Customer Reviews

Mediabridge - RCA Component Video Cable with Audio - 6ft

5 star:		(126)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

As someone who does quite a bit of home theater installations, I have to say that I was very impressed by these cables the first time I purchased them. They are now my "go-to" component video/audio cable for both personal use and my freelance A/V work. In my opinion, they represent an exceptional value for this price point.

Within the nondescript cardboard box they come in, lurks a very well-made cable. They have:

1) an enclosed, 5-in-1 design for the length of the cable, meaning the 5 individual cables are sealed together up to about 3" before termination. This makes it very easy to run through walls, cable ports, or organizers compared to a bundle of separate cables. It also helps cut back on overall cable clutter, and helps save space behind your components. Cable identification also benefits from this design.

2) a braided cloth jacket. Not only is it elegant, but the smooth cloth will help prevent snagging on other cables and components.

3) solidly made, gold-plated connectors. The collar around the center pin is segmented; this is an expected feature on any good quality cable, and it means you can easily crimp the collar if you need a tighter grip on the component's I/O jack.

4) good shielding. Although I have not cut open the cable to investigate its shielding, they evidently are above average as determined by my informal "interference inductance" test. This is a test I do whereby I pass a strong magnet near the cables while they are conducting a signal, and look for signs of interference or signal degradation. While this is not a "lab-quality" scientific test, it does help simulate EMI that might be encountered by the cable from electronic components or power cords and transformers, and if a cable can stand up to this test it will generally perform well against lower-power EMF, and probably exhibit no 'crosstalk'. These Mediabridge cables passed, and this is one of the reasons I am now using these cables so extensively in HT installations, where there a lot of other cables and various electronic gear.

In general, I can see no flaws in the design. Because you have 5 cables bundled into 1 they are somewhat stiff, but not significantly inflexible. Keep in mind that usually the point of weakness and failure of most any cable is at the junction between cable and connector. I don't know if these cables have any stress-relief inside the terminator body (none is visible), but unless you do much repeated hooking and unhooking of your components I would not expect any problems with these cables. Just make sure that when you unhook these (or any cable) from a component, you grasp the end connector's metal body and pull-- never yank on the end of the cable itself (sometimes a slight clockwise twisting motion of the connector while pulling will assist with very tight connections). However, if I notice any unusual or premature failure of these cables I will post back and amend my review.

It is amazing to consider that the major-chain electronics stores regularly sell "premium" (and not so premium) A/V cables for $50 or more. While there is nothing necessarily wrong with those cables, they are almost always dramatically overpriced. It is simply unnecessary to spend that much if you know what to look for. Although it may be possible to get a slightly better cable for more money, I have not come across a better value on a component video + stereo audio set with this kind of build quality. In conclusion, I would confidently recommend these cables to any discerning buyer, and will buy them again myself when the need arises.

This is a nicely-made cable that helps clean up the maze of wiring behind my TV. The six-foot length allows plenty of play for moving components around. My older Sony DVD player has no HDMI output, but the component video signal looks very good.

A superb component video cable, especially for the price. It is well made with gold plated RCA connectors and looks to withstand significant use without deterioration. I have it connected to my HDTV and it works perfectly. How can you ask for anything more? Certainly much more cost effective than the $30+ cables sold in retail electronic stores!

Great product. I haven't put testing equipment on it or anything like that, but the weight and feel make me think it rivals the quality of that popular $100.00 per cable company (you know the one). The ends slide on smooth, but feel firmly attached. For the money it would be hard to find better. Liked these so much I bought the Mediabridge HDMI and Optical cables, identical quality to these. Other reviewers have touted Mediabridge customer service, that made me willing to take a chance on them and I am glad I did. Good Stuff here

Very High-quality cable at a very reasonably price. Shipping and delivery were very quick.

In short: well manufactured and well finished, good looking: a clear color for every function; very resistant connectors, a good quality main cable with good casted plastic terminations. Flawless quality of audio and video. Why did I buy it? 1) To reduce the cable mess below my wall mounted plasma, and 2) to send progressive video from my DVDR.

Bought these to replace two short, very stiff 5-in-a-row cables and one enormous 12 foot 5-in-a-row (these came with the equipment). Video and audio quality are just as good (in fact, perfect as far as I can tell). The very decent price was a bonus, I wasn't looking for the lowest price. Cable box, TV and DVD player are much easier to arrange now. IMHO this is the perfect size and design for a component cable for many if not most American homes.

Very impressive set of cables for this price, I can actually see a difference in the video quality on a new 32" LCD tv since switching from ordinary rca video cables. Unfortunately first set received was defective, but the manufacturer had a new set in my hands within days, super customer service.

The best thing since.... What a great idea binding all the RCA cables into one cable.
Works great, lessens clutter.

Good price, number one in sales and available on Prime. Thought I couldn't go wrong. Rationalized the one-star reviews as potentially user error. But, after spending an hour attempting this hook-up and getting nowhere, I was was almost ready to concede defeat. Went to Target and purchased another component cable, which also did not work. Back to basics, read the [5-year old] DVD instruction book and learned the DVD menu had to be set to "component" output to work but unable to access DVD menu with the component cords connected. Thus, had to reconnect in composite to access DVD menu to change output to component so TV would recognize component hookup. Now, all is well, although out about 3 hours in time including a trip to Target and Radio Shack. Will consider Mediabridge for HDMI hookup when needed.