They did start all this cable madness! Before the Monster 12 gauge everyone used radio shack 18 gauge or worst. |
Funny how it goes sometimes. My experience with Monster wire was the the opposite, soundstage disappeared, everything got duller and flatter. But I recently had to use a pair of Radio Shack gold ended interconnects temporarily and guess what, it was able to hold it's own against a $200 interconnect. Synergy happens sometimes Just stay happy for a while, while the goin's good. Martin |
But what were the cables you just sold? |
I credit Monster with making me realize that cables mattered. To make a long story short, I replaced Monsters with a pair of AQ I had received free a year or two before, and it was painfully obvious that the Monsters were grainy and muffled.
KP |
I had bad luck with the monster twist bananas. The AR ones weren't any better. Even the "piercing" twist-lock one never gave nearly as "solid" of a connection as crimped on spade lugs, or bare wire on the binding posts. The difference was clearly audible. Even my non-audiophile brother would hear the difference, and were were using the same 8ga. monster speaker wire at the time.
The best bananas I've used are the "flat" screw-type bananas you find with most "scientific" equipment. Those old a connection with the bare wire like "nothing else." And come to think of it, so do the BNC terminiators on most coax, lol. I wonder if there is a connection (no pun intended)?
As for other monster cable... The 2m and 0.5m toslink isn't bad. Both sound better than the 1m, go figure! I also at one time, had some 400i series (I think that was what it was called) interconnects. They weren't bad. They charge you way to much for what you get (no surprise with cables). And transparent, they are not. They are a little veiled in the lower mids, and bottom end. At least when I switched to audio quest, I sounded a lot clearer down low. I think those AQ's were cheaper, too. but even the AQ's weren't perfect. I switched them out for better AQ's, then Wireworlds, now I running mostly Straight Wire. I think I finally got the mids and lowest to sound "correct" with my system.
monster cable may be OK, but it's far from transparent. Some say their ICs act like "filters." I dunno if I'd go that far. But they sure aren't transparent. You could probably due better for the money, IMHO.
An for FWIW, some say the straight wire encore II's I'm using aren't all that transparent, either. But one thing they are is "synergetic" with my system. Someone might have a system where monster cable is the synergetic match. So I guess, in that case, they'd be appropriate. Use you ears.... |
Mar00, You are exactly correct. This thing with cables is wild. I do believe everyone should use decent cables, but these people who spend thousands on cables has been fooled into believing something that's not there.I myself have tried various cables(some in the $200-300.00 range). I simply sold them bought some cheaper monsters, then enjoyed the music. Spend the money on good speakers, and don't waste your time and $ on this cable fraud. |
I apologize, but I find it hard to believe people with high resolution systems can't hear any difference at all. I can often hear a difference between different pairs of identical interconnects, let alone a different model or brand. A person with perfect pitch or music training is going to notice small changes more than someone who is tone deaf or un-schooled in music. I think hearing ability and skill plays a part in this difference in opinion. Anyway if someone is happy with their Bose Wave Radio/CD player, more power to them and I am sincerely happy for them. I just wish Paul Harvey on the radio would not claim his son the "Audiophile" loves his and has tweeked it further.
To use a golf analogy: Tiger Woods has custom clubs made to his exact specifications. They cost many thousands of dollars to make. With his skill they enable him to control ball flight in inches. If you're a 24 handicap, will a pair of megabuck custom golf clubs make much of a difference over a $300 pair from Sears? Probably not. They would be a waste of money. Does that mean they are a waste of money to a serious player?? Many times one stroke lost will cost a pro 10 to 20 times what the clubs costs.
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With due respect to many of the other respondees, I have found that Monster Cable cables fall short of their advertised claims. Last year, I had my own shoot-out of 8' biwired speaker cables (Krell 200c amplifier to Dunlavy SC-IVs), and both my wife and I were shocked at how inferior the Monster Cable M-2.4s cables were to the Transparent Audio MusicWave Supers. Now, admittedly, the Transparent Audio cables were more than twice as expensive, but, still, the advertised claims of Monster Cable implied that speaker cable did not get any better than the M-2.4s.
The best way I can describe the difference is using a computer analogy in terms of color graphics. The Monster Cable product was VGA resolution using 256 colors; the Transparent Audio was UXGA resolution using 16.7 million colors.
No, Monster Cable did not "kick butt"; rather, it showed itself, at best, to be "all talk/no action." |
I am now a wise old man of 27, but back in the day, I was a Monster-only kid of about 15. Of course, I also had a Bose Lifestyle system at the exact same time. That's right...I had Bose and Monster, simultaneously, at the heart of my system. If anyone wants to come over and bitch-slap me for these youthful indescretions, I heartily welcome the long-overdue punishment. Anyway, as I worked my way through my teens, I moved up the Monster line: 350i...550i...950i...1000i. While I noticed increased clarity and an oh-so-slightly lower noise floor with each model upgrade, the price/value ratio was off-kilter on all of them (I fact I slowly learned as I moved into my 20's). The $40 cable was probably worth $20, the $75 cable was probably worth $50, clear through to the 1000i, which at $200 per meter probably warranted a price of about $120. That said, my interconnect arsenal has gone as high as the Kimber Kable Select 1030 (about $1500 per meter). And through these 12 years, I can only draw a single conclusion, and it's one that's been drawn a thousand times before: The Price AND character of your interconnects should be in proportion to the price AND character of your equipment. Example: If you have good gear, but it's a little warm, you might want to throw in some silver interconnects to add a bit of precision, without your sound getting too analytical. Just my two cents. |
I guess its like this - Monster sells more cable than all the rest combined - I guess that makes them not good - Right? |
No, it's more like Monster sounds 'less good', and that mnakes them 'not good.'
I can't speak for anyone elses experiences, but my wife and I will tell you that.
If you are happy with cable X (whatever that may be), then rejoice. Don't expect everyone else to share your preference; those of us who may not care from Brand X are not part of a conspiracy.
KP |
Ligi, Same as McDonalds sells more Hamburgers and Bose sells more speakers. |
I had monster and cerwin vega, I think all teenagers go through that stage at some point. I ain't gonna salp you!
KP |
Of course your Monster cables sound as good as your $1200 cables because your electronics are closer to midfi than high end and can't allow you to hear the difference between the two cables. When you upgrade your front end and electronics someday, you will then hear the difference. |
I just wonder why Sean has stayed out of this one... |
Audionut--Of course I've upgraded my components in the last 12 years! I would never have spent any serious money on cables when that money could have gone to better gear! The whole point of my first posting was the concept of proportion--keeping your gear and your cables in proportion with one another. I'm sorry that escaped you. |
on a related topic: assuming that when you're buying monster cable you're paying for a name & hype, what's the alternative in the price range? |
The Monsters probably sound different which could mean better for a while but if you put a better cable back in the system it would probably change your mind and sound better again. We all get use to a certain sound and when we hear different we go yeah better but later it too becomes lesser. |
Hey Audionut.....Please explain how you can catagorize my top rated excellent performing equipment as Mid-Fi.The last time time I looked the ARC CD 2 was class A and the McCormack amp not far behind.I consider these components great values and truly representative of one of the better price to performance buys out there.And yes I'm certainly capable of hearing the sonic effects of different cables. |
Marr, I was only trying to induce audionervosus! Your equipment is fine and so is Monster CAble. I agree, if you can find great sound from reasonable priced equipment, cable, isn't that the goal? Happy listening. |
