Audiophiles can't tell the difference between Monster Cable and coat hangers
We've always believed that the perceived quality boost that comes from using high-end cables is really just a trick of the mind (read: justifying the ridiculous cost of premium cables to yourself) -- if you've dropped enough cash, you can probably hear anything you want. Still, our belief is one thing -- cold hard proof is another, and it looks like a group of 12 self-professed "audiophiles" recently couldn't tell the difference between Monster 1000 speaker cables and plain old coat hangers. Yeah, coat hangers. The group was A-Bing different cables, and unbeknownst to them, the engineer running the test swapped out a set of cables for coat hangers with soldered-on speaker connections. Not a single one was then able to tell the difference between the Monster Cable and the hangers, and all agreed that the hangers sounded excellent. No wonder Monster has to rig HD displays. Still, we bet people still fall for the hype -- oh hey, if you're looking for the ultimate in sound, we've got half a meter of oxygen-free, triple-wrapped double-insulated Sonically Shielded AmpliSized Egyptian Llama cable here that we'll part ways with for just a couple grand.[Via BoingBoing]
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
CUBSWILLWIN @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:09PM
It's probably because coat hangers are under estimated. Coat hangers could bee.....
THE MEANING OF LIFE
:P
Tony @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:14PM
I have lots of those, can I be God?
CUBSWILLWIN @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:15PM
Maybe son, maybe
Cal @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:15PM
We can all be God! =)
CUBSWILLWIN @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:20PM
could will take all our hangers away if we imitate him, then there will be no reason to live and we'll all tun emo. Be careful. All of you
CUBSWILLWIN @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:26PM
I mean to say God instead of could. Don't know how that came out
SirMegallot @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:14PM
Well actually, coat hangers are the antithesis of the meaning of life... We all know that they serve one major function; to assist poor homeless prostitutes with the means of a quick and safe abortion. Thus, coat hangers eradicate life, not bring meaning to it ;p
mark lee @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:14PM
For those of you who are interested in making your own speaker cables, I've found this article a few months ago and tried it myself. I can tell you that it's well worth the effort.
http://www.laventure.net/tourist/cables.htm
Note: Back then I bought my silver wire from Hoover&Strong, but based on the website's recent update you can only buy them at another place now if you don't own a business.
CaptCaveman @ Mar 4th 2008 2:31AM
What the heck are you talking about?! 42 is the meaning of life. The universe. And everything.
Diamamet @ Mar 4th 2008 5:53AM
The coat hangers aren't under-estimated. The article just fails to reveal that they are in fact MONSTER coat hangers!
Alex @ Mar 4th 2008 7:08AM
we'll turn into emus? what?
Will @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:09PM
Does this surprise anyone here? I think Engadget's target audience is already well aware of the fact that digital signals don't benefit from good cables like the analog systems of yore. If they even remember analog at all...
The real problem is the technoidiot consumers and the old clueless people who figure that they used to need expensive cables so they probably still do. Next time you see somebody buying these overpriced coathangers, do them a favor and explain it to them.
maveric101 @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:20PM
cable quality doesn't matter if you're going any normal distance, and especially so if the signal is digital. but if you're trying to send a signal 30 ft or so (who knows?) then quality can become an issue.
but for the vast majority of people, Monster is a HUGE ripoff. buy your cables at Home Depot or something. I got a decent 4ft optical audio cable there for like $15.
Beau @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:42PM
"I think Engadget's target audience is already well aware of the fact that digital signals don't benefit from good cables like the analog systems of yore."
Uh... what?? This article is about SPEAKER cables. It's analog. We're not talking Optical/Coax/HDMI, this is post DAC stuff.
Jake @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:43PM
They now have fibre optic cables at my local dollar store. I just wish they'd stock HDMI cables...
ericisshort @ Mar 3rd 2008 10:02PM
I assume these were Monster RCA cables that they were talking about. If so, its analog. I'm pretty sure all pure audio signals are still done in analog.
blitz303 @ Mar 4th 2008 4:32AM
"I think Engadget's target audience is already well aware of the fact that digital signals don't benefit from good cables like the analog systems of yore."
