Audio-Cable Reviews

I've always been a monster cable fan until now. The difference in audio between this one and the more expensive cables is not noticeable to the human ear. I'll take two or even three for the price of one of the more expensive "quality" cables.

Optical cables are used primarily to connect a DVD player or a game console supporting Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS surround sound to a reciever. Unlike Dolby Surround, which is used on VHS tapes, TV broadcasts, and digital cable and encodes left, right, center, and ONE rear center speaker into stereo sound, true 5.1 (three speakers at the front, two at the back, and low frequency effects channel for the subwoofer) encoding requires a wider frequency range which is not supported by RCA audio connections. Therefore, either an optical or digital coax cable must be used. A digital cable is just a light guide. Shielding or frequency response, important for video cables, are not much of an issue here. Therefore, an expensive optical cable will work just the same as a cheap one, unless the cable is defective. Keep in mind, however, that in order to get 5.1 surround to work, you may have not only to hook up the digital cable, but also (1) check the settings of your DVD player / game console to make sure that optical output is enabled, and 5.1 surround signal is not downmixed to standard stereo (consult your DVD player manual), and (2) that the optical input of the reciever is used when you choose the DVD player as input. Most DVD players also have a digital coaxial output, which works exactly the same for 5.1 surround as optical output. A digital coax cable usually costs less and may be a cost-saving option to consider. Home theater systems usually do not include optical/digital coax cables, so do not forget to order one together with your home theater system.

I use this to hook my new iPod up to my USB 2.0 PCI card. This can only be used with the new iPod, as it uses the Dock Connector. My thoughts:

USB 2.0 worked relatively well. A few things that users should know: USB 2.0 shares bandwidth with all devices that are using the master hub. Therefore, the more you have hooked up, the slower the speed for each device is. I happen to just be using the iPod with my USB 2.0 PCI card. Another note: the iPod cannot take full advantage of USB 2.0. The iPod can only handle the 400 Mbps data transfer rate that FireWire supplies. The extra 80 Mbps does not make a difference in this situation.

Using this cable initially for my iPod (my computer's OS is Windows XP), I found the installation painless, and it works as advertised.

I get an IPod from someone. It's cable doesn't fit my USB port on my PC. I found out it came with a fire-wire cable. I searched for fire-wire to USB cable changer, but I found they don't exist. I saw this (Apple iPod Dock Connector-to-FireWire-and-USB 2.0 Cable), but I thought you had to have an I-Pod Dock and I didn't know what it was. Well, the Dock Connector refers to the port on the bottom of all I-Pods. You plug the "dock" connector to the bottom of your I-Pod (it's dock), and now you can plug the USB cable to your PC's USB port, whether you have 1.0 or 2.0 (2.0 is just faster). Also, now you take the extra fire-wire cable and plug it to your charger, so you can keep charging while your using your I-Pod on your PC. The alternative is buying a fire wire card and installing it in your PC, a little more expensive, a litte more work.

Basically, most people don't have a Mac computer, so most people only have USB connectors on their computers. So go to TARGET and get this Dock Connector for $14.95. It works great for USB ports, and the great Apple interface makes updates a breeze. Overall, great product for computers other than Macs.

I highly recommend getting this Optical Digital Cable if you own both a surround sound theater system and a dvd player that have slots for this type of fiber optic connection. But make sure they both do or else you will waste time and money.

I am admittedly a novice when it comes to audio equipment...but I know what my ears tell me. Before I bought this cable, I had the basic RCA cables that come in the DVD player box. I thought my surround sound system sounded good...after plugging this cable in, the good sound quality has improved leaps and bounds (and I am not kidding here).

Sounds now go precisely into the surround speaker it was meant to go to...the sound is much cleaner and definitely in the proper location. When I had the RCA cables, the "surround" effect also wasn't as good...now, it is no doubt perfect.

Buy this cable...it improves sound quality 10 fold...plus it is much cheaper than the bigger name.

The Acoustic Research HT181 Optical Digital Cable is a wonderful choice if you are looking to take your stereo system to the next level.

As I've come to notice, it seem that the only cables out there where the Monster cables. Not true. The great news is, for a cheaper price and without sacrificing quality, the Acoustic Research cable is the perfect match for those of us who are watching our money and want a good quality product.

