comes with a vcr.

Go into your local BB and check-out the (rca) connectors on some AR cables. They are much, much better than the "gold" junk from RS for about the same money, or less.

 

[gene]

Radio Shack connectors are gear rippers to say the least. I used to have some of their RCA cables and I broke off a few connectors on VCR's when trying to remove them.

Getting the cheapest cables isn't always the smartest purchasing decision. I would suggest spending a little more and getting cables with good terminations and build quality. Some of my favorite RCA's are Canare which is what Bluejeans uses. Impact Acoustics also has excellent terminations.

 

[Nick250]

The problem with the radio shack cables is the connectors. On their audio(rca) cables, the connectors are cheap. They are designed the same way a cheap set that comes with a vcr.

Go into your local BB and check-out the (rca) connectors on some AR cables. They are much, much better than the "gold" junk from RS for about the same money, or less.

OK then, I will get some AR cables the next time the need arises and compare them to RS that I have.