HDMI Cable comparisons

When I set up my HT about a year ago, I bought four Audioquest HDMI-X cables at $100 each. Later I bought by mom/dad a TV for Christmas and bought HDMI cables from Monoprice.com after reading about them over at AVS. Out of curiousity, I swapped out the Audioquest cables in my system with the Monoprice cables and honestly couldn't tell a difference. I'm a believer that audio cables make a difference (to a point) in a quality two channel setup, but for video I would suggest that you try the Monoprice cables before you sink a wad into high priced HDMI cables. At least they would give you a point of reference if you decide to experiment. Just my two cents.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024008&p_id=3992&seq=1&format=2

Have a look at the video story at this link. It's an investigative journalism story from a consumer affiars show.

http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/packing_the_deal/

I would conclude that there are no differences in cables in terms of data transmission. They all have to meet the HDMI standard. There would be differences in quality of construction. So a more expensive cable might have better strain relief around the connector or it may be more durable for repeated connection and disconnection. Whether that is worth the extra cost of the premium cable is your own judgment.

I have lots of premium aftermarket cables from various price ranges, and I hear the differences pretty easily. I also have three or four sets of component video cables, and in the analog video realm it's also easy to spot the differences.

But HDMI is digital. It either transmits the bits or it doesn't. It seems to me that HDMI cables would be the easiest to review and test, because you could take screen shots of signal passed through one vs. another, and it would be easy to determine if one cable had more dropouts than another, or better color saturation, or whatever. It could also be done to determine which cables work better for the longer runs, which booster links keep the signal intact over long runs, and all that jazz.

But to my knowledge no one is doing this. When you consider that there are Sound & Vision, Ultimate AVMag, The Perfect Vision, Home Theater, and others, HDMI is de rigeur for HDTV, and HDMI 1.3a-compliant cables range from $4 from PartsExpress to several hundred from AudioQuest, that it would be ripe for reviewing.

I suspect there's so little difference that the mags don't dare publish a comparison test or shootout and lose a significant amount of advertising revenue that they'll otherwise keep simply by keeping their mouths shut.

Cynical, yes. But given that you can find reviews on all manner of interconnects, speaker cables, power cords, demagnetizers, and power conditioners, why aren't there any comparison tests of HDMI cables?

The British What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision magazine has an extensive review of cables including video cables. I recently bought the recommended Chord Company Silver 1.3 Silver Plus (HDMI). But I have not hook it up so I cannot say anything. But I have experience with component video cables before and I can say that there is an improvement over the original cables that come with the electronics. I am using the Monster Cable Video 3 Component now. I also use a PS Audio Ultimate Outlet for my TV and DVD player and the colors are definitely richer. The best thing to do is to borrow a few cables at different price points and make a value judgement. The Pioneer Elite plasma is a very good plasma. You should be able to see a difference between the cables. You also need a top notch Blu-ray player to get the best out from the Elite.

I agree with the above statements on HDMI cabling NOT being superior due to pricing or the lableing on them... and true that, online and print mags do seem to side step the direct comparison reviews between them... So what's that say? They've been around now long enough... there does seem to be enough talk about them and certainly enough interest.

...but then as was said, Why cut your nose off to spite your face?

With many audio, and for that matter video component, cabling itterations, there are substantial differences in the materials being used, the amounts of those materials, and how each conductor (s) are both wound or woven, and terminated.

Not so with HDMI. HDMI AWG range in size from 22 - 28. they may be individually isolated further than their applied/coated dialectrics, but usually they are not. otherwise the sheer girth of so many conductors likely would cause issues... though probably not for Virtual Dynamics.;-)

Another point is the compnents to which these cables are attached. Seen any mega dollar sources or preamps, or even amps, for that matter, with HDMI interfaces?

No. you most likely won't either. probably not even with those digital topology based items. of course these items don't require so many single conductors, yet a similarly configured yet lessened conductored cable could be generated... and for far less $$$ too.

You could call it HDMI Lite! ;-))

Until the quality and hence resolution, of the HDMI devices gains a lot of ground and enters the high end arena completely, there won't be sufficiently resolving gear with which to make proper comparisons.

Sometimes things are just what they appear to be, and the less said of them the better for.....??? usually it's not a comsumer friendly, er, wallet friendly affair in the end.

true enough though, my exp with HDMI says one doesn't need to buy into the high ticket HDMI cabling lines, as the diff simply isn't justified.... and I'm not one to penny pinch on cabling, generally speaking.