If you have a DVD player (mines an RCA...) that has an optical audio plug and a stereo receiver that receives optical audio, don't wait any longer!! Stop using those RCA left and right plugs and buy an optical cable.

The AR HT181 cables will expand you're listening please due to the fact that every speaker in your system (front: left/right, back: left/right, Center & subwofer) will receive it's own independent audio signal creating incredible audio effect and enhance your listening pleasure to any DVD movie.

To try and be super technical about these cables and compare them to Monsters is overkill and every room has it's own unique acoustics. The point being . . . if you're looking for a digital optical cable and are looking for a good price these should be an excellent choice.

The construction of the cables are good. They are well packaged and protected with plastic caps on the tips (remove before using) and they fit snug and properly into the jack on my DVD and stereo receiver.

This cable has served me well for 2 years now, and with a silver core, O2 free copper, double shielding, machined ends, 24K gold plated ends, silver soldered, etc., what more could you want in a component video cable in this price range?

It's a far better value than M _ _ $ _ _ R.

I highly recommend getting this Optical Digital Cable if you own both a surround sound theater system and a dvd player that have slots for this type of fiber optic connection. But make sure they both do or else you will waste time and money.

I am admittedly a novice when it comes to audio equipment...but I know what my ears tell me. Before I bought this cable, I had the basic RCA cables that come in the DVD player box. I thought my surround sound system sounded good...after plugging this cable in, the good sound quality has improved leaps and bounds (and I am not kidding here).

Sounds now go precisely into the surround speaker it was meant to go to...the sound is much cleaner and definitely in the proper location. When I had the RCA cables, the "surround" effect also wasn't as good...now, it is no doubt perfect.

Buy this cable...it improves sound quality 10 fold...plus it is much cheaper than the bigger name.

The Acoustic Research HT181 Optical Digital Cable is a wonderful choice if you are looking to take your stereo system to the next level.

As I've come to notice, it seem that the only cables out there where the Monster cables. Not true. The great news is, for a cheaper price and without sacrificing quality, the Acoustic Research cable is the perfect match for those of us who are watching our money and want a good quality product.

If you have a DVD player (mines an RCA...) that has an optical audio plug and a stereo receiver that receives optical audio, don't wait any longer!! Stop using those RCA left and right plugs and buy an optical cable.

The AR HT181 cables will expand you're listening please due to the fact that every speaker in your system (front: left/right, back: left/right, Center & subwofer) will receive it's own independent audio signal creating incredible audio effect and enhance your listening pleasure to any DVD movie.

To try and be super technical about these cables and compare them to Monsters is overkill and every room has it's own unique acoustics. The point being . . . if you're looking for a digital optical cable and are looking for a good price these should be an excellent choice.

The construction of the cables are good. They are well packaged and protected with plastic caps on the tips (remove before using) and they fit snug and properly into the jack on my DVD and stereo receiver.

This cable has served me well for 2 years now, and with a silver core, O2 free copper, double shielding, machined ends, 24K gold plated ends, silver soldered, etc., what more could you want in a component video cable in this price range?

It's a far better value than M _ _ $ _ _ R.

I highly recommend getting this Optical Digital Cable if you own both a surround sound theater system and a dvd player that have slots for this type of fiber optic connection. But make sure they both do or else you will waste time and money.

I am admittedly a novice when it comes to audio equipment...but I know what my ears tell me. Before I bought this cable, I had the basic RCA cables that come in the DVD player box. I thought my surround sound system sounded good...after plugging this cable in, the good sound quality has improved leaps and bounds (and I am not kidding here).

Sounds now go precisely into the surround speaker it was meant to go to...the sound is much cleaner and definitely in the proper location. When I had the RCA cables, the "surround" effect also wasn't as good...now, it is no doubt perfect.

Buy this cable...it improves sound quality 10 fold...plus it is much cheaper than the bigger name.

The Acoustic Research HT181 Optical Digital Cable is a wonderful choice if you are looking to take your stereo system to the next level.

