I LOVE Monster Cable!

[Titanium Dome]

I got several lengths of Monster Cable Z Series speaker wire in a box of goodies I picked up on ebay. Also included were numerous Monster Cable interconnects, some banana plugs :banana: , 12V trigger wires, etc.

Now I feel so cool and complete, like I'm really an audiophile! :thmbsup: My life seems more meaningful somehow. I feel I've been transported to a new dimension of sound, taken to a far-away nirvana of sonic pleasure.

:beamup:

I want to personally thank Mr. Noel Lee and all the Monsters for the thousands of hours of hard work that have gone into the unique, perfect design of the special, magical wires and the 22nd Century science of the cable sheaths and connectors. I also want to express my gratitude for the care with which they prevent lazy, cheating competitors from stealing their ideas about using wires to connect things or even from ripping off their unique name, like trying to confuse me into thinking Monster trucks should be part of my home cinema when they're clearly not Monster Cable products.

I love you, Monster! and I wish everyone could love you as much as I do. Here's how I feel: :smsex:

[Allanvh5150]

Monster Cable is quite good in car installs where the voltages are a lot less and a 1000w system will draw dozens and dozens of amps. In home systems though, is it really any better than lamp cord?:D

Allan.

[rdgrimes]

Just make sure you don't hook them up backwards so the current is flowing the wrong way. And be sure to use the special spacers to keep the wires off the carpet.

[Hoerninger]

We were just out and had a good meal. Now I am in the mood to pour out some words, even sentences.


I'm really an audiophile ... taken to a far-away nirvana of sonic pleasure.

Thinking about your new purchases of speakers etc. which still need a new home for proper setup NIRVANA can only be a state without any thinking feeling or even action - no music at all. :yes:


I got several lengths ... on ebay.
Presumably a good price. I have never heard Monster Cable will be nonconductiv. And when the music will be heard again you know brother you are on earth again. - Enjoy! :thmbsup:
___________
Peter

[JBL 4645]

Sorry to bust your bubble Dome but the term LOVE is the wrong meaning.

It’s I like Monster cable not LOVE. I dislike Monster cable see the difference.;)

My step-mom, corrected me on this LOVE thingy, 20 plus years ago. No you can’t LOVE Star Trek. And its true it doesn’t give me any love or affection.

Now my cat gives me afflation and therefore I LOVE my cat.:)

By the way I dislike Monster Cable I would touch it with a ten foot barge pole. :barf:

Now the question is do I LOVE you man. Well I can tell you straight that I am straight :D and I don’t say things like I love you man. It might be taken the wrong way.:smsex: I like you, I think your cool, I mean real co:cool:ol dude.

[JBL 4645]

Monster Cable is quite good in car installs where the voltages are a lot less and a 1000w system will draw dozens and dozens of amps. In home systems though, is it really any better than lamp cord?:D

Allan.

I’d sooner take my chances with lamp cord :D than anything else, I mean the prices for few meters of audio RCA phone is like £25, 00 pounds I don’t have that sort of money for lead that is less than 3 meters long now it if was 3 meters I might think about it. I use cheap ole Tandy leads and they still perform after 10 years plus, now then.;)

[Rolf]

So you folks think this is so funny? I feel sorry for you. Maybe I am a fool to write this answer, as I know those who don't want to hear, don't hear, or have problems with the hearing.

Some weeks ago I bought a pair of balanced cables, price about US$ 20. This, I was told was the cables one used in broadcasting companies, as well as in many recording studios. (Here in Norway anyway). Well I disconnected my MONSTER Sigma interlink cables from the CD player to the preamp, and hooked up the balanced ones.

I took me no more than a few minutes of listening, hearing the hars squeezy and boomy sound, not to talk about the stereo image, to go back to my MONSTER Sigma again. The MONSTER Sigma had a price when I bought them to about US$ 2000, and is worth it! You can compare the difference to change to a better pre or power amp.

Remember this is interconnect cables. Regarding speaker cables there is not so much difference.

[hjames]

The old bottom line - if you hear a difference, you buy it.

I wouldn't call you a fool, except for the arrogant insults,
you seem to be basically a likeable guy, but me?
I feel sorry for you. Driven to spend that kind of money on minor components in your system
- fortunately you have money to burn for such esoteria - how nice ...

There's no way I would spend $2000 for interconnect wires ...
and from the previous arguments over this topic,
I'd say many folks feel the same way, your insults not-withstanding.

If YOU think you can hear THAT big a difference, well then, hey, your purchase is justified.
I'm just not doing that tedious waltz with you again.




I took me no more than a few minutes of listening, hearing the harsh squeezy and boomy sound, not to talk about the stereo image, to go back to my MONSTER Sigma again. The MONSTER Sigma had a price when I bought them to about US$ 2000, and is worth it! You can compare the difference to change to a better pre or power amp.

Remember this is interconnect cables. Regarding speaker cables there is not so much difference.

[Hoerninger]

Rolf, I did not say any meaningful about Monster Cables and I was not negativ. :thmbsup:
____________
Peter

[Rolf]

Arrogant insults? THAT was not my intention at all! I just pointed out that there at two "camps". One that can hear a difference, and those who can't or don't want to hear the difference.

Those that are happy with lamp cords as a speaker wire, and $10 interconnects, well that would have been nice for me because then I did not have to spend much money on cables.

Sorry, but I don't understand the meaning of your last sentence.



The old bottom line - if you hear a difference, you buy it.

I wouldn't call you a fool, except for the arrogant insults,
you seem to be basically a likeable guy, but me?
I feel sorry for you. Driven to spend that kind of money on minor components in your system
- fortunately you have money to burn for such esoteria - how nice ...

There's no way I would spend $2000 for interconnect wires ...
and from the previous arguments over this topic,
I'd say many folks feel the same way, your insults not-withstanding.

If YOU think you can hear THAT big a difference, well then, hey, your purchase is justified.
I'm just not doing that tedious waltz with you again.

[Rolf]

Rolf, I did not say any meaningful about Monster Cables and I was not negativ. :thmbsup:
____________
Peter

I know, that's OK.

[JBL 4645]

What will justify the results over many other inexpensive cables? A voltmeter an oscilloscope a frequency measurement RTA, have I missed anything out? I’m curious like most of you are.:dont-know

Okay, then does JBL use there own certified cable? I don’t know because I haven’t seen any as of yet unless I’ve been living under rock.:D


The old bottom line - if you hear a difference, you buy it.


That’s why I brought JBL because I like sound of it at the Empire Leicester Square, :applaud: and that it had legacy a heritage that stretches all the way back to first talkie.

I’m also positive they weren’t using Monster® cable with the original 13KW THX and I’m almost certain there not using it with the 56KW THX. Instinct tells me, now then.

Now if I’m wrong, you guys can slap me, like bitch.:D

[Tom Brennan]

When patch cords were called patch cords or RCA cords they didn't sound different. However when people started calling them "interconnects" the sonic differences became immediately obvious.

Note that high priced wires started at the same time that the drug addlled, self indulgent and delusional Baby Boomers started coming into money.

[JBL 4645]

I seem to recall what Heather said last, year about most cables come from copper mines for telecommunications systems, unless I’ve misquoted that statement?

[SEAWOLF97]

So you folks think this is so funny? I feel sorry for you. Maybe I am a fool to write this answer, as I know those who don't want to hear, don't hear, or have problems with the hearing.

