om13934 Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 If I have some regular 12ga. copper lamp cord, 12ga. no name speaker wire, and 12ga. regular copper monster cable,(not bandwidth balanced)would there really be that much of an improvement as you go up the line. For all of monster's hype, is it really worth the extra money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcoker Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Not really. Especially between regular no name 12 g speaker wire and Monster speaker wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 If you ever watch the Avia Home Theater Essentails DVD, they tell you to go down to your local hardware store and buy stuff there. I dunno... Sometime I should do a a/b test Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 OH NO - Not one of these threads again JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckears Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Short answer: the improvement made by cable upgrades are dependent upon the components you're connecting and your own ability to hear, or care about, the differences made by different cables. In the world of higher fidelity, Monster is not that good... better than the junk they sell with components, but not by much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 honestly..... NO!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 So how much are some of you willing to spend on speaker wire per foot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prodj101 Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 I really don't like monster at all....MIT cables do make a noticeable difference though. the MIT cable I have for my RF-5's is 200$ for an 8 foot pair (230 if you include connector price which are required), and the interconnects are 70 for a 1 meter pair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 at the risk of repeating a statement that has been posted here and on numerous other forums... show me a double blind test that proves the difference.... the challenge was made back in the 1970's.... there was even money put on it...not one speaker wire manufacturer has ever agreed to participate.... as long as the gauge of the wire is sufficent for the length of the run.... THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE!!!! until a double blind test is done and proves to me that one wire is "noticibly better" than a generic wire of the same gauge... i consider it all marketing..... worse than the marketing claims of bose..... and with much higher mark-ups.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 No. All this concern over speaker wire is misplaced. I bought the LMS system some years ago. It runs frequency response curves and is pretty much the industry standard. You'll see the LMS logo on a lot of published response plots. I had some home made Klipschorns as a load and an old Sony receiver as the source. In between was about 25 feet of 16 gauge lamp wire from Home Depot. The project was to run a frequency response plot of the output signal of the amp, and then the end of the wire connected to the speaker. The result was that there was no difference except for a couple of 0.1 dB points. That is to say, nothing. I should do that again and post it. The problem is that those who believe in brontosaurus wire will just say this means nothing. I'm like everyone else. We want our systems to be in tip top shape and tweek where there is a problem. However, there is no problem with speaker feed wire. You can't solve a problem which does not exist. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Yeah there is a difference monster cable sucks compared to lamp cord. That is the monster orginal which makes things conjested and tinny but adds more loudness and bass. But this cable also gives you shrill highs. Now the monster xp is a good smooth cable. Get that if your going with monster. I am trying some tara labs klara. It hasn't came in the mail yet, but i am sure it will be better than the monster orginal. The orginal makes everything sound like a cheap tinny sound. Try some tara labs if you can find them for a dollar a foot without connectors. With connector it will ad alot more on the price tag. They got really good review and beat out alot of more expensive ones for home theater. By the way i got mine from soundscape. Very nice people and they were a hard cable to track down when your in the sticks. Later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 "Yeah there is a difference monster cable sucks compared to lamp cord. That is the monster orginal which makes things conjested and tinny but adds more loudness and bass. But this cable also gives you shrill highs. Now the monster xp is a good smooth cable. Get that if your going with monster. I am trying some tara labs klara. It hasn't came in the mail yet, but i am sure it will be better than the monster orginal. The orginal makes everything sound like a cheap tinny sound. Try some tara labs if you can find them for a dollar a foot without connectors. With connector it will ad alot more on the price tag. They got really good review and beat out alot of more expensive ones for home theater. By the way i got mine from soundscape. Very nice people and they were a hard cable to track down when your in the sticks. Later" NO DIFFERENCE!!!! you are not paying attention!! tara labs is another cable company ripping people off... just not to the extent of monster cable... cables of the same dimension (gauge) will sound the same!!!! copper is copper..and the electrons that transmit the signal don't care what manufacturer's name that happens to be on the outer jacket.