Cheap VS Expensive HDMI cables? WTF???

rankandfile

rankandfile

Not My President
Sep 11, 2013
2,305
397
1,660
Since it was my first foray into the HD world just recently, I was surprised at the prices (up to $300 worth)of HDMI cables the Best Buy salesperson was telling me I needed to insure a good quality picture .
Im glad i didn't make my purchase that day as I have about 50 feet worth of various length cables all for $30 now and they work great.
why on earth are there still a wide variety of prices for these cables? I looked one up on Best buy's website that is priced over $1000?

I have been told there other than the material used to make the cable, there really isn't a difference in the signal gained from any cable.
It blows my mind!
 
Guys, use www.monoprice.com for your cable needs. Once you do you'll never look back. I want to bash sales people in the face when I see them try to rape customers.

"Oh, this $150 cable will make my pure digital signal even mo' better?"
 
Hanzo said:
Guys, use www.monoprice.com for your cable needs. Once you do you'll never look back. I want to bash sales people in the face when I see them try to rape customers.

"Oh, this $150 cable will make my pure digital signal even mo' better?"
Click to expand...
I imagine they make little or no money on sales of electronics such as tvs and receivers where the prices are pretty much the same across the board. they probably make their real commissions on selling expensive cables , etc to the sheeple that come in to the store wanting to one stop shop.
I have to admit I came this close to becoming one of those sheeple.
 
rankandfile said:
I imagine they make little or no money on sales of electronics such as tvs and receivers where the prices are pretty much the same across the board. they probably make their real commissions on selling expensive cables , etc to the sheeple that come in to the store wanting to one stop shop.
I have to admit I came this close to becoming one of those sheeple.
Click to expand...

They absolutely do make their money on accessories (and service plans). Which I have no problem with, except for the fact they lie to customers making them think if they don't get that $150 HDMI cable, or $200 Monster Surge strip that they are screwed or settling on a less than spectacular experience.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rankandfile
In my experience the $3 cables work just as well as the $50. Can't blame the salesman though, they're just trying to their job, to sell you stuff.
 
My understanding was the quality of a digital connection was the same regardless of price. Although a lot of the top Home theatre folk still swear by the more expensive stuff. Maybe cheap to expensive is more important at distance....say 30feet+ ?

How ever, I have a more expesnive cable. A QED HDMI cable that cost £45 at the time, and it is gathering dust right now while my £5 HDMI cable is put to work daily. I just couldn't tell a difference.
 
menace-uk- said:
My understanding was the quality of a digital connection was the same regardless of price. Although a lot of the top Home theatre folk still swear by the more expensive stuff. Maybe cheap to expensive is more important at distance....say 30feet+ ?

How ever, I have a more expesnive cable. A QED HDMI cable that cost £45 at the time, and it is gathering dust right now while my £5 HDMI cable is put to work daily. I just couldn't tell a difference.
Click to expand...

Yes my best friend owns a TV store in Boston and he said no matter the cable your not going to see the difference because its digital, he said its not like the old days where monster cables were better because they were using the hd color cables.

Like he said "1 are 1 and 0 are 0".
 
I paid more for one with a swiveling head, because it had a tangible advantage when I put my laptop in different places, but it was still cheap. I can't tell the difference in picture quality, but I guess build quality might mean something. I tripped over a cheap cable once and the metal plug came apart easier than I thought it would. But I just replaced it with another cheap cable - I don't trip that often.
 
I'm too lazy to order cables online (shipping fees too), but I just find the cheapest ones I can get at Walmart or Tiger Direct..... one time $6 for a 3 or 4 ft cable, and then $10 for a 6 ft HDMI. I probably paid a tad more than I should but close enough.

Next time I need one, I'll test out the dollar store. I didn't think they carried them, but Dollarama sells them for $3.

One of my business contacts from years ago who works selling electronics gear to retailers said at that time (we're talking mid 2000s) that all those expensive cables were around 80% retail markup. Not sure what the markup % is on cheap cables, but for those $100 Monster Cables, an 80% markup means they only pay about $20 for it. $80 profit. Various TV stands and metal mounting brackets have similar super high margins. They may make more profit on these accessories than selling a TV itself. And then there's the service plans and extended warranties too.
 
There are a variety of different things that you can get as options for HDMI cables. At the end of the day, they are all the same thing concerning their ability. In Wall installations, you want quality cable, not necessarily in price. But in build. For runs over 50 (which pretty much 6 rooms in my house are from the SC and Media Server) I've stuck with AQ and Blue Jeans and their higher quality cable. Notice, quality, not price.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back