Monster Cable THX-Certified Fiber Optic Digital Interconnect Cable (4 Feet)

by Monster

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.5 x 5.9 x 8.6 inches ; 4.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B00006JKW5
• Item model number: THX 100FO-1.2M
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,850 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: December 11, 2003

Product Description

Product Description

Home Theatre Picture and Sound Keeps Getting Better
DVD and Satellite Receivers use high performance connections like S-Video, Component Video, and Dolby Digital Surround Audio. Using high quality connections is more important than ever, to get the most out of these technologies.

That's why THX, the industry leader in sound quality certification for movie theatres (you've probably seen the famous THX logo in movie theatres and DVDs), collaborated together with Monster Cable, to create connection standards specifically for home theatre.

Today's Home Theatre Components Need Higher Quality Connections
The cables that come in the box don't meet Monster THX standards. Some of the connections you need don't even come in the box, including S-Video, Component Video, and Digital Audio for Surround Sound.

Introducing the Monster Standard Line of Monster THX-Certified Cables
Although Monster Standard THX cable doesn't feature many of the advanced technologies found in our higher performance product lines, it still packs plenty of Monsterous features: higher quality gold tip connections, user-friendly features like color-coded connecters & ID labels for easy, error-free hookup, plus increase power handling of speaker cables to deliver the full dynamic range of explosions and crashes found in today's movies. And dig the stylish, futuristic connector design inspired by Lucasfilm's Star Wars epics.

Product Description

DVD and Satellite Receivers use high performance connections like S-Video, Component Video, and Dolby Digital Surround Audio. Using high quality connections is more important than ever, to get the most out of these technologies.That's why THX, the industry leader in sound quality certification for movie theatres (you've probably seen the famous THX logo in movie theatres and DVDs), collaborated together with Monster Cable, to create connection standards specifically for home theatre.Although Monster Standard THX cable doesn't feature many of the advanced technologies found in its higher performance product lines, it still packs plenty of Monsterous features: higher quality gold tip connections, user-friendly features like color-coded connecters and ID labels for easy, error-free hookup, plus increase power handling of speaker cables to deliver the full dynamic range of explosions and crashes found in today's movies. And dig the stylish, futuristic connector design inspired by Lucasfilm's Star Wars epics.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best value for Fiber Optic Audio, October 17, 2004

By 

Atomicwasteland (Rockville, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Monster Cable THX-Certified Fiber Optic Digital Interconnect Cable (4 Feet) (Electronics)

I've bought several of these cables and have been very happy with my purchase. I've used them for hooking up my Gaming Systems, TV, Cable Box, and Receiver/DVD Player. (Note: I had to buy a small 3 in 1 Fiber Optic Switch Box to handle all these cables -my Receiver and TV only had one digital audio connection each.)

I believe that these cables are the best name brand VALUES currently around for Fiber Optic Audio.

What do you REALLY get for a "high end" fiber optic cable that is triple the cost of this cable? I don't know. I purchased one (which was "top of the line") and obscenely expensive, and of course it sounds great, but these cables sound great too. Plus, these cables ARE Monster cables, AND they are THX certified!

What does THX certification mean? Below is a blurb taken directly from the THX website describing it:
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"THX is on the forefront of entertainment technology, offering products and services of unparalleled quality for post-production, distribution and playback of audio and visual content. THX Certification is considered a mark of excellence in the presentation technology industry, offering consumers a promise that the cinemas they visit and the products they purchase have been evaluated and tested to meet the highest standards for picture and sound performance."

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A digital signal is a digital signal. This is fiber optic cable -it uses light to transmit the digital data -it doesn't degrade like analog based on the quality of the cable. So these cables are NOT likely to give you a worse audio signal than more expensive cables, they just are going be a little less durable, and probably use slightly less high quality materials. Are they fragile? Not at all, but the top of the line cable that I purchased was so thick that I probably could have stepped on it on cement and it would have been fine. This THX cable is thinner and I could imagine it breaking more easily. If you work somewhere (like a studio) where there is a good chance of rolling things over the cables from time to time on a hard floor then you might have a good reason for a more durable cable. (Same goes for cables that are going to be manhandled regularly -i.e. a lot of plugging/unplugging and bending of the ends).

Overall, I'm very happy with these cables and can I afford to buy a bunch for all the fiber optic audio connections I am now using (i.e. Receiver, TV, Cable Box, Xbox/Playstation/Gamecube)

(P.S. for first time users, don't forget to pull off the tiny plastic coverings on each end of the fiber optic cables. These are there to protect the cable during transit/storage and will prevent the light from passing unless removed. Throw these tips away; you'll never need them again.)

29 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Monster Standard... Why them???, January 1, 2006

By 

David Chen (Barrington, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monster Cable THX-Certified Fiber Optic Digital Interconnect Cable (4 Feet) (Electronics)

What exactly is a fiber optic cable? It transports sound using a digital signal. In fiber optics, light is used to transport this digital data. The digital signal is made up of 1 and 0. 1 being light, 0 being no light.

I recommend using the Monster Standard Cables and always will. I actually did try different cables unlike most people who talk about the cables all being the same.

So how should I decide between buying a "high end" fiber optic cable and an ok one. Well, the fact that it is triple the cost of this cable kind of gets me. I purchased a top of the line, Monster Cable THX Ultra 1000, that was really expensive. The Ultra 1000 is more durable, and uses higher quality materials that transport the light more efficently. Yea it did sound slightly better. But if you plan on using it for a CD player or a cheaper surround sound system, you won't need the really expensive stuff. This does perfectly well. But even for me, I ended up returing the Ultra 1000. Why you ask? The quality didn't meet the price. Its not worth it unless you plan on building a top of the line home theater that you plan to use every day. For most people, this cable will be more than enough of an improvement that they'll notice the difference and be happy enough.

You should keep in mind that when you use surround sound, that in order to actually achieve the full 5.1 surround sound that you should use digital fiber optic cables for all the sound inputs that you can use it for. (CD players and video cassettes don't have 5.1, most only have 2.0/1.0 respectively)

Overall, I gave this Monster Standard cable a 5 because there is no 4.90.

Notes for new users of these cables:

- Make sure your DVD player or Cable/Satallite reciever has the fiber optic output, as a lot of the cheaper ones don't.

- Pull off the plastic protective coverings on each end of the fiber optic cables. These are there to protect the cable during transit/storage.

- Be careful not to bend the cables around too much or strtch them to meet the distance you want them to reach. Buy a longer one if you need to.

- If the black coating on the cable gets striped a bit, consider buying a new cable, as the damage allows light to seep out, thus, distoring the quiality.

© 2005 - David Chen - All Right's Reserved

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Cable, July 3, 2005

By 

J. Paddington - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monster Cable THX-Certified Fiber Optic Digital Interconnect Cable (4 Feet) (Electronics)

It may be true that optical cables all provide the same quality but not everyone that buys Monster optical cables will try refuting this. I buy Monster in general because of the durability as well as the quality, but in optical's case I bought this cable knowing that it should last as long as my equipment will. And for $20, that's not a bad investment. I have to admit though that I bought an Arista Fiber Optic cable which is just as good, four times the length and cheaper, but how long it will hold up against all the foot-traffic, I don't know. For the price I think either are fair.