Support NeoGAF

[Neo_ZX]

So I just got a pair of Z-680s to go with my SoundStorm motherboard, and I've been using the analog lines for now. I've been thinking about getting a digital coax cable but as I went to the local stores, nobody sells anything but Monster cables. I mean they look nice but what a fucking ripoff! $30 for 6' of copper?

The questions I have are: What technical difference would it make to use the digital coax vs. a regular RCA cable? The general consensus is that there is basically no difference, but I'd like to check.

Futher to this, I'm going to try to mount my speakers on the wall, but I need some cabling. Monster likes to sell speaker wire at $70 for 50'. I talked to a guy in an electronics shop and he said to go to Home Depot and grab some 12 gauge copper lamp wire. Would that work and is it damaging at all?

 

[SKluck]

"Lamp wire"? WTF is that? Just get speaker wire. I doubt it would be damaging anyway, those kind of wires are just 1 wire with hundreds of strands. The thicker the cable the stronger the signal and longer you can take it.

Fuck monster, they are overpriced and redundant. Only HT pundits care about that "extreme useless unnecessary" quality.

Cablewholesale.com is the best place I've seen for cables in terms of cost.

 

[Crazymoogle]

Digital coax / Digital optical are the only ways to get Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS.

Some people really like Monster cable, but more often than not I take Dan's word for it and go pick up something cheaper. Can't help you on the 12 gauge copper wire, but for some reason I think I'd be surprised if it damaged your equipment.

 

[golem]

im using rca coax for short distances instead of a coax cable.. mostly i go with optical though. as far as i know.. digital = 0 and 1s.. as long as the signal gets there it shoudl be no different..

 

[heavy liquid]

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/

Monster is a rip-off. Bluejeans is as good/better for cheaper the price. After hearing from lots of people over at hometheaterforum and avsforum who were pleased with their product, I finally ordered some cables from them and I'm quite happy with it.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Look around online. There are a million cheaper cables than Monster, and they all work the same. Cable quality makes a marginal difference in quality. Get something shielded and you'll be fine. I doubt you'd ever notice the difference besides the massive dent the Monsters will put in your wallet. PEACE.

 

[crumbs]

Digital coax cable is the same 70 ohm rated cable used for composite video and subwoofer cables (and component video if you have three of them), so they can be interchangable.

I've used bluejean cables and was very happy with them, decent price and lots of options.

As far as lamp wire goes, I think you'd be all right using it, but if you're going to Home Depot, why not pick up some regular 12 gauge speaker wire instead?

 

[grungy gamer]

-yeah, monster is a bunch of buzzwords and marketing hype. i only buy the stuff when it's at a hefty discount. i think it's alright to spend a little extra money on nicer looking\constructed cable, but when it gets to the price that some companies sell it's just ridiculous. you're better off spending that money on better hardware.

as for the speaker wire thing: if you are running over 25 feet, use 12awg wire. and no, lamp wire will NOT hurt your system. check out this 12 gauge "pro sound ", it's only $18.75 per 50ft.

also check out KnuKonceptz they have decent prices for nicer quality cables. plus they have silver plated component video cables for under 50 bucks. that's insane.

there's also tons of DIY stuff out there. it can be cheaper, and you get to make it look how you want (and the fun of making it). here's some that i did:

these weren't fun to make, it took 54 individual 24gauge wires and almost a full 24 hours of braiding JUST for one speaker!

 

[Fusebox]

Monster may be overpriced for diminishing returns for many people, but they are still far, far, far better than anything that can be bought from Tandy etc.

Not that you'd notice any difference with something as cheap as the Z-680s anyway*.

*Not knocking the Z's, I love mine.

 

[Neo_ZX]

Well the whole reason why I was going to home depot is that I wanted white cables so it's not as obvious on my walls. I'll see if they sell any. Otherwise I'm probably going to order from cablewholesale. They seem to have the best prices for what I want.

I went to Radio Shack today and man, that place has really gone to hell. The store was deserted and their house brand cables were MORE expensive than Monster!

 

[SKluck]

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/

Monster is a rip-off. Bluejeans is as good/better for cheaper the price. After hearing from lots of people over at hometheaterforum and avsforum who were pleased with their product, I finally ordered some cables from them and I'm quite happy with it.

32 dollars for a 2 foot s-video cable.


THIRTY TWO DOLLARS.

Affordable my ass. That is WORSE than Monster.

 

[Fusebox]

'Eh? You think $30 is too much to pay for a high-quality connection from your DVD player to your TV?