I took me no more than a few minutes of listening, hearing the hars squeezy and boomy sound, not to talk about the stereo image, to go back to my MONSTER Sigma again. The MONSTER Sigma had a price when I bought them to about US$ 2000, and is worth it! You can compare the difference to change to a better pre or power amp.

Remember this is interconnect cables. Regarding speaker cables there is not so much difference.

I'm really happy for you Rolf , the $2000 innerconnects must be connected to the $4000 CD player ? (playing the $10 CD ? ) at this point I wud think the old 4343 are the weak link ...If I were you , I'd kick them out to the curb and go put deposit on the new K3's to take full advantage of the super interconns .. ;)




There's no way I would spend $2000 for interconnect wires ...
.

Well , Bill Gates and Rolf do , us 'po foke just dont have the hearing

So you folks think this is so funny? I feel sorry for you. Maybe I am a fool to write this answer, as I know those who don't want to hear, don't hear, or have problems with the hearing.
to appreciate the nano difference.



So if I had Warren Buffet's discreshionary income , would I buy them ? Well , I enjoy thrift stores ...other day the old lady said "bet you wouldnt shop the thrifts if you won the lottery" ....then she corrected herself and said "Oh, you prolly wud " ...I agreed.:D ...even with WB's money ...NO


OBTW: When in Asia last year I was on the commercial audio alley , they had all the MONSTER stuff next to the generic Chinese branded gear,,,I looked both over very carefully , it was identical - except the name & price....everything they had was from China, nothing from US , do you think they bought expensive US Monster connects to sell ? I think not, it all came from the same factory.

[Rolf]

Thanks for the sarcasm SEAWOLF97. I can tell you that my system, including electronics, cables and speakers is "cheap garbage" compared to what a lot of people use, not only in my area, but all over Norway, and I believe many places all over the world.

I have never bought a component, that is changed from something I have to a new stuff if I could not hear that the new one is better. Take my word for it.

Regarding the 4333, I don't have them. I have 4343B's, and the reason I have them is that I have not found anything to my liking better yet. The only one is maybe the Everest II, but so far I haven't had them in my house, listening, and can say for sure I like them better, and I never buy anything new before I have had it in my house for listening.

I am happy with the sound I have, and think it is better to spend $2000 on a pair of cables instead of spending $10.000 for a pre or power amp if the upgrade in sound is the same. Common sense I think.

I am so tired to get all these irrelevant answers when it comes to prices vs result of quality in sound. Maybe if you can get a dealer to lend you and you hook up your system with matching electronics/cables you to may hear differences.

As I said before, "I may be a fool trying to answer", and look what happens.

I will never again comment products, cables or such. We all have the right to have a meaning, but I don't believe I ever have harassed anyone for the equipment they have and are pleased with, so please stop harass with me for my meanings.



I'm really happy for you Rolf , the $2000 innerconnects must be connected to the $4000 CD player ? (playing the $10 CD ? ) at this point I wud think the old 4333 are the weak link ...If I were you , I'd kick them out to the curb and go put deposit on the new K3's to take full advantage of the super interconns .. ;)




Well , Bill Gates and Rolf do , us 'po foke just dont have the hearing

to appreciate the nano difference.



So if I had Warren Buffet's discreshionary income , would I buy them ? Well , I enjoy thrift stores ...other day the old lady said "bet you wouldnt shop the thrifts if you won the lottery" ....then she corrected herself and said "Oh, you prolly wud " ...I agreed.:D ...even with WB's money ...NO


OBTW: When in Asia last year I was on the commercial audio alley , they had all the MONSTER stuff next to the generic Chinese branded gear,,,I looked both over very carefully , it was identical - except the name & price....everything they had was from China, nothing from US , do you think they bought expensive US Monster connects to sell ? I think not, it all came from the same factory.

[hjames]

Sorry, but I don't understand the meaning of your last sentence.



I'm just not doing that tedious waltz with you again.


Just meant that we've had this argument over and over and there is never any change in the resolution ... its old and redundant and tedious to do it yet again.

[Rolf]

Just meant that we've had this argument over and over and there is never any change in the resolution ... its old and redundant and tedious to do it yet again.

Agreed. See my latest post.

[Ian Mackenzie]

So you folks think this is so funny? I feel sorry for you. Maybe I am a fool to write this answer, as I know those who don't want to hear, don't hear, or have problems with the hearing.

Some weeks ago I bought a pair of balanced cables, price about US$ 20. This, I was told was the cables one used in broadcasting companies, as well as in many recording studios. (Here in Norway anyway). Well I disconnected my MONSTER Sigma interlink cables from the CD player to the preamp, and hooked up the balanced ones.

I took me no more than a few minutes of listening, hearing the hars squeezy and boomy sound, not to talk about the stereo image, to go back to my MONSTER Sigma again. The MONSTER Sigma had a price when I bought them to about US$ 2000, and is worth it! You can compare the difference to change to a better pre or power amp.

Remember this is interconnect cables. Regarding speaker cables there is not so much difference.

Hi Rolf,

Its okay.

I never was one for slap stick humour (all 99 channels of it)

The other day I was in a department store and they had reels of speaker cable of all different sizes stacked up on the floor. It was Monster Cable. Can't blame them for sucessful merchandising.

JBL has used Monster cable in some of their loudspeakers.

[spkrman57]

I'm glad I'm in the low power tube amp camp and use single strand solid copper wire (18 guage) for all my crossover/speaker to amp wiring.

It does make a difference in sound (at least to me a few of my friends) in the midrange and bass as it sounds less muddy.

I also use silver wire (unshielded) interconnects for all my line level hookups as it increases the clarity of the midbass and seems to make the upper HF sound crisper. The synergy of these cables (along with keeping them away from power cords and such for hum reasons) also does not get along well with all my gear, mostly some solid state gear that I used to have set up had issues where it sounded thin and forward in the midrange. For most of my tube gear though, it sounds wonderful!

My speaker wire can be purchased at Lowes or Home Depot for economical prices (less than $0.10 per foot), and my interconnects are little more pricey at $40.00 per 1 meter pair (and those are the cheap ones from this company!!!).

If I had huge SS amps with big wattage I would probably use 10 guage 2 conductor Romex for my speaker runs!

Just my 2 cents worth!

Regards, Ron

[Allanvh5150]

Maybe a lot of people have a problem with cable quality because they have never had the chance to make a comparison. Speaker cabling is a no brainer. Unless you are using "lamp cable" there is no difference IMO between a good quality silicone rubber flex for maybe $5 a meter to a pure silver at $5000 a meter. Poor quality insulation will make a huge difference but one needs to compare apple to apples. Patch cables (interconnects:D) are a totaly different story. There are so many different qualities out there. Last week I changed a generic brand video cable to a more expensive generic brand and the difference was hugely noticable. I would say 75-100% better. I have had similar results with audio cables as well. Now I am about to go down the expensive cable path. Well not super expensive. I know for a fact that if you spend a reasonable amount of money, maybe in the $50-$100 range, you will be more pleased with the overall quality than you would with generic. If you make them yourself you can get even better quality for less money. Having said that going from a $5 cable to a $100 cable makes a huge difference, I can't really see that going to a $1000 cable is going to make that much of a difference. These cables are usualy made from silver and If anyone out there can hear the difference between silver , copper or gold....................well, I don't need to say.

