Customer Reviews

Monster PGL400 CVAA-10 Component Video with RCA Audio Cable Kit (10 feet)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

This is a wonderful cable for the PS-2. It is the highest quality "COMPONENT" cable (which is better than the low quality "Composite" cable and the medium quality "S-Video" cable). It has 3 split cables which are for video, and also has 2 cables for Analog Audio. (Note that these are obviously NOT five separate cables -they all connect pretty close to the end of the cable which means you can't plug the audio in 3 feet away from where you plug in the video. You have to plug all the cable ends in together in the same area.

The cables are very solid. They are thicker than you'd think, too, which allows for a better signal than you'd be getting out of the box with the default PS-2 composite cable that ships with the system, and by using the COMPONENT cables (rather than composite cables) you are getting a clearer and crisper picture.

You can't go wrong with this cable -it is the best VISUAL option available for the PS-2, BUT...

...if you DO want to go ALL the way also with the AUDIO option, then you may want to get a cable that supports "DIGITAL AUDIO". (Digital audio is the highest quality audio available -it goes over a fiber optic cable and has virtually no distortion.)

If you want simplicity --and digital audio-- (and money is not a concern) then I recommend the "Monster Cable PGL450CV/DV GameLink 450 Kit" [Product Number: B00006345E] instead of the above cable. This includes a PS-2 branded Monster Digital Audio Cable (instead of the 2 analog audio cable ends), and it also supplies a PS-2 Monster Component Video cable (3 video cable ends). This means you still have the 3 Component cables, but you have a completely separate digital audio cable which connects directly from the digital audio port on the playstation to your TV or your receiver.

On the other hand, if you want to save a little bit of money (and not sacrifice any quality) and you don't care about having a PS-2 "BRANDED" Monster DIGITAL AUDIO cable, then I recommend a separate (non PS-2) digital audio cable like the "Monster Cable THX-Certified Fiber Optic Digital Interconnect Cable (4 Feet)" [Product Number: B00006JKW5]. This is part of the "THX" (i.e. `George Lucas Audio') series Monster cables. They work wonderfully, and (in my opinion) are as high quality as the cable above. (Keep in mind, however, that if you purchase this digital audio cable then you need to buy a different Monster VIDEO cable. I mean, you don't need a video cable that comes with audio now, right? -you just bought an audio cable. You now only need to buy a (component) video cable (without audio) -and guess what, there's one available: Monster Cable GameLink 400 Component-Video Cable for PlayStation 2 (10 feet) [Product Number: B0000524PB]. This cable works great and is the same design as all the component video cables above.

Recap: ALL of the VIDEO cables that I've mentioned on this page are THE SAME QUALITY and are COMPONENT video cables. Only the audio options are different.

As *several* other reviewers have noted, there is a serious problem with getting these cables connected into the television. The PS2 connector clicked in smoothly, but getting the 5 cables into your televison can cause some nice damage. In order to get these things connected, you have to force them on so hard that it can easily bend/break the cable pin or input slot on the T.V. I am not exaggerating; I literally had to have a friend hold the front of the T.V. in place while I used all my strength to force the cables into the back. After one hour (yes, one hour) of twisting, turning, sweating and pushing, I managed to get 4 or the 5 cables in. The fifth cable just would not fit. Period. No matter what. No matter who tried. Extremely agitated, I called it a night. This morning, I tried to get that last cable in again, but IT DOES NOT FIT, NO MATTER HOW HARD I FORCE IT. I finally came to the conclusion that these cables do more harm than good, so I'm going to return them.

Now here comes the good part of my story. I start taking out the 4 cables I managed to squeeze in so I could return this nightmare-of-a- product. Believe me, they are just as tough to take out as they are to get in. Since these cables are so INCREDIBLY tight, THE INPUTS WERE RIPPED RIGHT OUT OF THE T.V. ALONG WITH THE CABLES. So now I have 4 cables with televison inputs stuck inside. I needed a WRENCH to pull the T.V. inputs out of the monster cables. Now my T.V. is missing 2 audio and 2 component video connectors because they got torn out while disconnecting these "monster" cables. That is how tight they are. This T.V. is a brand new Samsung, but it's not so new anymore due to the fact that 4 inputs are torn out.

