How important are cables?

FierceTIMbo17

FierceTIMbo17

Audioholic
Today my denon 1920 dvd player arrived at the local magnolia hifi inside my local best buy. I went to pick it up and buy it and when i did they asked if i needed any cables. I did need an hdmi cable so i told them to grab the acoustic research cable. picutred here > http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6826027&type=product&id=1091101681462
the three salesmen i noramlly deal with (i shop there alot) began to practically insult me and one even went to the extent of saying, and this is a direct quote "You must not be the audio/videophile i thout you were." Well i never claimed to be one. I was so pissed had i no been anticipating the arrival of this unit i would have said F@*k you and left. But i made my purcahse with MY cable and went home pretty happy. (You can bet after that i did not get the service plan on it after that "AMAZING" customer service)
But back to the point sorry i am angry had to vent, they were trying to get me to buy the monster 1000's hdmi cable. picutred here > http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7129029&type=product&id=1109938024225
saying i would notice a huge difference in video quality and other such stuff. Now i know i could spend $1,000 on a cable and notice a difference but do you think at this level of cables that it would make a difference. Thanks-tim
 
Hi Ho

Hi Ho

Audioholic Samurai
Cables are important but don't buy into the hype of "high end" cables. With HDMI, I'd say you could spend $10,000 on a cable an NOT notice a difference. There is a point of diminishing returns and that point isn't very high, especially with digital cables. See the numerous articles regarding the subject under Interconnects, Cables, and Power Conditioning HERE. You made the right move in going with the cheaper cable. I hate dealing with salesmen. That's why I usually buy online.

There really is no reason to spend a lot of money on cables. Good quality cables can be had for very reasonable prices. If you make your own, you get an even better value. Though obviously you can't easily make your own HDMI cable as easily as RCA cables.
 
Last edited:
Daz3d&Confus3d

Daz3d&Confus3d

Full Audioholic
Man I hate it when they act like that! I'm the same way....I dont even want to deal with them alot of times!!! Especially when you know you know more than they do in most areas of discussion of audio/video!!!
 
M

markw

Audioholic Overlord
Hi Ho pretty much nailed it.

They make lots a commission when they sell Monster cable.

...and people wonder why many shop the internet instead. This kiinda treatment makes it hard for me to justify B & M stores, and I'm a firm believer in supporting 'em, or at least TRYING to support 'em.
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
I try to push people towards www.monoprice.com and then you should make all your cable purchases with them as the baseline. I have used their cables and replaced top dollar Monster Cable with Monoprice cable with zero noticable quality difference.

It's almost entirely bunk. A waste of your money, and either a clueless salesguy - or a really pushy one. More likely clueless though.

Is there a difference with Monster vs. some of the other brands? Yes, quite often Monster has a superior cable. Does this difference transpire itself into something that you can actually see with your eyes or hear? Almost never.
 
I

ian1386

Enthusiast
My speakers may not be good enough to express the difference between cables, but I personally wasn't able to tell the difference between normal speaker cable and 'better' monster cables costing 4x as much.
 
tomd51

tomd51

Audioholic General
Sorry to hear, Timbo, that kind of behavior is unacceptable. If they knew you on a personal level and could 'kid around' with you, that's one thing, but it sounds more like they were being condesending a-holes more than anything. These guys are right, more often than not they wouldn't know their a.s.s from their elbow and aren't much more than oxygen thiefs... :rolleyes:

I wouldn't get too worked up about it, I think you've wasted enough of your time on them for now. If it would make you feel any better, stop by BestBuy again and ask someone (not these clowns) to speak to a manager. Once you do, calmly discuss the conversation btw yourself and their sales staff and explain your displeasure with their behavior. There's no need for that, particularly considering that you're not only a prospective customer, but a customer that's just purchased a fairly expensive piece of equipment! :mad: -TD
 
avnetguy

avnetguy

Audioholic Chief
FierceTIMbo17 said:
"You must not be the audio/videophile i thout you were."
Two things to do in this situation,

1> If the store has a really good, no questions asked, return policy ... well, get both and try them out for yourself.

2> Get them to show you the difference with the same DVD/TV setup and a direct cable swap and with nothing else changed.

Steve
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
You can't just swap video cables, you have to recalibrate after the switch - if there is an actual difference, a recal should be required... With HDMI cables, I wouldn't expect to see much of a difference at all however.