Allan.:)

P.S. $2000 is not a lot to pay for interconnects. There are way more expensive cables out there.

[Ian Mackenzie]

Without wanting to turn this thread into a cable rant its in the eye of the beholder (and the level of equipment in the system).

For example pure silver or silver coated copper speaker wire is chalk and cheeze on the right system. Its a known fact the level of detail at high frequencies is boosted and frankly I dont like them.

Some fancy cables will make an amplifier become unstable.

This is where consumers get taken for a ride.

There is nothing wrong with Lamp flex for small speakers and very short runs. But dont expect a $60K loudspeaker to sound like its worth $60K running on lamp flex.

The Mogami and Van Damme cables used by studio professionals the world over are regarded as industry standard and they are not over priced. The conductor sizes range from 1.5 - to 4.00 mm using UP LD OFC

You want expensive go here:
http://www.stealthaudiocables.com/products/Dream/dream_sp.htm

[JBL 4645]

I'm really happy for you Rolf , the $2000 innerconnects must be connected to the $4000 CD player ? (playing the $10 CD ? ) at this point I wud think the old 4343 are the weak link ...If I were you , I'd kick them out to the curb and go put deposit on the new K3's to take full advantage of the super interconns .. ;)


Now that doesn’t make sense a £10, 00 pound CD on £4 grand CD player, surly it should be the other way around. LOL :D

[jeenie67]

....Well you have what you believe are high-end interconnects....all the power to you, but....Monster cables, like so many others, are a pretty decent marketing ploy and that's about it! If you upgraded from the little supplied cables packed with most components, you have achieved a little bit more in the way of sonic transference. One does not need to spend hundreds of $$$$ to achieve quiet across the board frequency transfer. Just look at the simple physics of wire and the signal it must carry. Some like silver...it accommodates maybe systems lacking a little in the higher frequency range. Some like multi-strand 100000 zillion % pure copper, if it floats their boat. I prefer air dialectics. Simply for the reason that I live near mega RFI. Wire is wire period! What the final product must be is the least amount of insertion loss and the highest rejection of voltages and interference present near the cabling. Add to this a transparency characteristic of the wire itself. It should do nothing but carry the signal without adding or subtracting anything. Heavy gauge lamp cord works great! So does Cat5e wire for interconnects. That's what I use, inside medical tubing. My speaker wires are house wire, 12-3, crosshatched at 45 degrees the entire 6 foot length each. The whole shibang cost me about $20 - $25 and took about an hour of my time to consruct. My systems quiet! :thmbsup:

[jeenie67]

....this sometimes happens when I use my wireless laptop....I receive messages from outer space, cyberspace, and sometimes CB radio jabber...wish I could talk back to the trucker! Sometimes a post will post on every site I've visited that session! Oh well....I wished to include a pic of the cabling I assembled....try this one again. :blink:

[4313B]

Note that high priced wires started at the same time that the drug addlled, self indulgent and delusional Baby Boomers started coming into money.:rotfl:

It's posts like this that keep me coming back.

[jcrobso]

Before you go out and spend BIG $$$$$ on interconnects read or reread this story. Mon$tor cable relies on "the emperors" syndrome to get you to buy their cables. :blink:
I'm not putting down good cables! Just extremely over priced cables!

I'm a chief engineer of a FM radio station in Chicago. Needless to say I have to deal with a lot of cables on a daily basis. I use high quality cable, but none of the over priced cable from the like Mon$tor or other brands.

For speaker wire 16ga lamp cord works just fine!:D If you want to spend a little extra on some nice speaker cable that's OK. Just remember that a $100 set of cables WILL NOT sound 4 times better than $25 set of cables.;) John

[Paul D]

I never wanted to pay the high price for Monster Cable interconnects but a friend of mine let me in on a secret. Some of the pro stuff is the same as the high end home stuff but with a little less shielding. He told me I could save money by buying a 30' long piece of microphone cable and cut it into 3' lengths and solder the terminals on myself. I took his advise and was supprised at the difference. The cost of the 30' piece was $150 and the terminals were around $30. Well worth the effort.:applaud:

OK, you all may attack now!

[JBL 4645]

I never wanted to pay the high price for Monster Cable interconnects but a friend of mine let me in on a secret. Some of the pro stuff is the same as the high end home stuff but with a little less shielding. He told me I could save money by buying a 30' long piece of microphone cable and cut it into 3' lengths and solder the terminals on myself. I took his advise and was supprised at the difference. The cost of the 30' piece was $150 and the terminals were around $30. Well worth the effort.:applaud:

OK, you all may attack now!

:D


I see no wrong in making your own cables up. One they can be costumed for the specific task in the audio chain

[jcrobso]

http://www.fullcompass.com/product/318145.html 50' will cost you $29

For those that would like a premium cable.
http://www.fullcompass.com/product/299547.html
I do use this at the station, mainly because it is a very quite cable, no micro-phonics. You can beat on it with hammer and no noise will be heard.
Make up all the cables you need, then sell the left over cable on eBay.;) John

[Ian Mackenzie]

Before you go out and spend BIG $$$$$ on interconnects read or reread this story. Mon$tor cable relies on "the emperors" syndrome to get you to buy their cables. :blink:
I'm not putting down good cables! Just extremely over priced cables!

I'm a chief engineer of a FM radio station in Chicago. Needless to say I have to deal with a lot of cables on a daily basis. I use high quality cable, but none of the over priced cable from the like Mon$tor or other brands.

For speaker wire 16ga lamp cord works just fine!:D If you want to spend a little extra on some nice speaker cable that's OK. Just remember that a $100 set of cables WILL NOT sound 4 times better than $25 set of cables.;) John

Isn't your primary market dudes who spent most of their life in traffic driving to and from the airport?

[Hoerninger]

RCA RG-59 Compression Connector

Industrial Standard Cable RG59. No soldering, simply press.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/317WFX21TXL._SL500_AA250_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-RG-59-Compression-Connector/dp/B0002KR93O/ref=sr_1_30?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1237227570&sr=8-30)
____________
Peter

[Titanium Dome]

If you hadnt noticed .... , this thread was born scarcastic


:bouncy:

Ah yes, http://books.google.com/books?id=YhrbG2eBSscC&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&dq=%22he+loves+to+make+trouble%22&source=bl&ots=hTJiSD0AhC&sig=wb1S23WbIPGqDkwrnFEqHO__M74&hl=en&ei=3py-SdGMAomGsQO8q8XdCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result

:banana:

It's been a joy to read.

[hjames]

Isn't your primary market dudes who spent most of their life in traffic driving to and from the airport?

Nah, thats AM radio ...

[Rolf]

So your system is "cheap garbage" ??

For some, yes. For others, no.

For those who have systems costing US$250.000 or more, my system is for them, "cheap". BUT, I have been listening to such a system, and I must say it did not live up to the price.

As a "rule", I have found out the following: If you have a product with a cost of 1000. (No matter what currency). To get something better, 2000, a little bit better, 4000, a little change, 8000 ... and so on. So a system to US$250.000 is just microscopic better than a 125.000 system.

Anyone agrees?

[Paul D]

no attack ...Ok $36 ea. for 5 three foot sets is reasonable next to the magic crapola out there ....where did you get your RCA ends ?? I need to go rca to either XLR or 1/4 TRS (I have the connectors already)

Just log onto partsexpress.com and search for "nuetrik". They have a good selection of all types of connectors.

