Is it worth it to get a Monster HDMI cable? I know in theory that they will work better than the cheap $6 fry's hdmi cable I have now, but how much better is the question. Does anyone have some insight into the matter?
I don't know any difference between the different wires. I do know that I bought a 25ft HDMI cable from www.monoprice.com, for less than a 6 ft Monster Cable in any store locally and have had no issues so far. The cable I bought was thick and looked very well made. It has worked flawlessly thus far, so I would suggest saving a ton of money and buying a generic HDMI cable from Frys or online at the site I provided.
you basically just want to make sure the wire is thick and the jacket is nice and thick (but flexible) for any wire, HDMI, wires for your speakers, or whatever. it does make an audible/visual difference.
For HDMI cables no. Monster is not important because you dont need shielding on digital signals. If you were doing S-Video or Components then Yes it is important because the analog signals can be degraded and it'll look crappy with crap cables. But there are better companies than Monster.
+1 to calmnothing. your only concern with digital cables, like hdmi, is signal strength over long runs. If you're going 20 feet or more, theres a different kind of HDMI made from heavier stuff, but I can't remember what its called...
The problem is there's nothing wrong with Monster, they make a good product. Their retailer markup is around %40, and their OEM markup is pretty chunky too, and thats the problem most people have. Most other 'Monster' competitors, like Belkin's fancy line PUREAV have similar markups built in. and HDMI is already ridiculously expensive scooby: I'm tried Monoprice, and they're hit and miss. I got a 75' s-video cable that was shielded really well and held a signal to an LCD projector from them, but I also got some 3.5" to rca adaptors and a couple of 3.5 patch cables that were left-right swapped, and had its plug misassembled. -_- check out this thread for other choices people gave me: http://wrxatlanta.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15937 gte: thats probably fine if you're not going 20' or something. Just shop online for a bargain at the stores. Even Crutchfield has clearance prices occassionally.
www.knukonceptz.com This is where I'm ordering my audio cables for my sub, I've heard good things about their quality and the price is right.
I just ordered some 25-30 foot runs of component and HDMI cables from http://www.bluejeanscable.com/ Their prices were low and they did custom lengths for me. Hopefully I'll have the projector up soon.
I went cheap since I couldn't use Series 1s. I got the Series 2 HDMIs and 1505F Components. Since I haven't mounted the projector yet, I can't tell you how it well it works. Even the Series 2 was a stiff cable. I had to hack away at the box to be able to make it fit. HDMI is not the easiest thing to run.