Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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688 of 716 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All HDMI cables are NOT created equal, October 17, 2007
Despite popular myth, all HDMI cables are not the same. Construction quality, cable design, cable thickness (gauge) and connector quality can all play a role in the success you'll have with an HDMI cable. Yes, HDMI is a digital signal but this does NOT mean that you either "have a signal or you don't." Cheaply constructed HDMI cables can have not only mechanical failures (worn out solder joints over time, ill-fitting connectors), but electrical failures as well, and these can be represented either by visible distortion ("sparklies," lines, dropouts or pixilation), or by incompatibilities with certain high bandwidth HDMI sources and displays.
This is not to say that you need to pay $50, $100 or more on well-known brand HDMI cables in order to get good results, but when you buy "no name" cables (particularly from unknown marketplace sellers), you're taking a risk - you might get something decent, or you might not. And is it really worth it, to save a couple of dollars on the cable, when it may cost you hours of debugging to determine exactly what's wrong with your picture or sound in your high end home theater system?
As the editor of a home theater publication (Big Picture Big Sound), I've had the opportunity to own, evaluate and use many high-end high definition components and displays as well as a variety of HDMI and component video cables. I've used the high-end name brand cables as well as no-name plain plastic-wrapped HDMI cables made in China. Some of the cables I've ordered via Amazon marketplace sellers don't even match the picture of the item. But the "Cables To Go" HDMI cables I've bought from Amazon have been consistently high quality, with strong mechanical connections and excellent reliability. Cables to Go (aka "Impact Acoustics") is an American company, based in Ohio, specializing in all types of cables, connectors and switching components. They may not be a household name, but they're a solid brand with a proven track record of quality and reliability.
Many of the "cheaper" cables offered by marketplace sellers come with hidden costs that you won't see until check-out, namely high shipping and handling fees. But Cables To Go cables bought from Amazon.com can be shipped free (orders over $25), which brings their price down to an extremely reasonable level.
Reliable performance at an affordable price. That's what I call a bargain.
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222 of 227 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
i was skeptical..., July 25, 2006
first off, i was wary of purchasing this cable because of the very name: "cables to go." then, i was wary because of the cheap price. but after reading other reviews saying that insane cable shielding doesn't really matter since it's all digital, and seeing the outrageous prices of Monster Cables, I was more than willing to try this cable.
Turns out, after using it for two weeks with my Sony HDMI DVD player and Sharp Aquos HDTV LCD, it works perfectly! So save yourself the extra money and buy a "no-name" HDMI cable...
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81 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
High-quality, low-cost alternative, October 19, 2007
Okay, folks...we're talking about digital signals here. A digital signal gets there, or it doesn't. This isn't like analog signals where increased resistance or poor shielding of the wire degrades your sound and picture.
This cable does what I need it to do for about 15% of the cost of most of the alternatives out there. My picture looks great, I can get 1080p out of my Playstation 3, and I saved some bucks in the process. I couldn't be happier.
From some of the reviews, you'd get the impression that this cable is exceedingly thin or poorly manufactured. Not true. It does have gold-plated ends, it fits snugly in the sockets--won't pop out from its own weight, but also will come loose instead of dragging your equipment to the floor if someone trips over it.
And I got news for you: I used to work at Best Buy, and stuff like cables have some of the highest mark-up in the store. Yup, most of what you're paying for those $100 cables--probably somewhere around $75--is going straight in to the "Profit" column in the ledger.
Buy these and a couple of BDs or a game for the same price as the big name cables.
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