Customer Reviews

Monster I400MKII-4M 400 Series Mark II RCA Stereo Cables (4 meters)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've had this cable for about 6 months. It made an immediate difference to my system. It sounds clear, transparent, smooth. Also, I like the directional indicators on the cable which help in installation.

My only gripe is that the connectors are cheaply made. When one of the "grab" pins broke off, I realized the connector is not all metal construction (like you would expect for the price). The pin was made of plastic - quite a disappointment. I hoped for better at this price.

Wow, I'm a little surprised here. Several months ago I wrote a detailed review comparing the 400mkII's to MIT Terminator 3's, and another pair of Monster interconnects. I basically said that the 400mkII's severaly degraded the sound quality of my system - the bass and lower midrange became boomy, bloated, and lacked detail. (Note: if you don't believe that cables can sound different, just try a couple of different pairs . . you WILL be surprised.) I was extremely disappointed with this product, and I made this known in my review.

About a week after I posted my review, I checked this page and saw that my review had indeed been posted. Now, I came back to see how other people may have responded to my review .. only to find that my review is completely gone! Ok, now I know how Monster manages to consistently get 4 1/2 - 5 stars on all of it's cables here at Amazon - they just delete the bad reviews. Or at least that's the only logical conclusion I can see here.

If you don't believe my critique of the 400mkII's - just go search out a good consumer review site ... Monster is consistently reamed by critical listeners.

Ok, my rant is over. But you owe it to yourself to try out other cables. Some of Monster's other cables sound great . . but the 400mkII's will hurt the sound of you system.

I have a bunch of cables, from low to mid-end.

I would rate them somewhere in the middle between the low end and the mid end in terms of audio quality.
The connectors are a royal pain. They are WAY TOO TIGHT which makes them very hard to plug in and even worse when its time to unplug them - they are so tight to a point one can damage the RCA jack on the equipment.

I wish I had kept the package otherwise these would be back for return in no time.

I bought these for my dvd player. They work wonderfully! The old analog cables that came with the dvd player looked alright but [didn't measure up}. These monster cables definately enhance the sound of my dvd movies, especially the dialogue. The old cables that I had made my movies sound a bit muffled. But the monster cables intensified the clarity from the dvd player to my reciever. For those of us who cannot afford 5 speaker digital surround sound, I would definately recommend these cables if you use regular 2 channel stereo for your movies or CDs.

These cables are excelent. They reproduce bass, middle and highs very clearly and in a soft way. They sound very good and natural. I think the guys who had problems should had checked their equipments, room accoustic and speakers before review this product.

I wish I could say these sounded as good as a pair of "high-end" cables from Target. They sounded much MUCH worse. The entire midrange was muddy, cymbals almost nonexistent. The soundstage just seemed so one-dimensional, I couldn't believe it. The bass response didn't seem like it changed... This was hooked up to an upgraded Rega RP1 turntable with a Cambridge Audio 640P preamp to an Onkyo TX-SR706 receiver. I did A/B testing with my boyfriend around as a control, and he also noted everything I just mentioned, so it wasn't just me. I wasn't hoping for much, but I was definitely EXPECTING these to sound better.

Disappointing, to say the least.

I am actually surprised that you can hear a difference in RCA cables over such a short span of distance.

Oh, and when I plugged one of the cables in, it broke my input plug on my receiver, so I have to use a different one now. Be aware of this when if you do end up buying these and jiggling them. In Monster's defense, they advise you to twist the plug onto the input, but, I didn't think it would be as hard as it was.

Buyer beware!

I was shopping for a stereo cable and had good success with Monster cables previously. What I received were two completely separate (but color-coded) mono cables -- I immediately sent them back for a refund. I expected a joined double cable. Amazon's photos do not clearly show that the cables are separate, nor is there anything in the detailed description about this. I already have too many cables behind my cabinets and on my floor -- why would I want two more when one double cable would suffice? Conclusion: the photos are misleading and the description is incomplete.

A few other folks who reviewed this item complained about the plugs being too tight. This is often an issue with Monster cables. But, better too tight than loose! There is a cheap easy fix. If you don't have any lying around, go to Radioshack and ask for an RCA barrel coupling [EDIT: Amazon has them for 2 bucks a pair]. I think they sell them in pairs, less than 5 bucks. To adjust the tightness of the plugs, put each plug into the barrel coupling (one at a time of course), inserting it about halfway (if the plugs are super-tight, you may have to push them against the floor). Push the coupling side to side, like a lever in the plug, rotating it a few degrees with each push. Pull the plug out and push it back in; if it's still too tight, continue. DON'T overdo it, or you may end up with a loose plug, and that's hard to fix. Whatever you do DON'T try to plug a super-tight plug into anything you value; as you will end up very sad!

Monster cables are not the greatest. They are not audiophile cables. But, for the 99% of us who can't afford audiophile gear, they are generally just fine. The quality control is consistent, with a few exceptions such as the occasional over-tight rca ground mentioned above. They are not over-priced; they are better than the really cheap junk... they are what they are: good basic cables at a reasonable price, as long as you buy them at a discount. The MSRP prices of Monster stuff are ridiculously high in many cases, but who pays full price for them? This pair, at $20, is a good deal. At $70, they would be a rip-off.

I wish Monster and others in the low-to-mid-price range would make some products without the "gold" finish - it's really tacky (even if the "gold" were real, which it ain't, it wouldn't make a better connection than a good zinc/nickel alloy)..

At the end of the day, what's the controversy? They aren't at all what the manufacturer hypes them to be, but if you think you are getting much better sound from something else, then buy that something else and be done with it!

If you buy a Monster cable from Amazon and you think it's lousy, send it back for a refund! End of controversy!

There is quite a bit of controversy out there on Monster. I really don't want to dive into it but if you feel its over priced, I suggest you google the difference between Monster digital cables(HDMI, Optical, etc) and Monster analog cables, such as this RCA cable.

I'm only an audio enthusiast but I worked in Radio Shack back in the day when it was still Radio Shack. If your going to tell me some razor thin, high gauge RCA cable is going to not only save me money but sound just as good as the Monster. Then I wish you the best with your sound setup but your missing out.

Shielding matters quite a lot when it comes to analog cables and this cable doesn't disappoint. I also like the fact its about 70% off the regular price if purchased from Amazon. I purchased these for my father in law who saw an instant improvement in sound quality for his HT. I did give the product 1 star off as it does have the infamous, super tight connectors. I understand why Monster wants to do it but they should develop an easier method of twisting and pulling to get them off.

After buying a Toshiba SD2200 DVD player, I didn't want to use "el cheapo" cables. I only wanted the best. That's were Monster came in with their high-performance audio interconnects. I compared the cable to the ones the came with the player and the difference was like night and day. I could not believe my ears! If you are looking for some high-resolution audio cables for your new home theater and you don't have optical or digital connections, this is the best route to take. Sure it may not be cost-effective, but who really cares, eh? You are a audiophile.

Just go out and buy some of these right now, you won't regret it!