[Paul D]

Oooops - "neutrik" not nuetrik!:blink:

[jcrobso]

For some, yes. For others, no.

For those who have systems costing US$250.000 or more, my system is for them, "cheap". BUT, I have been listening to such a system, and I must say it did not live up to the price.

As a "rule", I have found out the following: If you have a product with a cost of 1000. (No matter what currency). To get something better, 2000, a little bit better, 4000, a little change, 8000 ... and so on. So a system to US$250.000 is just microscopic better than a 125.000 system.

Anyone agrees?
Yes I do tend to agree! John

[timc]

Yeah. we are a bunch of rich bastards! :o:


In income we are, but then the prices are also very high. Except computer parts.

Example: Price in Norway for a Krell Evo 302 is about $15k. But then i guess Electrocompaniet is very expensive in the US.


-Tim


Edit. I want to agree with Rolf about price/quality of systems. I have found that carefull selection and matching is much more important than slapping a bunch of $$$$ on the table and expect good sound. It's seldom plug & play. I have litened to systems in the $200k range and they are not necessarilly better than a proper matched $35k system.

The best system i have auditioned costed about $65k, and consisted of the S9800 and a bunch of ARC electronics, and a Kenwood record player. The key ingredient though was a decent room enviroment :)





-Tim

[Fred Sanford]

For some, yes. For others, no.

For those who have systems costing US$250.000 or more, my system is for them, "cheap". BUT, I have been listening to such a system, and I must say it did not live up to the price.

As a "rule", I have found out the following: If you have a product with a cost of 1000. (No matter what currency). To get something better, 2000, a little bit better, 4000, a little change, 8000 ... and so on. So a system to US$250.000 is just microscopic better than a 125.000 system.

Anyone agrees?

Depends on your definition of "better". Purely audio quality? Yeah, you're into the "diminishing returns" neighborhood at that point, but it's important to define 'system' and what you actually include in your price tag. Is it just one room, or by 'system' is it tied into the entire home? Is the surrounding room or rooms part of your 'system', or part of your price tag? For that kind of $$, you can have one VERY VERY nice room, or you can have pretty damn good music in every single room of your house and even your yard, garage and pool, all sharing sources and potentially going as far as enabling control of your surrounding environment. Once you have THAT much money, people are willing to pay for ease of use, flexibility, aesthetics, cutting edge features, etc. Any of those aspects escalates the price, and pays for the R&D that ultimately trickles down to us 'normal' folks.

The highest price tag room I've worked on was $880,000 for just the design, gear, and control programming & installation - that didn't include the room at all, or the electricians running the wiring. It was overkill to put it mildly, but it sure was an experience- and the client had the money & wanted it, so...he got it. This was also not his primary residence, but one of at least 4 houses/apartments of his I worked on, not to mention the two entire islands he owns that I didn't get to visit. :(

je

[JBL 4645]

Monster® Cable Google Product Search prices
http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=monster+cable&hl=en (http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=monster+cable&hl=en)

[Ian Mackenzie]

For some, yes. For others, no.

For those who have systems costing US$250.000 or more, my system is for them, "cheap". BUT, I have been listening to such a system, and I must say it did not live up to the price.

As a "rule", I have found out the following: If you have a product with a cost of 1000. (No matter what currency). To get something better, 2000, a little bit better, 4000, a little change, 8000 ... and so on. So a system to US$250.000 is just microscopic better than a 125.000 system.

Anyone agrees?

Hi Rolf,

This is an interesting issue.

I put forward some ideas below but these are not directed at you personally.

I wonder if you or someone listens to the $250K system for 6 months and the went back to the $25k system could you live with it?

A manufacturer will tell you that most of their sales units comes from the model that is best value for money and that is generally priced somewhere in the middle.

However not all buyers are the same and some will just always buy the best which to them is the most expensive (while others will always buy the lowest cost). It might be the best but not the best value for money.

What I am saying is you cannot generalise too much because of exceptions particularly where there are rule breakers like David Halfer and Bob Carver who will deliberately market a very good product at a budget price and sell a lot of product. This tends to tilt the perception of what that market sees and thinks about what it should spend.

Looking at the case of audio the whole cable, interconnect, terminal thing.

It become a product category once manufacturers realised they could convince a consumer that it was necessary and important to have the right cable. (30 years ago it was a very small category).

Nothing wrong with that.

When this happens though you get a whole lot of people jump on the band wagon and an industry forms and it becomes fashionable to buy a hifi cable because of advertsing.

Monster to their credit made their brand a generic brand descriptor for cables. That was while ago and they have grown laterally into other lines as more competitors move into this market. If anything cables at that price point are becoming cheaper and there are many look alike cables.

But there are also many boutique cables.

The problem is to work out the snake oil from what really works and what is necessary and its very easy to be persuaded to spend more in the belief it is better. A lot of marketing people work on the feel good principle in that they know the customer will be happier if he knows he has spent a lot of money to fix a problem.

Some product deliberately alters the signal with devices installed in the cables.

Then there are some very good products with the intent that at least in theory they are better and matched with the right equipment they will improve performance.

In my experience its finding the right match of quality levels. The hard part is sorting out if item A) is clearly better than B) or just an alternative.

There is absolutely no doubt that the cleaner and more transparent the amplification the more obvious the choice of cables becomes because the original signal is not masked with distortions.

But even the finest amplification can have a sonic signature and some people will find preference for one cable over another as a matter of taste in terms of the overall end result.

[Krunchy]

The best system i have auditioned costed about $65k, and consisted of the S9800 and a bunch of ARC electronics, and a Kenwood record player. The key ingredient though was a decent room enviroment-Tim

That is a very important part of the equation & probably one of the aspects where one might have the least control over. We can impose our will on everything else but may be constrained by the dimensions of the listening environment.
What to do in such a case....do the best you can with what you have, put up some wall hangings & turn it up!
:banana: :dancin: :cheers: :dj-party:

[BMWCCA]

The other 99% of us here are wondering WTF y'all are talking about. Sure, I've heard a $250.00 system. I even have a couple of them.

But then I suppose you're using that quaint euro convention with the decimal where the comma should be so you're talking $250,000.00 systems. Even then, my response would have to be what many of my customers replied to me for decades when I told them the price of a new BMW: "That's more than I paid for my first house!"

Way more. Three times, in fact. And I'm still in that first house. Still playing my first speakers, too. But one thing us Americans have that you Norwegians don't is college tuition bills for our kids that would pay for your over-priced systems in just over four years. And then multiply that times three kids. Sometimes I envy your socialism. ;)

[Allanvh5150]

The funny thing about super expensive cables is that most of the systems that they are connected to have a huge assortment of horns that look like they were nabbed from a passing brass band which by nature colour the sound anyway...........The best dielectric to use is air with a suitable distance between the conductors to disallow mutual coupling which is totaly impractical. The secret to a good cable is low overall resistance and very low capacitance. We are talking about electron flow here people. An electron from a hydrogen atom is identical to one from that of silver, lead, gold, plutonium or any as yet undiscovered element. If the resistivity of the cable is low and the capacitance is low, whatever is going in at one end will be the same as what come out at the other end. The sources that we use, tuner, vinyl, cd, dvd etc are so far from perfect that even I can hear the limitations in the recordings. Does this mean that using super expensive cables will make these limitations easier to hear? Theoretically, according to the hype, expensive cables should make the source material sound "better". Does this mean that all they do is to make bad sound good?:blink:

Allan.