Oh, the irony!
happy_penguin @ Mar 4th 2008 5:00AM
The signal sent to speakers is not digital. There is no such thing as digital sound. Sound is by it's very nature analog. What you hear is decoded from the digital bits which were encoded as a representation of the sound.
maveric101 @ Mar 7th 2008 11:22AM
wow... this reply chain is full of win.
Ty @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:11PM
Stories like this warm my cockles.
CUBSWILLWIN @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:13PM
your mom must be proud of you
James Wood @ Mar 5th 2008 11:38AM
B*stard, I nearly choked on Pringles then reading your comment :P :DD
John Smith @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:12PM
And even this is not the funniest aspect of this.
Prominent audio magazines, edited and staffed by folks with IQ's purportedly in excess of room temperature, actually argue that double-blind testing IS NOT APPROPRIATE for testing soud gear.
It's ok for everything else in the world, but not for sound gear.
Astonishing.
Clark H. @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:24PM
I don't think it matters if they can see or not, it's a hearing test, after all...
=P
DT @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:31PM
I'd love to read an article where they squirm to explain their logic, John...any chance you can point me in the right direction? Overpriced audio cable is probably one of the biggest scams on the American consumer, but it targets mainly the wealthy, so it doesn't bother me like the scams on the elderly. A fool and his money are soon parted...
John Smith @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:32PM
Um, I think you are making a joke, but just in case you are not:
Double-blind means that neither the person taking the test (the one hearing and comparing different cables) nor the person administering it (to avoid any potential bias) know which is the one being tested.
zargon @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:37PM
Are these the very same folks that have been known to take bribes from companies such as Monster to have a better spin on their reviews?
mike @ Mar 3rd 2008 9:17PM
The anti-double-blind argument is pretty common in any enthusiast endeavor. Wine geeks get incredibly worked up over this. For some reason comparing wines without being able to see the label is simply unfair; probably related to how often Yellow Tail beats $60+ wines ;-)
Cunthor @ Mar 3rd 2008 10:02PM
I work in Celsius. So the IQ in question is around 21 :)
murray @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:22PM
Those prominent audio magazines can't afford to lose their advertisers (like Monster Cable), so they have no choice but to toe the line. Sad, really.
Jeebus @ Mar 4th 2008 2:57PM
"I work in Celsius"
Where is that located?
Hacker @ Mar 4th 2008 5:41PM
"Where is that located?""
Europe.
007baf @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:13PM
Excellent information. My best friend from high school used to be Monster's national Director of Marketing about 15 years ago. Back then it probably did matter with the analog systems of yore.
My question: So, the $125 HDMI cables aren't any better than the $30 HDMI cables you can get online (even from Apple they're cheap)?
John Smith @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:19PM
I don't think it mattered at all in the days of yore with analog.
As long as you had heavy gauge wire with low resistance, that was enough. Really.
maveric101 @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:22PM
no, like i said above, unless you're running that cable like 30ft, the $30 HDMI is just as good. Since digital is just 1 and 0, on and off, either the signal will get there or it won't. there's no real degrading.
CharlieX @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:49PM
monoprice.com
The prices for HDMI you see at Best Buy are a goddamn shame. It's like a Prada purse - sure it's well made, but you're paying a premium for something that doesn't exist.
rip @ Mar 3rd 2008 9:22PM
Try like $10 from monoprice.
Unless of course you like the Monster or Apple logos.
Zelatio @ Mar 3rd 2008 9:59PM
I got a $3 HDMI cable from NewEgg. Flawless. Popular Mechanics did an article about it even. They tested Monster's $125 HDMI cable against NewEgg's $4 offbrand, and they couldn't tell the difference.
007baf @ Mar 3rd 2008 9:59PM
I read somewhere about "quality" of these things and I really appreciate the confirmation that it's a scam. I was shocked to see the low prices at www.apple.com, thinking there must be something wrong with them. I guess it must a profit center for Best Buy and their ilk. Apple makes money off their computers and iPhones!