As I've come to notice, it seem that the only cables out there where the Monster cables. Not true. The great news is, for a cheaper price and without sacrificing quality, the Acoustic Research cable is the perfect match for those of us who are watching our money and want a good quality product.

If you have a DVD player (mines an RCA...) that has an optical audio plug and a stereo receiver that receives optical audio, don't wait any longer!! Stop using those RCA left and right plugs and buy an optical cable.

The AR HT181 cables will expand you're listening please due to the fact that every speaker in your system (front: left/right, back: left/right, Center & subwofer) will receive it's own independent audio signal creating incredible audio effect and enhance your listening pleasure to any DVD movie.

To try and be super technical about these cables and compare them to Monsters is overkill and every room has it's own unique acoustics. The point being . . . if you're looking for a digital optical cable and are looking for a good price these should be an excellent choice.

The construction of the cables are good. They are well packaged and protected with plastic caps on the tips (remove before using) and they fit snug and properly into the jack on my DVD and stereo receiver.

This cable has served me well for 2 years now, and with a silver core, O2 free copper, double shielding, machined ends, 24K gold plated ends, silver soldered, etc., what more could you want in a component video cable in this price range?

It's a far better value than M _ _ $ _ _ R.

I highly recommend getting this Optical Digital Cable if you own both a surround sound theater system and a dvd player that have slots for this type of fiber optic connection. But make sure they both do or else you will waste time and money.

I am admittedly a novice when it comes to audio equipment...but I know what my ears tell me. Before I bought this cable, I had the basic RCA cables that come in the DVD player box. I thought my surround sound system sounded good...after plugging this cable in, the good sound quality has improved leaps and bounds (and I am not kidding here).

Sounds now go precisely into the surround speaker it was meant to go to...the sound is much cleaner and definitely in the proper location. When I had the RCA cables, the "surround" effect also wasn't as good...now, it is no doubt perfect.

Buy this cable...it improves sound quality 10 fold...plus it is much cheaper than the bigger name.

The Acoustic Research HT181 Optical Digital Cable is a wonderful choice if you are looking to take your stereo system to the next level.

As I've come to notice, it seem that the only cables out there where the Monster cables. Not true. The great news is, for a cheaper price and without sacrificing quality, the Acoustic Research cable is the perfect match for those of us who are watching our money and want a good quality product.

If you have a DVD player (mines an RCA...) that has an optical audio plug and a stereo receiver that receives optical audio, don't wait any longer!! Stop using those RCA left and right plugs and buy an optical cable.

The AR HT181 cables will expand you're listening please due to the fact that every speaker in your system (front: left/right, back: left/right, Center & subwofer) will receive it's own independent audio signal creating incredible audio effect and enhance your listening pleasure to any DVD movie.

To try and be super technical about these cables and compare them to Monsters is overkill and every room has it's own unique acoustics. The point being . . . if you're looking for a digital optical cable and are looking for a good price these should be an excellent choice.

The construction of the cables are good. They are well packaged and protected with plastic caps on the tips (remove before using) and they fit snug and properly into the jack on my DVD and stereo receiver.

This cable has served me well for 2 years now, and with a silver core, O2 free copper, double shielding, machined ends, 24K gold plated ends, silver soldered, etc., what more could you want in a component video cable in this price range?

It's a far better value than M _ _ $ _ _ R.

I bought this cable to hook up my Playstation 2 with a Promedia DD-5.1 (Digital Decoder). The Problem is that the cable I bought didn't produce 5.1 Dolby Digital or DTS, just stereo. Read the reviews for the X-box Lightwave 100 cable; they are the same cable except for the color. Some people maybe haven't figured it out yet because they don't use a Digital Decoder, but all they are hearing is Stereo sound. Im pretty upset because I sent my Digital Decoder back to Klipsch thinking that was the problem, but it was actually the cable. By the way the customer service at Klipsch is simply the best, they produced high quality equipment, not like over at monster cable. So beware! If you are paying big $ for a cable shouldn't it at least work or do what it say it does?

Your PlayStation is state-of-the-art in terms of audio quality. PS2 is equipped with a fiber optic digital audio out, enabling you to experience movies and games in Dolby Digital Surround Sound as well as listening to your favorite CDs in crystal clear digital stereo. No matter how you use your PS2, with pure digital audio connection you have access to the ultimate Dolby Digital Surround experience and the best in home audio entertainment.