[JBL 4645]

Guys:

this thread has been a TROLL , from post #1

every forum , every site , every time this "interconnect" thread is started up anywhere ..it produces the same results.

we all have our opinions and experiences....my ideas on this topic prolly wont change yours and yours prolly wont change mine ...as HJ mentioned , we've had this waltz before and never a different outcome ... someone will get mad and someone else will get their feelings hurt.


Over LOL Monster® Cable LOL.:D

I guess you could call it cable politics.

[Ian Mackenzie]

Yep,

Ti Domes Bad

[Titanium Dome]

U boyz n gurlz is funnee :D

[jeenie67]

......and Rubbermaid's next to the Credenza!

For my most serious listening, I fire up my 10 lb. Automatic Radio 8-Track powered by a 12 volt car battery. This feeds two 12" Radio Shack guitar speakers (with the JBL lookin' aluminum dust caps). They're mounted in the bottoms of two 40 gallon Rubbermaid garbage cans with sufficient dampening (rags) and secured with coat hangers to allow for the rear waves to emanate.
I point these enclosures right at my head as I sit and listen to the cacophonous switching of tracks by Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen.
Interconnects by Delco Remy and a lot of gooey friction tape.
Speaker wires courtesy of General Electric.

[Rolf]

I agree with many statements from many of you. A cable is a cable, regardless of the price. But, they sound different.

I have compared my relative cheap speaker cables (about US$ 500) and this is for 4 connections, as I bi-amp. I have compared these cables with some that would have cost me about US$ 16000, and yes, there are differences. But which of them are the best? I am not sure. That is, beside the price, I chose to use my $ 500 cables.

Cables are a matter of taste, and one that you feel sound better in one setup, does not necessary sound the same, or better on another setup.

It is the same with an amp. An amp sounding good on my speakers, doesn't have to sound good on another speaker. There is "A long and winding road" to find out.

But, if you sometimes hear that "wow, this i better to my liking", and you can afford the price, I say "go for it". This is the reason I in the first place said what I did regarding the Monster Sigma interconnect I use. It was a "Wow".

[Rusnzha]

Originally posted by Rolf

The MONSTER Sigma had a price when I bought them to about US$ 2000, and is worth it! You can compare the difference to change to a better pre or power amp.


I got some $40 pairs of Monster cable and they sounded a whole lot better than what they replaced. If you got 2 grand to spend on cables and can still pay your bills, good for you!

[Rolf]

Originally posted by Rolf


I got some $40 pairs of Monster cable and they sounded a whole lot better than what they replaced. If you got 2 grand to spend on cables and can still pay your bills, good for you!

Yes, I can.

[timc]

The other 99% of us here are wondering WTF y'all are talking about. Sure, I've heard a $250.00 system. I even have a couple of them.

But then I suppose you're using that quaint euro convention with the decimal where the comma should be so you're talking $250,000.00 systems. Even then, my response would have to be what many of my customers replied to me for decades when I told them the price of a new BMW: "That's more than I paid for my first house!"

Way more. Three times, in fact. And I'm still in that first house. Still playing my first speakers, too. But one thing us Americans have that you Norwegians don't is college tuition bills for our kids that would pay for your over-priced systems in just over four years. And then multiply that times three kids. Sometimes I envy your socialism. ;)



Very true. I'm not sure about housing prices in the US but here in Norway a small apartment starts at about $120k. A larger single house would cost from about double that.

What tax rates do you have in the US? Here in Norway i guess the average is about 30% - 40% on income. Then there is added taxes on Alcohol, cars ++ and then VAT on top of that. Example: A car (think it was a Merc S class.) costs $272k. Of that $128k, is the price of the car. The rest is Taxes.

So i guess you American pay your college bills, and we Norwegian pay our Taxes.

And just to clarify. There are not that many $100k+ systems around. Me and Rolf just happen to know a few.

-Tim

[Ian Mackenzie]

The other 99% of us here are wondering WTF y'all are talking about. Sure, I've heard a $250.00 system. I even have a couple of them.

But then I suppose you're using that quaint euro convention with the decimal where the comma should be so you're talking $250,000.00 systems. Even then, my response would have to be what many of my customers replied to me for decades when I told them the price of a new BMW: "That's more than I paid for my first house!"

. ;)

A $2 trillion question Can you count the zero's?

Ask the other 99% of the world.

http://www.voxeu.org/index.php?q=node/2902

http://www.prudentbear.com/index.php/commentary/featuredcommentary?art_id=10129

[BMWCCA]

Ask the other 99% of the world.

http://www.voxeu.org/index.php?q=node/2902

http://www.prudentbear.com/index.php/commentary/featuredcommentary?art_id=10129Great. Now maybe the world economies can go back to being based on the fruits of their labor, rather than the pushing of their paper. Regardless of your contempt for the country you apparently long to visit, the fact remains; as the US economy declines, the rest of the world slips even faster. None of this is good for anyone. And let me remind you that AIG (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_International_Group) stands for American International Group and that their bailout windfall paid with my tax dollars is being funneled to many countries around the world who also depended on their trumped up derivatives to blow hot-air into their own economies and insure their pension funds. :D

[Ian Mackenzie]

No need to get excited

You just seem to have trouble with big numbers.

Just dont forget the nine zeros (how to you say it Zees;))

I am just putting it into perspective....


Originally Posted by BMWCCA http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=244675#post244675)
The other 99% of us here are wondering WTF y'all are talking about. Sure, I've heard a $250.00 system. I even have a couple of them.

But then I suppose you're using that quaint euro convention with the decimal where the comma should be so you're talking $250,000.00 systems.

[BMWCCA]

No need to get excited

You just seem to have trouble with big numbers.

Just dont forget the nine zeros (how to you say it Zees;))

I am just putting it into perspective....And I was just joking. Do you check your sense of humor at the door of your man-cave? :D

I suppose the humor of Gilda Radner as Emily Littella (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Litella) would be lost on you, too. So much for enlisting your support of "endangered feces". ;)

Never mind.

[hjames]

C'mon, don't let such a little Zero get to you ...!

[jcrobso]

I started out buying one JBL woofer at a time, then one LE175 at a time then on HL at a time. I learned what components would make big difference and which ones didn't. Cables and speaker wire are at the bottom of the list. And everything over the many years has only confirmed this.

I some one has an extra $2000 send it on better speakers, you will hear the difference then!:) John

[jcrobso]

The funny thing about super expensive cables is that most of the systems that they are connected to have a huge assortment of horns that look like they were nabbed from a passing brass band which by nature colour the sound anyway...........The best dielectric to use is air with a suitable distance between the conductors to disallow mutual coupling which is totaly impractical. The secret to a good cable is low overall resistance and very low capacitance. We are talking about electron flow here people. An electron from a hydrogen atom is identical to one from that of silver, lead, gold, plutonium or any as yet undiscovered element. If the resistivity of the cable is low and the capacitance is low, whatever is going in at one end will be the same as what come out at the other end. The sources that we use, tuner, vinyl, cd, dvd etc are so far from perfect that even I can hear the limitations in the recordings. Does this mean that using super expensive cables will make these limitations easier to hear? Theoretically, according to the hype, expensive cables should make the source material sound "better". Does this mean that all they do is to make bad sound good?:blink:

Allan.
I have heard of it! I think it's called unobtanium! Just a small amount of this extremely hard to find element will transform ordinary copper wire into some wonderful. It will give copper wire magic properties, the ability to become a supper conductor at room temperatures,etc. Maybe Mon$tor cable uses this?:blink:

Over the years http://www.audioholics.com/ has done some interesting test on speaker cables http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/.
Here is the link for those that are interested.:) John

[SEAWOLF97]

I'm sold.

spent last evening scrounging 'round the villa looking for spare change to put towards some new innerconnects..was under the couch , when suddenly sat up and bumped my head....shortly after, a brilliant idea occurred.