Not sure why you're even bothering to look for a decent brand then Skluck because most decent interconnects are around that price, you should probably just stick with whatever came with your equipment when you bought it.

 

[gblues]

The only point of a cable is to carry electricity from point A to point B. That means all the cable has to do is conduct electricity and be able to transport enough of it to get the job done. Yes, voltage can be induced in many different ways, but I doubt there's going to be a perceptible difference--certainly not one worth paying $16/ft for!

Then again you probably use those green CD pens that supposedly improve the accuracy of a CD player. :lol

Nathan

 

[SKluck]

'Eh? You think $30 is too much to pay for a high-quality connection from your DVD player to your TV?

Not sure why you're even bothering to look for a decent brand then Skluck because most decent interconnects are around that price, you should probably just stick with whatever came with your equipment when you bought it.

Um... yeah.

"decent" != $16 PER FOOT.

That is insanity. It probably costs them like 4 dollars for that cable. Dare I say, if that.

You can buy 16 foot USB cables for $3, which work exactly the same, EXACTLY, as 16 foot $30-$40 "gold" cables you buy in certain places.

Mark up on cable supplies is INSANE. Do not believe the hype.

 

[Fusebox]

I doubt there's going to be a perceptible difference--certainly not one worth paying $16/ft for!

You admit you're uninformed, so why bother making guesses about something like this?

Case in point guys, I've got a $100 one-directional subwoofer cable made by Tara Labs - the difference between that and the supplied RCA cable that came with my subwoofer is like night and day - you guys can sit there and theorise and hypothesise all day about the returns of good cabling, but all it takes is one listening session to end all the arguments - this isnt a slight difference I'm talking about, this is the difference between boomy, unmusical sloppy bass and a tight, growly punchy, musical bass that kicks you in the gut with detail as much as it does with boom.

Although obviously you need pretty decent source equipment and speakers to see any returns from your investment, its not going to help that Tandy amp and Sony speakers combo sing any better, thats for sure.

"decent" != $16 PER FOOT.

That is insanity. It probably costs them like 4 dollars for that cable. Dare I say, if that.

That's no different to a pair of Nike trainers or a Ralph Lauren shirt - it's called capitalism.

 

[crumbs]

In defense of bluejean cables, they charge a minium when you add length. The most expensive part of the cables is the RCA connections, so adding length shouldn't be expensive. Monster cables and other boutique cables become very expensive as the length increases, while bluejean does not. A six foot bluejean s-video cable is only $4 more than the 2 foot cable. Monster would add at least $15 to go from 1 meter to 2 meters.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Speaker wire really just carried current and doesn't really matter. KnuKonceptz gets a vote from me on that front. Cheap and good quality. Gauge matters more than anything, and maybe strand count if you want to nitpick. But for a low-hertz setup like a sub, I think you'll find better signal-noise gains (which ultimately makes the biggest difference in "sound") from your amp than from the cheapass wire connecting it to the speaker. Pay for gauge based on the power levels you're running. Clearly you want to keep the pipe flowing the right way. Don't expect to run a 4AWG wire to the amp, and then a 0 or 1AWG to the speaker and think you're getting anything out of it b/c you're paying a fortune. You'll need to have the fatest end coming from the power source, and then trickle down from there. And ground should generally match the input, although I guess you don't have to worry about that for a home system.

Like I said, your gauge matters for your speakers depending on the power output of the speakers. You could base it on the amp too if you want to futureproof, but make sure the speakers can accept that size.

The only time you should ever worry is with signal cables. I wouldn't spend a ton on them though. Lots of decent options there. I don't know personally, but I know I didn't spend much on my RCA's. I went to KnuKonceptz and got some simple, shielded cables. You could help a lot with your install. Avoid running signal cables parallel to power cables. That eliminates a huge chunk of signal noise right there. But while the extra bucks might show incremental improvements on a oscilliscope, I seriously doubt you'll notice the difference. I know audiophiles rave about some of these expensive brands, but it's a fucking crock. Most of the filtering takes place in your amps, crossovers, etc than in the friggin cable. Yes, it acts as the biggest antenna, but simple shielding and common sense cable running will achieve everything you hope for without saddling you with an expensive and too short cable. I got feet of RCA from KnuKoncepts for what would cost be over a hundred bucks from Monster. Save that cash and invest it in a better amp. PEACE.

 

[fennec fox]

That's no different to a pair of Nike trainers or a Ralph Lauren shirt - it's called capitalism.

Man, you did not just try to defend cable prices to really poor people like me.

 

[Fusebox]

Are you serious? I hate poor people like you.