Hi, just a quick question. Is there a noticeable difference when using a cheap component cable vs a ~$70 cable. Reason I ask, I just brought a DTR-8000 and it came with a component cable looks very cheap, and I was thinking if it was worth spending more on a better quality cable.

Thanks.

There is a difference in quality between cheap and more expensive cables. Does the difference justify the cost? Well lets just leave that up to the individual. The main difference apart from brand name and licensing is more expensive cable usually has better fitting connectors and better shielded cable which can make a huge difference for some users.

Personally I found the more expensive and better shielded cable eliminated "noise" picked up from a nearby and unmovable source. I had some monster cables (about $99 each) thrown in when I bought my plasma and have bought other cables from jaycar ($35) and DSE (crest brand the more expensive line, about $50 each) as well as using the cheap and nasty cables supplied with my STB. I cant pick the difference between the crest and the monster cables on my setup but the cheaper Jaycar and free ones with my STB dont perform as well.

Hi Whisper,

Age old discussion and you'll get answers from all ends of the spectrum. As with anything the cheapest of the cheap option is usually more hassle than it worth. Some reckon a rule of thumb with high end gear is budget 20-25% on cabling (You decide on that one).

With cables I reckon get something standard ($20-$30 say) and never think about it again. Basically, its a wire that electrons travel down. A coat hanger does that pretty well, so I'm not sure why you'd spend $100's on a gold plated 'coat hanger'.

End of the day is there any reason why you think you need a better cable? Is the PQ letting you down in some way? If so then it might be worth grabbing something a little better. But's its just as likely the TV, STB, aerial, aerial cable, wall plug, broadcaster or regional reception quality is causing whatever you're not liking. The 30cm bit of wire between the STB and the TV is possibly the least likely bit to be letting the system down.

0.02

Peter Gillespie

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You missed the bold type.

Have a nice night.

You pay for what you get in this world. A $20 cable will NOT be the same quality as a $100 cable. I keep telling my wife our hyundai is the same as a BMW, one is just German. I am not sure why she does not buy that argument

People have different priorities with different products. You can spend $5,000 on a plasma but wont lay out for quailty cables

First off I'd like to thank the people who responded to my query with constructive suggestions..... I assumed that’s the primary reason for this site.

Secondly, I have been a big user of the search function and had managed to find answers to the majority of my questions. However due to the specific question I had, I thought it best to post. Question being specific regarding the DTR-8000 and the included cable.


***** mello yello *****

Your a huge help..... ##@@* wit. Please feel free to ignore all my future posts.

You don’t have to thank me.

With regard to your alleged future postings…if that’s the response anyone here will get to you being asked to use the search engine ( whether its simply 4 words…”use the search engine” or my more attention grabbing method then I think I wont be the only one ignoring your posts.
Your question HAS been covered many times before and it is not brand specific that a supplied cable is a very basic cable…but it will do the job……(has been covered before)
Will a $70 dollar cable give you 70 times better picture…I doubt it…..(covered before)
Will it be more reliable ( longer life expectancy..better soldering etc) than the supplied cable …...probably yes…..(covered before)
PQ?...... debatable.. ( source of quite a few heated discussions…don’t know how you missed that one).


Theres a few very active members on this forum who are getting annoyed at these repetitive questions generating the SAME answers every time…sometimes all it takes is a little common sense. Sorry if my methods offended you…welcome to the forum…..have fun….try not to namecall …enjoy your new gear….yada yada yada

Do you like cheese?

Hi Whisper,

I am least qualified to answer you as I haven't got as far as plugging in a cable and comparing. I have done lots of reading and searched this forum many times over. If you are interested, here's a few good ones:

1. Belkin Pure-AV Silver Series ($86 for 1m from DPI Systems)
2. Kordz Quantum Dynamix ($98 for 1m from Cinema Cables plus postage)
3. Kordz Quantum C ($76 for 1m from Cinema Cables plus postage)
4. QED PCV-1, highly awarded and recommended, but a ridiculous $200+ for 1m
5. Just found out about a brand called Gecko ($99 for 1.52m)

The general consensus is that Monster is a very good cable, but overpriced. You can get the same, maybe even slightly better performance from one of the cheaper cables above. Monster is close to $300 for 1m.

There was a very good thread by Glencol I think who did a comparison of 7 cables and summarised his results. Search "cable" in the Topic and you'll find it.

Anyone tried the Gecko? Len Wallis and Eastwood Hi Fi both stock it, it looks pretty sensational and is quite cheap (relatively speaking).

I think $100 or less (assuming you are buying approx 1-1.5m) will get you an excellent cable. A lot of people have bought DSE for a lot less and are very happy.

Cheers.

I'm a engineer, so, I've never bought into fat/expensive/platinum-coated cables...
However, my bias aside... I have never seen a technical examination of cables to prove that one set of cables have better/worse electrical characteristics... Audio magazines have plenty of subjective comments but none of them that I have ever seen took a technical approach..
If they ever did, I'd feel justified in getting impressive cables for my 3 sets of Rotel amps to impress the visitors.