Went to my supply pile and found 4 rca adapters and two 3 foot toslink cables....assembled it all , installed where the old no-name patch cords were ,put on my favorite air-guitar CD and sat back to listen.

All I can say is "WOW" ..blacker backgrounds , no smearing on the highs , totally quiet , stable imaging, very quick transients ( in fact - had to put a bend in them to slow it down) !!!!!
I'm on to something here.

In this hard economy , I think a new business is about to be born ..... all I need now is a catchy name & price list.

mebbe "MUNSTER" cable...the different variants could be Herman, Lilly, Eddie ..etc. :applaud:

[BMWCCA]

Over the years http://www.audioholics.com/ has done some interesting test on speaker cables http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/.
Here is the link for those that are interested.:) JohnIn all fairness, and kidding aside, the original thread and the initial replies were more directed to the performance increases gained by upgrading interconnects, not speaker wire. This is an area in which I have definitely noticed improvement, though in my case it was going from twenty-year-old Nakamichi-supplied original RCA cables to $35 Belkin Pure-AV on-sale for $6, and $25 Phoenix Gold ARx, on-sale for $12, of course. ;)

[hjames]

You are an evil man ...;)
I assume you tested it with a suitable black noise source to confirm your results?

Good luck with that cash cow!





I'm sold.
Went to my supply pile and found 4 rca adapters and two 3 foot toslink cables....assembled it all , installed where the old no-name patch cords were ,put on my favorite air-guitar CD and sat back to listen.

All I can say is "WOW" ..blacker backgrounds , no smearing on the highs , totally quiet , stable imaging !!!!!
I'm on to something here.

In this hard economy , I think a new business is about to be born ..... all I need now is a catchy name & price list.

[jeenie67]

..Yes compadres....the replies get better and better! And the residual thoughts surrounding the original issue is .. paramount!
No matter where we live, what obligations we have incurred, or how our expenditures are delegated, what is the issue and only issue regarding our audio/visual journey is our personal enjoyment, pursuit of sonic satisfaction, and contentment that we have made good choices in our choice of components.
These choices aided by the superb responses voiced here.
Enjoy the week! :)

[Mr. Widget]

mebbe "MUNSTER" cable...the different variants could be Herman, Lilly, Eddie ..etc. :applaud:Excellent idea... you could order the cable from numerous Chinese manufacturers in ghoulish colors... a certain hit!

Unfortunately I would bet your legal bills will eat up your profits as you battle with CBS, Universal, and Monster Cable Products Inc. :(


Widget

[SEAWOLF97]

You are an evil man ...;)

many people confuse marketing genius with evil.....wud you be happier if I get you a 10 percent off coupon ?



I assume you tested it with a suitable black noise source to confirm your results?

yes, I have a "black noise generator"on the system ...its a small switch marked "auf/zu" , think it means white/dark.

[Hoerninger]

The question for the right cable is an international one. You can read about it in other languages right away too. There is even discussed the question whether a rack can have an influence on sound, not to mention the furniture.
Albeith I can take the cable question very serious. But in general I leave the cable were it is and I change the components around (caring for impedances too).
____________
Peter

[Hoerninger]

a small switch marked "auf/zu" , think it means normal/dark.
No offend pleez. It simply means on/off
Most gear from Italy or Asia (but not from France) have this mark at the switch, in younger years I was completely confused.
____________
Peter ;)

[Allanvh5150]

No need to get excited

You just seem to have trouble with big numbers.

Just dont forget the nine zeros (how to you say it Zees;))

I am just putting it into perspective....

I always though a trillion had 12 zero's.......:)

[SEAWOLF97]

No offend pleez. It simply means on/off
____________
Peter ;)

no offense ..but on my gear it means white noise/black noise.


Excellent idea... you could order the cable from numerous Chinese manufacturers in ghoulish colors... a certain hit!

Unfortunately I would bet your legal bills will eat up your profits as you battle with CBS, Universal, and Monster Cable Products Inc. :(
Widget

Oh , Ok , I see....how about Muenster Cable for our euro friends ? too cheesy ?

[jcrobso]

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/MONSTER-CABLE-109314-00-/58-12755

Now if all Mon$tor products were discounted like this they would be an OK deal.
Scroll down and the list price is $99. The retail markup on Mon$tor products is massive, the store sells an item at suggested retail price makes 100% profit.
This is how Mon$tor get so many stores to sell their products. The store management pressures the sales people to sell Mon$tor products because of the high margin:banghead:. So this is a buyer beware, they use shame & guilt to sell the products. "you just spent $2000 on this HDTV and if you but this $200 Mon$tor HDMI cable you wont get the best picture quality, it will just be like throwing the $2000 away! Aren't you ashamed of your self!!!" I have overhear a sales line like this!:barf:
If the guy selling you the Mon$tor cable was used car salesman would buy a car from him?:blah: John

[Hoerninger]

....how about Muenster Cable for our euro friends ? too cheesy ?
Not too cheesy, but Monster Cable is well known to the more knowing und you risk a law suit due to the similarities of the names.

The name should be good sounding English/American (language sells :thmbsup: ) and point to something better. What about

Crystal Cable ?

But I do only tell it if you let me share your profit with 10%. :D
____________
Peter

[Ian Mackenzie]

I always though a trillion had 12 zero's.......:)

Sorry guys,

My calculator will only display 10 digits!

[JeffW]

Sorry guys,

My calculator will only display 10 digits!

Time to take your shoes off? :dont-know

[SEAWOLF97]

Not too cheesy, but Monster Cable is well known to the more knowing und you risk a law suit due to the similarities of the names.

The name should be good sounding English/American (language sells :thmbsup: ) and point to something better. What about

Crystal Cable ?

But I do only tell it if you let me share your profit with 10%. :D
____________
Peter

Wow !! I'm only in the cable biz a couple of hours and have a European Distributor already !!! Hows that for company growth of our Crystal Ayre Cable Co..? (CACo on the big board)

Only 2 questions before I can certify you Peter..

1. Do you care if your friends call you evil ?

You are an evil man ..
2. Do you have scruples ?

answer these carefully as the outcome could affect your ( and all of your prodigy's) futures. :bouncy:

(now we just need a pricelist - the more outrageous the better )

[JBL 4645]

Since someone has brought up another hearing thread I was thinking, does Monster® improve on high frequency response and range? Only way to tell is with test equipment and let your eyes not ears see the results.

[edgewound]

RCA RG-59 Compression Connector

Industrial Standard Cable RG59. No soldering, simply press.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/317WFX21TXL._SL500_AA250_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-RG-59-Compression-Connector/dp/B0002KR93O/ref=sr_1_30?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1237227570&sr=8-30)
____________
Peter


Bravo....even better is RG-6 quad shield....18 ga center conductor.

