Customer Reviews

Cables To Go 98035 Premium HDMI Digital Audio/Video Cable (8 Feet, Black/Grey)

5 star:		(136)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Comparative Results: Technically Average, Overall Value Fair

**Explanation**

Explanation of technique used for Review (actual results are below with accompanying title).
My first inclination when I received this cable, was to attempt to do a side-by-side comparison of various HDMI cables to determine what benefit, if any the various cables provide. To make such a test fair however, I had to find identical televisions, input devices, (cable box, blu-ray, standard dvd, etc), and a place to put them; as you may imagine this proved to be way more effort than it would be worth.
After contemplating the issue I came to the conclusion that such a test would be pretty worthless anyways. Since I (like most people) never watch identical televisions side by side the real question lies in whether one HDMI cable improves the picture enough that it is discernable without viewing the pictures simultaneously. After all, if a viewer cannot discern a difference between the two without looking at both together, then there is no justifiable reason to buy one over the other.
With this in mind I used the following equipment to test the cables:
Television: Sony Grand WEGA KDS-55A2000 55-Inch SXRD 1080p Rear Projection HDTV

Cables:
1. HDMI Cable 6ft 6 ft 1.3 1080P FOR PS3 TO DVD LCD HDTV
2. Cables To Go 98035 Premium HDMI v1.3 Digital Audio/Video Cable (8 Feet, Black/Grey)
3. Mediabridge - 6ft Ultra-High Speed HDMI Cable - 120 Hz - Version 1.3 Category 2 - 1080p - PS3 - Blu-Ray
4. Monster M Series M1000 HDTV HDMI Cable (8 ft. / 2.43 m.)
5. Sony 5mm High speed HDMI cable ver. 1.3 (White)

Inputs:
1. PlayStation 3 80GB
2. Optimum HD Cable Box/DVR (not sure of the model number)

**The Test**
To conduct the test I had my wife label each of the cables with a number, the cables were mixed then piled together behind the television. With my wife assigned as the operator. I and two friends sat on the other side of the television. We watched pieces of Planet Earth on Blu-Ray, as well as Transformers on Blu-Ray and Standard Def. In addition, we watched the same song from American Idol in both HD and SD, and portions of an NBA playoff game.
Each of us had a card numbered 1-5 with space for comments on image quality, sound, etc., for each cable. The test was, as aforementioned, blind. This was to ensure that one of my friends (one of whom provided the $200 monster cable) and I, owner of the .01 + shipping no name cable (and most of the other ones) would not be biased by knowing it was our cable. If you shell out $200 for something you really want it to outperform, which creates bias.

And now:

**The Results**
All three of us agreed that there were no conclusive differences in the test. After a lot of switching between various inputs the conclusion was that while we occasionally perceived slight differences it was never clear and would be impossible to tell if the two pictures were not side by side.
Thus I must conclude that these 5 HDMI cables are, for all practical purposes, identical. Which means that they all had average performance and the main purchase determiners are price, aesthetic quality and build quality.
So to sum up, taking into account my opinion of the different cables, the HDMI Cable 6ft 6 ft 1.3 1080P FOR PS3 TO DVD LCD HDTV is the cheapest and feels it, it will probably need to be replaced soonest as well but at .01 cent plus shipping you can afford to. The Cables To Go 98035 Premium HDMI v1.3 Digital Audio/Video Cable (8 Feet, Black/Grey) and Mediabridge - 6ft Ultra-High Speed HDMI Cable - 120 Hz - Version 1.3 Category 2 - 1080p - PS3 - Blu-Ray were pretty similar but I like the design and build quality of the Cable-to-Go a little more, it feels more solid, I feel like this one would last a while longer than the first cable but I didn't do any endurance tests. My least favorite of the bunch in terms of feel/price was the Sony 5mm High speed HDMI cable ver. 1.3 (White) which I felt, was very thin and cheap feeling considering its price tag, I wouldn't bet that it would outlast either the Cable-to-Go cable or the Mediabridge. The Monster M Series M1000 HDTV HDMI Cable (8 ft. / 2.43 m.) is well made and aesthetically pleasing and looks as if it will last you until something replaces HDMI, I cannot however recommend it because the price tag is simply preposterous, as it provides no visual or auditory improvement.

If you're looking to buy a good quality HDMI cable and Monster's pricing scams make you sick, this is the cable for you. You will NEVER notice the difference between Monster's ridiculously overpriced cables and this one. NEVER.

Don't waste your money on Monster's products. Go with Cables to Go instead.

This is a good quality cable at a fair price. It is very well made and well designed, easy to hold and handle, works well. Do not waste your money on expensive HDMI cables, this one is all you need. Your picture and sound will be just as good as with the over-priced M*nst*r cables.

This is probably the best deal you can get for a Category 2 HDMI v1.3 cable, given that it qualifies for Amazon's free shipping and, therefore competes on price with the $3 offers that charge for shipping. Just in case someone may feel guilty for not paying a lot more for, basically the same thing, let's look at our top of the line offer, Monster HDMI 1000HD Ultra-High Speed HDMI Cable (2 meters) and do a quick comparison.

