Customer Reviews

Acoustic Research MS252 Master Series Rca Mono Subwoofer Cable with y-adaptor

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
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I bought the Acoustic Research MS252 Master Series subwoofer cable with Y-adapter to replace my broken Monster Cable subwoofer y-adapter. One-half of one of the gold plated prong connectors on the monster cable broke off inside of my subwoofer, but thankfully I was able to retrieve the broken piece without too much trouble. The Monster has a lifetime warranty, but I wanted something better to replace it since it broke so easily and this high performance AR subwoofer cable fit the bill perfectly and also carries a Lifetime Warranty. Monster may have replaced my y-adapter if I returned it by mail to them at my expense. :-(

The AR cable (15') is over twice the length of the Monster (only 6') and the y-adapter adds another foot to the total length, even though I didn't really need it now, the extra 9'-10' may come handy someday if I move or rearrange my system. The y-adapter is a much better design with more flexibility and the same quality construction as the main cable. The AR cable is very thick/heavy with Teflon insulation and is shielded with overlapped Mylar foil for RFI (radio frequency interference) isolation and copper braid for EMI (electromagnetic) isolation for the loudest, highest quality sound that I have ever heard through my subwoofer. The sliver/gray colored cable is clearly marked with arrows for directional signal flow and the connectors are color coded as well, blue on the main cable and red/white on y-adaptor. AR uses oxygen-free copper conductors like monster as well, but is a nicer looking and much better constructed cable overall. I really like the locking gold plated RCA-type connectors for secure connections and the best sounding bass ever!

The AR comes in a very handy, sturdy carrying case, but I doubt it will ever be needed unless I move again. Oh yeah, and the AR cost much less than the Monster cable. :-)

I have to say this is one of the best Subwoofer Cables by far, especially for the price. The quality of this cable is remarkable, and I love the locking connectors.

I'm not sure why the other reviewer is complaining so much, unless the price was A LOT more back when he bought it. I have always been a huge fan of AR, and I prefer them over the other "Monster" company any day. AR's products are top notch, and I have never had any problems with them at all. Yeah, the packaging may have been a little overkill, but who really cares.

I actually bought 2 of these just in case I decide to upgrade to a 7.2 system in the future.

Wow... I ordered this MS252 (15ft. long cable plus Y) and got a 25ft. cable plus Y for the price of this 15ft./Y cable. This is the nicest subwoofer cable with a Y adapter if your subs have two terminals (RCA Type), and if not just set aside the Y adapter, and use this very nice Directional cable - which has signal flow direction on the insulation. Package was like it was carrying Diamonds within it-- Never have seen anything packaged this well. AR is very proud of their quality. This is the way to go, after buying two of them for my subs and the Quality is better than Monster for alot less $$.. I will buy all AR - Acoustic Research cables in the future -- PERIOD. You will be totally Happy with these cables, as they are Locking ends, directional, thick in diameter but very flexible, and for 25ft. plus a Y-Cable for $10 product cost you CAN NOT BEAT THIS DEAL FROM OSD AUDIO.

The sound quality, tested side by side with the shorter "Monster" variety, is as good if not better than it's (considerably)more expensive counterpart. Why pay more for a name?

I bought a 350 watt subwoofer that didn't come with a cable and required a spliter. This cable works really well, has plenty of length and provides plenty of power for a great price. Overall i'm very happy with it.

This cable far surpassed my expectations. I have owned and used a Monster Cable Interlink 201, a Monster Cable M850 4M, and an AR PR152 ProSeries w/PR 142 y-adapter. Interestingly, these cables provide perfect evidence that the gauge of speaker wire is virtually irrelevant. If you loosen the cover on the connectors of either the PR152 or the Interlink 201, you will find the red wire that connects center-pin to center-pin is about the thickness of three human hairs. But they still provide decent audio quality. The AR MasterSeries on the other hand used much heavier gauge wire, and amazing internal connectors. Loosen the connector cover and you'll see some impressive, "no holds barred" internal construction.

All are good cables, the Interlink 201 and AR ProSeries are much lighter weight with somewhat lesser quality connectors. The M850 is great but ridiculously thick and stiff, making it almost impossible to route. It requires a door knob size hole to pass through a wall or shelf, and does not exactly bend around sharp corners. It is easy to imagine that stiffness causing the RCA jack on a receiver or sub to break if it were accidentally bumped or jarred.

The AR MasterSeries on the other hand, comes in a package that requires a phillips screwdriver to open, took three minutes to figure out, and could be used to transport Faberge Eggs across Siberia for the Czarina. The cable inside just oozes quality. It is thick, thankfully not Monsterously thick though, and still plenty flexible. It uses "locking RCA connectors" which may be a little overkill but are a nice touch. Because the connectors "lock," (instructions on a tag attached to the cable) they require being able to access the back of your receiver and sub with both hands to install and remove. The cable is also directional so look for the arrows on the outer covering, they point toward the sub. I've only used it for a couple of days but so far there is no humming, buzzing, popping, or crackling. And I have no reason to believe there will be any, even with very heavy usage for a long long time. I am considering getting a second at this price to have on hand as a "just in case," or if I decide to upgrade to a .2 system later.

It is impossible for me to discern any real difference in audio quality from my sub, but if you want the best, I'm confident this is about the pinnacle of subwoofer cables out there.

Almost all subwoofer cables utilize one or more layers of shielding and one of those layers (usually copper) is the negative connection for the cable. The negative can also be a separate wire and not part of the shielding. This enables you to ground the shielding to the receiver, if needed, without introducing a ground to the sub connection via the RCA. This concept is used in pro type audio installs. It is s a very important attribute if you need to defeat interference. Acoustic Research Master Series utilizes this approach of separating the negative wire from the shielding, and clearly surpassing the other subwoofer cables. Cables by Monster, Mediabridge and Belkin lack the separation of the negative wire from the shielding. The Top Ten Reviews web site does not make this distinction and list Mediabridge Ultra Series as being the best.

I purchased these (2) Y- adapters for use with my new sub-woofers. After reading the reviews here I was pleasantly surprised to find they also come with 15 foot cables. So buying them was a no brainer. Several days after placing my order, OSD called to say they no longer had the 15 foot cables with the Y-adapters, and would I accept the 25 foot cables instead (for the same price). Again this was a no brainer (after all it's better to have and don't need than..). First off I have to say these are some of the best cables made at any price. The build quality is absolutely stunning. All cables feature locking collars which aid in signal transfer and are very well shielded. If there are any complaints (and there isn't) it's that the connectors are larger than the standard type and therefore need more room behind the components to secure them. Overall this is one of the best purchases made in cabling. I highly recommend them.