[jcrobso]

Not too cheesy, but Monster Cable is well known to the more knowing und you risk a law suit due to the similarities of the names.

The name should be good sounding English/American (language sells :thmbsup: ) and point to something better. What about

Crystal Cable ?

But I do only tell it if you let me share your profit with 10%. :D
____________
Peter

A name, what's in a name, a Rose by any other name would still have thorns!:blink: John

[SEAWOLF97]

Bravo....even better is RG-6 quad shield....18 ga center conductor.

toslink doesnt care. see my original build specs.


Fiber doesn't do electrons too well.

but my hybrid cable plays air-guitar CD's very well.


A name, what's in a name, a Rose by any other name would still have thorns!:blink: John

It doesnt matter.

after a week in business ( before we have even assembled one unit) we'll have huge paper losses (R&D) and apply for TARP bailout money ... when that comes thru , Peter & I can give each other huge bonus's ( ala AIG ) - gotta remember to make a clause guaranteeing the bonus, so it cant be taken back. :barf:

[edgewound]

toslink doesnt care. see original specs.

Not every interconnect is optical....is it? Fiber doesn't do electrons too well.

[Hoerninger]

... before we have even assembled one unit ... ala AIG ... make a clause guaranteeing the bonus

U r my partner, u've got it. :thmbsup:

toslink doesnt care. see original specs.Make money with the old technology as long as possible, there is still time to switch over. (The market will demand it ;) all controlled by ads - stretching the time of growth. :( ).

Ups, I missed your contractor-posting. Here we go:


... and have a European Distributor alreadyOthers will do, west of you - east of me. Call me shareholder of CACo.


1. Do you care if your friends call you evil ?
Money is neither good or evel. Besides I only answer questions for the benefit of CACo. Period. :D

2. Do you have scruples ? ... the outcome could affect your ( and all of your's) futuresFor prosperity money has to flow :yes: . It is to the banks that the flow has slowed down. (They distrust each other.:( )
Btw. do the customers know our bank account? :bouncy:
___________
Peter ;)

[hjames]

Not every interconnect is optical....
is it? Fiber doesn't do electrons too well.

And thus the whole darned joke ...:applaud:
and the black noise it rode in on ...

So, what IS the sound of one air guitar clapptoning?:D

and if you play it in the forest, can anyone hear it??



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOSLINK

[Rolf]

Hi friends.

As some said "99% of us don't know WTF we are talking about." THAT is a big problem. If this is true, then I understand. Maybe it would be a good idea to for the 99% to get an upgrade to know what we are talking about?

I rest me case in this thread, and that should make everyone happy. The ones that use lamp cords for speakers, the one who use $10.000 speaker cables, and the one that uses nothing at all. The same goes for interconnect cords vs interconnect cables.

[jcrobso]

Bravo....even better is RG-6 quad shield....18 ga center conductor.

Yes RG59 will work very, very well and the crimp on RCA connectors are weather proof to boot. RG6 with it's 18ga center conductor is necessary between the satellite receiver and the dish because they run 24vdc to power the LNB. John

[edgewound]

RG6 with it's 18ga center conductor is necessary between the satellite receiver and the dish because they run 24vdc to power the LNB. John

Well...that's not really the reason. RG6 has less loss and is better at carrying the higher bandwidth for digital signal transmission.

[Allanvh5150]

And of course, RG6 is made ''not to be bent". Bend and you will kill the "spec" of the cable. One should keep the radius of the bend above 4". For that reason alone it is hopeless for connecting audio equipment but I am not saying that you cant use it.

Allan.

[jcrobso]

SPEAKER CABLES: Science or Snake Oil
http://passlabs.com/pdf/articles/spkrcabl.pdf



Thank you! The RCA connector was originally designed as cheep audio connector in the late 1940's. Now look at all the things it is used for.
Contact corrosion is the biggest problem, there are several commercial products that can be used to help reduce this.
At the Radio station all most all of the signals are balanced, this eliminates so many problems. It was decided in the late 1940s that balanced lines were not necessary for the "home" application and they were to expensive (at that point in time) for home audio, so were stuck with them.:( John

[gwar]

I love stinky cheese!
$5 says at least one of you will feel compelled to tell me Im wrong.


Lighten up, folks

[JBL 4645]

I love stinky cheese!
$5 says at least one of you will feel compelled to tell me Im wrong.


Lighten up, folks

ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT EUROPA, ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE.

Now isn’t that memorable quote from one on favourite 70mm six-track Dolby stereo films on DVD 2010 the Year we make contact. 1984:D

[hjames]

ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT EUROPA, ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE.

Now isn’t that memorable quote from one on favourite 70mm six-track Dolby stereo films on DVD 2010 the Year we make contact. 1984:D

No, its a quote FROM A BOOK - the movie was secondary to the book and inferior to the original film as well. Just because you CAN make a sequel film doesn't mean you need to!

For the film 2010, Kubrick wasn't involved, it wasn't on the same level at all. It was just another film. (I saw it in a great theater when it first came out - bo-ring.
But look at Peter Hyams credentials (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001382/)- see what else he's directed!
For sheer over the top sound and fury, I'll take some of Peter Hyams other films - "End of Days (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0146675/)" with Ahhnold is silly but a great workout of your sound system. The subway train wreck ... the pews exploding upward in the church ... the earthquake like rumbles ...!


For a better good film I'd even take his much earlier film, with Sean Connery as a Marshal in the Science Fiction remake of "High Noon" - "Outlands (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082869/)", (I saw that as a 70mm print when it first came out) ... But not 2010, meh, forgettable ...

[jblsound]

Thank you! The RCA connector was originally designed as cheep audio connector in the late 1940's. Now look at all the things it is used for.
Contact corrosion is the biggest problem, there are several commercial products that can be used to help reduce this.
At the Radio station all most all of the signals are balanced, this eliminates so many problems. It was decided in the late 1940s that balanced lines were not necessary for the "home" application and they were to expensive (at that point in time) for home audio, so were stuck with them.:( John
Many that are currently available are gold plated, so that eliminates corrosion. And some rca connectors are serated providing a tigher connection. So the 60+ year old connectors have been improved a bit.

[brutal]

TI, maybe I missed something viewing the thread in hybrid mode, but am I the only other one here that understands what a complete and utter a$$hat Noel Lee and his litigious corporate lawyers at Monster Cable are?

Do you all not know what Monster has been up to?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Cable

Monster Mini Golf

Monster Cable brought suit against Monster Mini Golf in 2006. After legal salvos and an attempt at mediation, the owners of Monster Mini Golf launched a grassroots campaign against Monster Cable on the Internet. After receiving more than 200 complaints from the public, Monster Cable dropped the lawsuit and agreed to pay up to $200,000 of Monster Mini Golf's legal fees.[20] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Cable#cite_note-19)

Just one of many they've sued. Monster Energy drinks, Monster.com (jobsite), Monster transmissions, and, gasp, even Pixar over the movie Monsters Inc. Anyone and everyone with the word "Monster" in their name, and some not, are subject to litigation from these bungholios.

They tried to F with BlueJeans cable and got their hats handed to them by Kurt Denke, owner of BlueJeans and an ex-attorney. http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-news/blue-jeans-strikes-back

DO NOT BUY THEIR products. No matter what you think of the merits of the gear, you must surely disagree with their morals.