This item supports the HDMI 1.3 standard which is almost as good as it gets. Any HDMI 1.3 cable can carry up to 10.2 Gbit/s. The Monster cable too "guarantees a certified cable bandwidth of 10.2" The Monster also supports "x.v.Color, and Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD" and it turns out that, all of the above, and more, are part of the HDMI 1.3 specs and they are fully supported by every cable that complies to the standard and can be had for about 90% less. The expensive brand presentation simply enumerates the HDMI 1.3 specs as if it being HDMI 1.3 compliant was a really big deal. It is not a big deal. This cable is equally compliant and it costs about 90% less.

My suggestion: if you think that the proponents of the expensive brand have a point when they claim that their product is a lot more durable, buy TWO Cables To Go wires and still pay almost 80% less than you would pay for one of the expensive ones.

My personal experience: I've never paid 'a lot' for an HDMI cable because it makes no sense to pay more. I took home one of the 'expensive' ones once because the salesman promised to take it back if I wasn't amazed by the difference. It made zero difference and I returned it.

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The following are the HDMI 1.3 specs and all certified HDMI 1.3 cables (including Monster) are going to support them.

Maximum signal bandwidth (MHz) 340
Maximum TMDS bandwidth (Gbit/s) 10.2
Maximum video bandwidth (Gbit/s) 8.16
Maximum audio bandwidth (Mbit/s) 36.86
Maximum Color Depth (bit/px) 48

Maximum resolution over single link at 24-bit/px 2560×1600p75
Maximum resolution over single link at 30-bit/px 2560×1600p60
Maximum resolution over single link at 36-bit/px 1920x1200p75
Maximum resolution over single link at 48-bit/px 1920×1200p60

sRGB
YCbCr
8 channel LPCM/192 kHz/24-bit audio capability
Blu-ray Disc video and audio at full resolution
Consumer Electronic Control (CEC)
DVD-Audio support
Super Audio CD (DSD) support
Deep Color
xvYCC
Auto lip-sync
Dolby TrueHD bitstream capable
DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream capable
Updated list of CEC commands (only on HDMI 1.3a,b,c)

One of the biggest shams in the electronics world are premium priced cables. There's nothing mechanical about them, no turning pieces. They're all made out of the same elements -- copper, gold, plastic and rubber. If you're spending more than $25 on cables, you're a sucker.

This is the first HDMI cable I have had outside the one that was included with my XBOX Elite console and the one Microsoft sent me for free. I didn't expect to have any issues with this cable as they are pretty much all the same. The only difference between this cable and the one that Microsoft includes with their Elite console is that this one 2 feet longer. However visual wise, there is absolutely no difference between the two. I replaced my existing HDMI cable I've been using for my XBOX 360 with this one and honestly couldn't tell ANY difference. The only advantage (and a big advantage at that) this cable has over cables made by companies like Monster is that you save about 90% in price. Please don't allow yourself to be misled by Monster or popular retailers that incidentally ONLY sell Monster cables, who attempt to shove Monster cables down your throat by saying they offer much better quality. If you care about how your actual HDMI cables "look" on the outside, then by all means spend the extra cash on a Monster cable, but good luck in finding a difference between the actual audio/video quality between it and a cheaper cables like this one. Truth is there IS no difference when it comes to HDMI and there is absolutely no reason to spend more.

Very good solid build quality cables, I ordered 4 for my setup (Xbox360-WD HDTV - PC to my Onkyo recover then to my TV) everything worked fine with no noise. Also one nice touch, the cables come with a strap so you can use what you need and neatly warp the rest.

Whenever I see a discussion about cables, usually someone mentions that "monstrous" cable company, and how someone used a metal coathanger (or something like that) to achieve the same results. I kind of fall into the middle, because it is certainly not necessary for most scenarios to spend the prices they charge for a quality cable. Having said that, the $2 cables might be a bit of a gamble for material quality and longevity. This cable fits a good niche. The cable has a hefty feel to it, flexible but with some substance. It connected firmly without wobble in the connector to each of the devices I tested, PS3, Westy 37" LCD, Samsung 23", LCD, WDTV, and a Samsung HD camera. The quality of the video and audio appeared perfect for the equipment. I would not hesitate to add more items from the Cables To Go Premium line when the need arises.

Like other reviewers have said, this cable does the job for a reasonable price. I too have in the past looked at the Monster Cables. I admit I even added a couple to my shopping cart because at those prices they HAD to be good. Luckily before I clicked "Check Out" I read comments from other shoppers who swore that for them ('untechnical', regular people like me) the high-priced cables did not make a difference; so I bought a $15 cable which at the time was not a bad price.

What I can definitely tell is the difference in quality between this type of cable and the analogue(?) connectors (told you, not a techie). However, whatever difference (if any) there is in reception between this cable and my $15 cable is completely lost on me.

So plug this in, turn on the TV, slip in a DVD (or whatever you've connected to) and enjoy.

This isn't a long review, because there isn't much to say. The cable worked great. No need to purchase one of those overpriced HDMI cables.