I think I got hosed re: component video cables

H

Hornin NYC

Guest
Umm, they are like expensive but they look just like regular AV Cables. Did I just pay 40 bucks for 3 pieces of colored plastic (assuming I have shiatloads of AV cables around)?
 
Component cables are overpriced, but I'd still rather use them than take a mix & match of random RCA cables & connect to my system. For forty bucks you should have gotten some high quality cables--nicely insulated, solidly assembled gold-plated connectors. Plus if you're as much of a neat freak as I am spending a little extra to have one cable that you can discretely & cleanly route is a much better alternative than having to combine 2 or 3 random cables & then try to manage them.

And don't feel too bad. A guy I knew spent close to $100 for a component cable about 2 years ago from a high end A/V store (and yes I told him he was stupid for spending that much).
 
You didn't. But try hooking up 3 standard AV cables in place of the component and see how it looks, I bet you'll see the difference immediately.
 
Hornin,

When you pay that much money for a cable..usually it has athicker layer of gold on the connectors, which is good because of the superior connectivity of gold, and usually some form of oxygen free copper...meaning you will suffer less from oxidation of the copper over time...oxidation is bad for cables...less clarity in the signal...more noise on your TV screen...
 
The reason they are worth it, particularly with a digital input, is that the cheap ones will crimp and **** up the signal. The back of my receiver looks like an octopus orgy and they all get shoved in their pretty good when I try and fit my Denon in the faggoty armoire my wife bought, so crimpage is an issue.

I did chuckle at best buy one time when the monster digital cable cost more than the DVD player next to it.
 
"When you pay that much money for a cable..usually it has athicker layer of gold on the connectors, which is good because of the superior connectivity of gold, and usually some form of oxygen free copper...meaning you will suffer less from oxidation of the copper over time...oxidation is bad for cables...less clarity in the signal...more noise on your TV screen... "

Yeah they are gold plated and such.

Good, I don't mind paying for good stuff but I want it to be good.
 
regular av cables aren't component video cables though. Component splits out the colors, and gives better picture than S video. They are a must for ps2 on a big screen and make dvd's look awesome.
 
buy your cables online. They are at least 50% off from retail, especially for network cable.

I use this place: www.sfcable.com/

They have component cables for $16 (12 ft).

Cables have to be the highest markup item in the store.
 
i'd like to add that monster cable IS expensive as ****, but it's widely considered to be the best cable in the industry.

if you think the cable they have at say, best buy, is expensive you should see some of their premium audio/video cable.
 
The next thing you will be saying is how I need to buy one of their "surge protectors".
rolleyes.gif
 
Monster Cable isn't any better than the less expensive Radio Shack stuff. Neither are much better than a decent set of no name brand cables, as long as it isn't the skinny *** RCA stuff. Bettercables is also as expensive as hell, most likely because it got popular.

Cheaper if you can wait.

Somewhat more expensive if you can.

Basically the stuff above is broadcast quality cable. None of the fancy stuff like that some people swear by, just provides a nice clean signal path. Either one of the above is better much better than Monster Cable for not much more money, if any. All the other boutique cables that supposedly add anything to the sound can be simulated by inline inductors and parallel capacitors, but I don't see why you would muck things up by doing that.
 
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