One more fun link to see more of the BS and ripoff's Monster pulls. http://gizmodo.com/tag/monster-cable/

[MikeBrewster77]

I bought some of those gold-plated, serated connectors just today, and tight is the understatement of the year! They were in fact so tight, I was afraid I was going to damage the inputs/outputs of my gear from the shear force needed to install them. :(

Not sure I'd be gung-ho about using them on any older equipment without maybe loosening them up just a tad first...

That being said, they sound good...I think. I made several other changes today to the system in question, so I don't know that I could pinpoint what impact the interconnects themselves had, but the sum of the changes is definitely positive :)

Best,
- Mike


Many that are currently available are gold plated, so that eliminates corrosion. And some rca connectors are serated providing a tigher connection. So the 60+ year old connectors have been improved a bit.

[Titanium Dome]

TI, maybe I missed something viewing the thread in hybrid mode, but am I the only other one here that understands what a complete and utter a$$hat Noel Lee and his litigious corporate lawyers at Monster Cable are?

Do you all not know what Monster has been up to?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Cable

Monster Mini Golf

Monster Cable brought suit against Monster Mini Golf in 2006. After legal salvos and an attempt at mediation, the owners of Monster Mini Golf launched a grassroots campaign against Monster Cable on the Internet. After receiving more than 200 complaints from the public, Monster Cable dropped the lawsuit and agreed to pay up to $200,000 of Monster Mini Golf's legal fees.[20] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Cable#cite_note-19)

Just one of many they've sued. Monster Energy drinks, Monster.com (jobsite), Monster transmissions, and, gasp, even Pixar over the movie Monsters Inc. Anyone and everyone with the word "Monster" in their name, and some not, are subject to litigation from these bungholios.

They tried to F with BlueJeans cable and got their hats handed to them by Kurt Denke, owner of BlueJeans and an ex-attorney. http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-news/blue-jeans-strikes-back

DO NOT BUY THEIR products. No matter what you think of the merits of the gear, you must surely disagree with their morals.

One more fun link to see more of the BS and ripoff's Monster pulls. http://gizmodo.com/tag/monster-cable/

Not to mention the poor folks at Monster Vintage Clothing, Monsters of the Midway... and the list goes on.

I sent Noel Lee a very opinionated letter about his company's business tactics, though I was afraid to address it to Monster Cable or mention Monster in the letter for fear that I hadn't obtained the right to use the word on my own paper.

He tries to play at being all innocent, nice, and friendly, and he claims he has to let his lawyers do these things to protect his brand, but he strikes me as arrogant, greedy, controlling, and evil. These are just my opinions of course, written in the course of exercising my right to free speech, and I could be proven wrong. He could start by donating $150,000 to my nonprofit organization that focuses on keeping kids out of gangs. Then I'd concede I might be wrong.

[Rolf]

Anybody heard of X-Terminators? I use XLR plugs for all, except from the CD to the preamp, as I have found no cable with XLR plugs that sound as good as my Monster Sigma interconnect. The plugs on the Sigma cable is very hard to enter, so I guess they make a good contact.

Maybe if they had made the Sigma cables longer, I would still use phono plugs all the way.

At the moment I try to find balanced cables sounding as good as the Sigma. Not an easy task.

[rek50]

"Not sure I'd be gung-ho about using them on any older equipment without maybe loosening them up just a tad first..."

A 1/4" drive, 7/32" socket, works like a jug of wine/dinner...

[Rolf]

If this is to me; Can you please write in understandable English? (That is that who not have English as the 1st language?)



"Not sure I'd be gung-ho about using them on any older equipment without maybe loosening them up just a tad first..."

A 1/4" drive, 7/32" socket, works like a jug of wine/dinner...

[rek50]

Post #93 Quote " I bought some of those gold-plated, serated connectors just today, and tight is the understatement of the year! They were in fact so tight, I was afraid I was going to damage the inputs/outputs of my gear from the shear force needed to install them. :(

Not sure I'd be gung-ho about using them on any older equipment without maybe loosening them up just a tad first... "

I loosen the RCA connectors, that are too tight, by inserting a 7/32" socket into them. The socket spreads the RCA connector and makes it looser.

[Igmutaka]

I loosen the RCA connectors, that are too tight, by inserting a 7/32" socket into them. The socket spreads the RCA connector and makes it looser.

OK, so you'll most likely never read this, but I just signed up for an account I'm likely never going to use again to say...

THANK YOU!:applaud:

I have been dealing with tight RCAs for DECADES, :banghead: both as a musician and music/movie lover, and I have NEVER heard of anything so brilliant and simple. I am currently putting together a little home theater and have some after market (read: MC) component cables for a PS2 and an Xbox
(don't judge, I have a stressful job :o:). I decided to use the Google to see if ANYONE had ANY bright ideas on how to not ruin all my gear in the process of putting everything together, and look what I stumbled upon... NIRVANA.

Oh God, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you...

Peace,

DB

[Eaulive]

Not to mention the poor folks at Monster Vintage Clothing, Monsters of the Midway... and the list goes on.

Nevertheless, various reviews have reported that listeners and viewers are unable to tell a difference between substantially higher-priced Monster cables and inexpensive cables[5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Cable#cite_note-4)[6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Cable#cite_note-5)[7] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Cable#cite_note-6) - these can actually be found online with prices go as low as 1¢ (Online retailers such as Amazon) with surprisingly high ratings. In addition, some opinions differ, especially for cables which carry digital signals such as HDMI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI) cables.[8] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Cable#cite_note-7) In one experiment, audiophile listeners could not distinguish between short Monster cables and ordinary coat hangers.[9] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Cable#cite_note-8) Another reviewer concluded that "16-gauge lamp cord and Monster [speaker] cable are indistinguishable from each other with music."[10] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Cable#cite_note-9)

:lol_fit::rotfl:

[SEAWOLF97]

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110118/12431012712/companies-who-support-censoring-internet.shtml

The Companies Who Support Censoring The Internet

from the censorship-is-good-for-business dept

A group of companies sent a letter to to Attorney General Eric Holder and ICE boss John Morton today (http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20028772-261.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20) (with cc's to VP Joe Biden, Homeland Security boss Janet Napolitano, IP Czar Victoria Espinel, Rep. Lamar Smith, Rep. John Conyers, Senator Patrick Leahy and Senator Charles Grassley), supporting the continued seizure of domain names they don't like, as well as the new COICA censorship bill, despite the serious Constitutional questions raised about how such seizures violate due process and free speech principles.

The companies try to present a united front that censoring the internet is a good thing. It includes the usual suspects of Viacom and NBC Universal on the content side and Louis Vuitton and Tiffany on the counterfeiting side, but there are a few other interesting names: such as Monster Cable (never met an IP law it didn't want to abuse, apparently), the NBA, MLB and NFL (sports leagues unite in censorship!) as well as Voltage Pictures, famous for suing thousands of fans for downloading Hurt Locker. Activison, which has become increasingly aggressive on IP issues lately is on the list as well, of course.

[Doctor_Electron]

I use strictly aged Muenster cable, with my huge collection of BOSE 901's. Sounds like teen spirt. Or is it Hammered Sh*t?

Dunno... I'm basically deft. But they do SMELL wonderful! :crying:

Just kiddin' ... Don't trip!