Oracle @ Mar 3rd 2008 10:59PM
I second the others. monoprice.com FTW
Good high quality cables, very low prices and good customer service. I had a problem (not really monoprices problem) and they shipped me a fix. No questions asked. No extra costs. No return of old product.
Ted @ Mar 10th 2008 11:01AM
The really annoying thing is that if you go into a Best Buy store and ask them if the super expensive cables make a difference they will tell you yes, and that it is noticeable. Complete bull. Luckily I can use the internets, but someone like my dad would probably get suckered out an unecessary $100 or so.
Graham @ Mar 21st 2008 1:00AM
http://www.MonoPrice.com FTW!!!
$30 HDMI cables? What a rip off!
This is the site I check first whenever I buy ANY cabling. The only times I have bought elsewhere since discovering them, is if they don't make it. Period. (.)
Dominic @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:15PM
"we've got half a meter of oxygen-free, triple-wrapped double-insulated Sonically Shielded AmpliSized Egyptian Llama cable here that we'll part ways with for just a couple grand."
...hmm..that sounds extremely high-tech and very expensive..just like my Monster cables!! I'll take a few!! :D
Kris @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:22PM
Good job pointing out the JOKE.
Morgon @ Mar 5th 2008 3:13PM
We can't have a discussion about high-priced cables without talking about Pear's Anjou wire --
http://www.pearcable.com/sub_products_anjou_sc.htm
You thought Egyptian Llama cable was expensive....?
Flashpoint @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:18PM
Lay consumers are probably the number one buyer of MONSTER CABLES and I'm fairly certain that these purchases happen mostly at BEST BUY, CIRCUIT CITY and PC Richard.
I worked for Best Buy years ago while I was in college. Best Buy pushes Monster Cables FIRST when you try and buy a high definition tv or audio equiptment.
$80 for RCA cables with thick gold connections
$100 for HDMI
$90 for Component cables
$100 for a Monster AC outlet with triple grounding and "noise shielding"
When the customer is at the register and realizes that a $2000 HDTV shouldn't cost $2600 - suddenly the BBY employee explains that "Monster Cables are spectacular and the only way to get the most out of your TV - which you are most likely buying on the credit card you JUST APPLIED for from BBY.
Then, before you realize it, they are offering you the extended warranty.
When you ask for "cheaper cables" they offer you INSIGNIA.
Insignia is a BBY brand and its all cheap chinese made wires that BBY sells you for 300% of their original cost. And I'm not making that up because I've checked the employee discount and the markups can be higher than 300%
Monster Cables are for d***heads who truly believe they'll get maximum usage out of a TV or CD player just because the cables weigh more than the F*%&in TV.
Jason @ Mar 4th 2008 8:49AM
Compusa was the same way when I worked their. The basic deal is that on big ticket items, the profit margins are extremely smalls, but the profits on accessories and replacement plans are huge.
I bought rounded IDE cables back in the days before SATA, they retailed for $29.99 for a 1 foot rounded ide cable, cost price on that... $4.99, which is what I paid as an employee....
Amy @ Mar 10th 2008 7:13PM
What I find incredible is that people still get suckered into paying for directional speaker cable. Does nobody realise that the signal they carry is AC and the flow of electrons changes direction thousands of times a second??
Eliot @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:19PM
Be careful with these kinds of comparisons:
IN the mid 90s, I worked for a fast ethernet company. We did a demo where we ran Fast Ethernet was run through 8 strands of barbed wire. Everyone was very impressed. The problem? Barbed wire is a BETTER conductor of signal than CAT 5 cable. Why? Because it's solid and continuous.
So in this case, a coat hanger is probably a far better choice than Monster cable, because it is larger in diameter and is solid metal.
However, if you touch it, you might get shocked, it's not very flexible, it's big, and you have to do your own soldering.
A better test would be to the cheapest Radio Shack cables to Monster Cables. I'm no big fan of them - I spent a bunch of bucks on speaker cales and the connectors fell off. But I still believe a proper test is important.
DeSpree @ Mar 4th 2008 7:46AM
I was wondering if someone was going to point this out; it really isn't a fair test. Good call.