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Favorite HDMI cable under $100/M?


What's your favorite HDMI cable for under $100/M? Please note your equipment (source and display), as well as other, if any, HDMI cables you've compared. Don't just say "this cable is the best" and that's it. Back it up.

I bought WireWorld Silver Star 5/2 2-3 years ago and that was my only experience until recently when I had sold them due to system changes an needing different length. I'm regretting that now since I didn't need to sell them after all. I haven't found a replacement as of yet. I did however try AQ. Started with Forest and didn't care for it. PQ was notably off. Then Chocolate. A good improvement, but still nowhere near what I was used to with WW SS 5/2. Then Carbon. Better. But still not quite there. Not the same color punch, vibrancy, clarity, dimension/depth,..etc. Then I picked up some cheap Dynex $30/1.8M cable at Best Buy to hold me over in the meantime. And I have to say, I was surprised by how decent it looked. It challenged the very foundation of pricey high-end cables, or at least those priced not much higher. It still doesn't have the PQ of the WW, although during true HD broadcast and Blu-ray the line between them starts to get blurred. I would need the WW SS 5/2 to know for sure. But having only this to use I could be satisfied. But I'm not. So I'm trying to find the best HDMI cable for under $100/M (higher if discount or used).

Front Runners:

WW Ultraviolet 6
Furutech HDMI-N1

Equipment:

Marantz BD8002
Motorola HD-Dual Tuner DVR Cable Box
Pioneer Elite PRO-FHD1
sakahara
sakahara OP
181 posts
 

Transnova: No, I meant what components do you have? I wanted to know what cables people compared to and the HT gear being used.

Audiojedi: Thanks. I haven't heard of Neotech. I'll check it out.

Hifisoundguy: WW got it right when they made the SS 5/2. Btw, I use PS Audio PW AC3 and Jewel power cords with all HT gear, plus a PC. Big improvement. HiFi Tuning SilverStar fuses also made big difference with BDP.

I'm going back to WW SS 5/2. Already ordered. It'll be interesting to see what changes, improves. Sometimes it helps to downgrade so you can appreciate what you had and see/hear what's been missing.
sakahara OP
181 posts
 
And I didn't buy from CJ's Audio Video. :p
hifisoundguy
630 posts
 
Sakahara, the best power cable I have ever tried for video gear is diy CryoMax 3 cable from cryo-parts with Oyaide p/c 004 ac connectors....
transnova's avatar
transnova
351 posts
 
I have several systems,but thePangea HDMI cables are in a system consisting of an Integra DHC 9.9 pre-pro,comcast HD cable box,Pioneer Elite DV-48 DVD player,Samsung 3600 Blu-Ray player(also for streaming Netflix),Rotel RMB 1095 amplifier,and a Pioneer KURO KRP-500M 50" Plasma TV.I have used Monster Ultra 1000 and Audioquest HDMI 3 cables in this system prior to the Pangea cables.
sakahara OP
181 posts
 

I'm already noticing an improvement with PQ from the single WW SS 5/2 HDMI cable, even downstream between A/V Rcvr -> Plasma (still using cheap $30 Dynex cable between Cable Box -> A/V Rcvr, also BDP-> A/V Rcvr). It took a couple hrs to start settling in, but already I noticed this liquidity to the image, more dimensional, better depth, stillness, focus, and clarity, also colors are more saturated, vibrant. Much more pleasing to the eye. Order another one for BDP->A/V Rcvr.
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