Digital is the preferred high performance audio connection over analog because it has a wider dynamic range, which results in clearer highs and deeper, tighter bass, without the distortion common with analog connections. Also with digital audio, you don't run the risk of problems like hum and buzz caused by electromagnetic and radio frequency interference.

To start, this is a reasonably priced 3.3M (10ft) toslink-to-toslink cable. Compared to other higher quality and longer length optical cables and you'll see the difference in price. I use this cable but not for my connection to my PS2 since my DVD player functions far better than the console itself.

Now, if you do NOT run your Playstation2 into a receiver/home theater system, it's not a wise decision for you to buy this since it won't serve any purpose for you. (For example, if you don't use this unit to watch DVD movies or pump it through your receiver for 5.1 Dolby Digital/DTS sound. (5.1 Digital Sound has yet to be implemented in a PS2 title.)

Where I work, we once had a discussion about Monster cables and if they really do provide a better signal than a decent less-expensive cable.

So, we injected a range on freqencies through the Monster and looked at it on both an O-scope and a spectrum analyzer. We then did the same for a cable of the same type, but not a so-called Monster.

The Monster had *slightly* less attenuation, however the attenuation was not constant and the fluctuating attenuation introduced fluctuating harmonics. The differences between the Monster and the other cable, however, were along the same lines that one would expect to see from two similiar cables from different manufacturers.

My conclusion is that Monster cables simply are not worth the price. As for the construction itself, I don't find it very durable. It gives the appearance of durability, but I was not impressed with how the connectors were applied. For as much as these things cost, there should be better workmanship.

Professional cables can be had for half the cost of Monster cables. Monster cables are high-end low-end cables, where the high-end aspect is mainly in price. Its no suprise that one wouldn't find Monster cables being used in any professional sound studio.

I believe the "better picture aspect" of Monster video cables to be attributed mainly to psychological factors.

My advice would be to get the Microsoft HD AV Pack (which is what I'm using myself) for $20 and use the $40 you'll save on a game.

I bought this cable because I've long been a fan of Monster's products. My first thought on opening the package was that the cable itself is beautiful. Then I began to pay more attention to things.
The audio and video segments are side by side which caused some dismay because I wanted to run sound through my receiver. If you pay another 40 and get the proprietary optical cable, you can wire your sound through a receiver but this would mean spending 100 on cables for your Xbox. I have no doubt that there is an improvement but I have doubts as to how detectable it will be. The package does say a separate optical cable is necessary but in my purchasing haste, I failed to notice this.

I prefered to just get the standard HD kit from Microsoft for 17.99 and then hook up my own component cables and optical cable.

I feel that a $60 cable for a game system should include an optical cable for sound. Requiring the purchase of a proprietary optical cable instead of allowing any optical cable to connect is another slap in the consumer's face.

Although, I was a bit skeptical about paying that much money for a set of cables, in the long run they have paid off. These cables, with my sony flat-screen tv, provide some of the clearest picture I've seen so far and my tv's not even hdtv! Also, buy the monster cable lightwave 100x cables because it provides the best sound possible on xbox.

It is surely a rare day when I buy a product that does exactly what I want and lives up to what the company says it can do.

Batteries fully charged in three hours, THE ABSOLUTE Winner hands down for staying power, my Toshiba digital would eat any other rechargeable, but with the Monster it lasts thru frame after frame, even with flash.(out performs projected #of frames). These people have made a friend for life!

Just a solid battery pack for your digital camera. My brother-in-law used this product a ton but then he forgot it at my house over X-mas and I've been using it ever since. Batteries seem to last longer than other times and it does charge a little faster although I don't know if that is such an issue. Monster stuff tends to be a little expensive so I'm glad he forgot it at my place.

i purchased this item and have been impressed! the power cells hold a charge for a long time!! i have not lost power when using my digital camera with these batteries. i would recommend an extra set of power cells, so that you can always have back up...just in case! but, even after a trip to disney (with lots of pictures), i am still satisfied.