Also check out www.bluejeanscable.com very good stuff, and no BS marketing fluff to go with it.
 
krabapple

krabapple

Banned
FierceTIMbo17 said:
Today my denon 1920 dvd player arrived at the local magnolia hifi inside my local best buy. I went to pick it up and buy it and when i did they asked if i needed any cables.
How thoughtful of them! :rolleyes:

I did need an hdmi cable so i told them to grab the acoustic research cable. picutred here > http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6826027&type=product&id=1091101681462
the three salesmen i noramlly deal with (i shop there alot) began to practically insult me and one even went to the extent of saying, and this is a direct quote "You must not be the audio/videophile i thout you were."
And what they were thinking was: "Always be closing" :mad:


Well i never claimed to be one. I was so pissed had i no been anticipating the arrival of this unit i would have said F@*k you and left.
But i made my purcahse with MY cable and went home pretty happy. (You can bet after that i did not get the service plan on it after that "AMAZING" customer service)
Good for you! :)

But back to the point sorry i am angry had to vent, they were trying to get me to buy the monster 1000's hdmi cable. picutred here > http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7129029&type=product&id=1109938024225
saying i would notice a huge difference in video quality and other such stuff. Now i know i could spend $1,000 on a cable and notice a difference but do you think at this level of cables that it would make a difference. Thanks-tim

No, nor do I think it would likely make a difference at the $1000 level either.

THe intensity of the sales pitch has nothing to do with the quality. I would bet their mark-up on Monster cables is pretty substantial.
 
Jack Hammer

Jack Hammer

Audioholic Field Marshall
Monster cables are good...

...just really, really overpriced. I've used Monster and ARII and to be honest, I can't tell any difference between them. The Accoustic Research can be had pretty cheap online.

As far as their sales practices go - you were at a best buy, whad'ya expect? :) Many people have had less than perfect experiences with the Magnolia's inside best buys (as opposed to the stand alone units). Personally, I'd order some cables online (for about a third to a quarter the cost) and return the ones from best buy when they arrive.

Jack
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
ian1386 said:
My speakers may not be good enough to express the difference between cables, but I personally wasn't able to tell the difference between normal speaker cable and 'better' monster cables costing 4x as much.

I am still looking for the speakers that are able to do that. :D Or th egear, or the human,:D
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
FierceTIMbo17 said:
Today my denon 1920 dvd player arrived at the local magnolia hifi inside my local best buy. I went to pick it up and buy it and when i did they asked if i needed any cables. I did need an hdmi cable so i told them to grab the acoustic research cable. picutred here > http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6826027&type=product&id=1091101681462
the three salesmen i noramlly deal with (i shop there alot) began to practically insult me and one even went to the extent of saying, and this is a direct quote "You must not be the audio/videophile i thout you were." Well i never claimed to be one. I was so pissed had i no been anticipating the arrival of this unit i would have said F@*k you and left. But i made my purcahse with MY cable and went home pretty happy. (You can bet after that i did not get the service plan on it after that "AMAZING" customer service)
But back to the point sorry i am angry had to vent, they were trying to get me to buy the monster 1000's hdmi cable. picutred here > http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7129029&type=product&id=1109938024225
saying i would notice a huge difference in video quality and other such stuff. Now i know i could spend $1,000 on a cable and notice a difference but do you think at this level of cables that it would make a difference. Thanks-tim

Sorry to hear that but expected. How else will they compete to go on free cruises or Hawaii, from Monster? $180 for a 3ft HDMI cable?? That is garbage, plain theft.
BMX had it right, go to monoprice.com
You should even take your AR cables back at $80 for 3 ft. Tell them it has crappy picture. Mono cables has it beat :p Mono has HDMI for 1/10. You read it right, not a mistake.:D
At that 3-4ft distance, I guarantee that no one will see a difference in a controlled test.

ps.
As for cable importance, try to use one that is one foot too short :) That is about all you need to worry, most of the time.
 
mulester7

mulester7

Audioholic Samurai
mtrycrafts said:
As for cable importance, just try to use one that is one foot too short :) That is about all you need to worry, most of the time.
.....haha, ain't that the truth....coat hangers don't make very good extensions.....
 
T

The Dukester

Audioholic Chief
mulester7 said:
.....haha, ain't that the truth....coat hangers don't make very good extensions.....

No, but if you twist them the right way you can make cable risers out of them. Heck, twist a few together, hang 'em from the ceiling to keep the cords off the floor and call it deco art:D
 
mulester7

mulester7

Audioholic Samurai
The Dukester said:
No, but if you twist them the right way you can make cable risers out of them. Heck, twist a few together, hang 'em from the ceiling to keep the cords off the floor and call it deco art:D
.....shoot, Gene pushes them risers made out of porcelyn....held a seminar one time with pictures....now somebody spell porcelyn right.....
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
FierceTIMbo17

FierceTIMbo17

Audioholic
mtrycrafts said:
Great comeback:D
Now they are totally confused and don't know what to make of it:p
Yea some of those "salesmen" dont seem to knowledgeable, might even start suggesting composite over hdmi, im a trendsetter
 

Latest posts

newsletter

  • RBHsound.com
  • BlueJeansCable.com
  • SVS Sound Subwoofers
  • Experience the Martin Logan Montis
Top