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 I don't know but i can hear a smoother sound when i use the same size speaker wire. When i compare radio shack to monster cable xp i hear a much smoother sound. So what's the deal their do i have something wrong with my ears? I hear it this isn't my imagination. I wouldn't be putting my monster cable originals down if i wasn't hearing the difference. I know their a different size but i do hear a difference in some brands. But is it worth the price? That is really up to the person. Actually the main thing i wanted was banana plugs factory terminated. So they wouldn't fall off if i did it. The reason being it's just easier hooking up equipment and testing different receivers. This is worth it to me. You could by radio shack wire and ad those connectors yourself. I have done it. I wanted it done from the factory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 "Actually the main thing i wanted was banana plugs factory terminated. So they wouldn't fall off if i did it. The reason being it's just easier hooking up equipment and testing different receivers. This is worth it to me. You could by radio shack wire and ad those connectors yourself. I have done it. I wanted it done from the factory." that's cool....but don't claim any "sonic improvements" for your convience factors..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 ---------------- On 1/19/2004 10:08:13 PM William F. Gil McDermott wrote: The project was to run a frequency response plot of the output signal of the amp, and then the end of the wire connected to the speaker. The result was that there was no difference except for a couple of 0.1 dB points. That is to say, nothing. I should do that again and post it. The problem is that those who believe in brontosaurus wire will just say this means nothing. ---------------- It would make an interesting read for many of us... even more so if you can your hands on a set of "higher end" stuff to compare the plots to. To avoid a flame war though, posting it to the "odds and mods" or "technical" forums would seem like a safer place. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prodj101 Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 Well, with the MIT cables I got there was a measurable difference with the rat shack SPL meter of up to 1.5 db (especially on some of the shrill highs the monster original cables seem to have). Something with the capacitors in them I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 "Well, with the MIT cables I got there was a measurable difference with the rat shack SPL meter of up to 1.5 db (especially on some of the shrill highs the monster original cables seem to have). Something with the capacitors in them I suppose. " you fail to understand the whole point of a balanced double blind test..... the most obvious difference in to a listener is one of loudness.... basically...people perceive..."louder is better".... if your cables play "louder"... you might perceive them as being "better".... a true double blind test would equalize the levels of the tested cables and would allow a true "quality" test of the cables... if you are talking about attenuating certain frequencies..."shrill highs"... personally, i would have a problem with that type of cable that changed the output of the amplifier..... and the source material... if you have to rely on a speaker cable to "correct" problems earlier in the signal path then you have very poor components.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 AAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHH Oh my god, are there REAL monsters in that cable Seriousy guys, before I came back to Klipsch speakers, I had Martin Logan Ascents, Bi-wired with $175.00 monster cables, top of the line. The spades were giant gold plated fabulous looking fancy stuff that screwed onto the cable and screwed into the speaker. One afternoon I was listening to the speakers and the left channel was out. I switched the cables, and i'll be damned, the cable was broken, I guess it was just TOO fancy, but the wierd thing is, it blew the left channel of the B&K 507 AVR. How do I know, cause the repair dept af Tweeter told me so. How is that for a MONSTER reality check. If ya want the rest of the story I will post it later...needless to say, I got rid of all the monster and went with much less expensive cable, which I am sure I still overpaid for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 At the Klipsch get together last year we tested this in a blind test using lamp cord and some 1000k speaker wire... Gil is right, NO difference. Go to Lowes, or Home Depot, get it in the spool area..where different sized cord is sold in the electrical department. Buy it in bulk..... Not the speaker wire area next to the appliances. Save your money and enjoy what you kept in your pocket in cd's, dvd's, and a great dinner with someone special. (P.S., You might get something a lot more worthwhile to you in the long run too!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 Some cables ad certain characteristics to your sound. So cables do make a difference to some people. I wouldn't say everyone would benefit. But i would like to have a smooth and balanced sound with my klipsch's. Seeing how they are a bit forward and bright with a neutral amp. I would like to ad sweetness to that and come up with a real nice balance. When i can afford it. Minn Male is probally right about the same size being the same. The price difference isn't probally worth it for some. I prefer a smaller gauge wire i just don't like the monster originals harshness. Then theirs the quality of the copper and how it is stranded or braided or whatever technique. Most hi end stores will tell you that thinner gauges are better for transperant highs. Which is a bunch of hooey. The only honest to goodness thing i can say is i like 16 gauge wire better than the monster original. Now that i think about it i was comparing the xp to the original. Which are of different gauges. Now i am curious. I read a good review on my puchase of the tara labs klara which was the gauge i was looking for. But paid more than i wanted to. So i guess i was suckered into a marketing gimmick like a bose product. I'll let you know if it is anybetter when it comes in now i am pissed i spent 70 dollars for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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