Please, if any good can come out of this, I can warn others not to buy these cables. My story is 100% true. I did not exaggerate anything. Even if you manage to get the cables on, your T.V. is at serious risk of damage when have to take them out.

I had previously been using generic component cables on a conventional 32" tv, and my ps2 looked fine. Once I moved to a 40" hd samsung however, the noise picked up by the thin, barely shielded wires drove me nuts. I (like most of you probably) didnt relish parting with $60.00 for cables, but did it anyways. First let me say, I agree with some of the other reviews that say the monster rca connectors can be a bit TOO tight of a fit. As an electronics guy I know that you should turn them as you push them on, but even with a screwing motion, I still was afraid of pushing the jacks on my tv in. The other end fit easily into my ps2 though. once past that however, and let me say the difference was impressive. AND I WAS ALLREADY USING COMPONENT CABLES!! The thick shielding and quality do make a difference, and for those of you moving to hd big screens this holiday, this is worth the cash. Just use care when you connect!

After reading several reviews of this product I was skeptical about buying this cable. I wanted a better cable then the composite rca cables that came with my PS2 but I was not sure about paying the price for these when the Sony cables are about half the cost of the Monster Cables. The reviewers commenting on the cable not fitting into the PS2 properly and the component connectors being too tight to fit onto the TV almost discouraged me from even buying this product. I decided to bite the bullet and purchase these cables for my PS2. I am very happy that I decided to buy these cables. The cable connector fits perfectly into my PS2, better than the connector on my original Sony cables even. The connectors fit nicely onto my TV, they are snug but not too tight. I believe they fit snuggly onto the component jacks on my TV because of the 8-cut turbine connector, which fits better than a standard RCA plug. The video and audio from my PS2 is unbelievable. My PS2 pushes the video signal to my 32" LCD HD TV at 480i with these cables. With my stock composite cables the graphics in my games were grainy and sometimes blurry. Now the graphics are crisp and clear and I only wish I would have bought these sooner. The display from my PS2 and games fits nicely onto my TV in widescreen now too, before the picture was not centered on my TV and sometimes parts of my game screens would be off the screen. I would recommend these cables to anyone who wants to improve the video and sound quality of their PS2 over the stock Sony cables. There are other Monster Cable versions for the PS2 available so choose the one that is right for you, but if you want something that is moderately priced, don't need digital audio via fiber, and the next best thing to HDMI than this is the cable for you. I am going to get the Monster component cables for my PS3 next so I will be able to hook it up when I don't have HDMI available for it to use.

One more thought, be sure to change the video output on your PS2 from RGB to Y Cb/Pb Cr/Pr in the system configuration before hooking up your PS2 with these cables or it may not work. My TV told me the connection was not supported and I did not have video output until I changed the video output setting on my PS2.

Like other reviewers I was skeptical before purchasing this product. However, my disappointment with the output quality of the standard composite PS2 cable overwhelmed both my reluctance to spend $60 and the taunting of my XBox owning friends. I considered relaying my experiences in Haiku, but have decided on a before/after list of sorts.

-Before-
1. The fine print on every game I own was blurry and impossible to read. There is nothing worse than running around Los Santos trying to gank Ballas without knowing how many bullets you have.

2. Using the composite cable colors were somewhat muted and the distinction between color boundaries was rather fuzzy.

-After-
1. I now know exactly how many bullets I have at all times while terrorizing Los Santos. I can also read the fine print on loading screens (sweet).

2. The component cables make colors more vibrant and the image is extremely crisp in comparison.

Being able to read fine print is almost worth the $60 by itself, but the added bonus of sharper, more distinct images, colors, etc. is nearly more than I can bear. I have not tested the Sony component cable and it is probably comparable, but the Monster cable gives you an extra two feet if I'm not mistaken. This can be crucial for optimizing the viewing distance between you and that widescreen behemoth in your living room.

wow I was quite surprised on how the quality was on this product. I got a chance to put the HDMI cables to the test and the quality is exactly the same as these Component cables. you get 1080I with these cables and also they are well made. The cables to your tv and PS3 stay on them tight like a glove. they are not as easy to put on your come off which is good in my book since you are more then likely getting better quality picture do to that fact.

This is about the best you can do for a consumer-electronics quality cable. The picture is excellent. However, the audio converters in the ps2 are absolutely horrendous. So, even though the cable is quality, it can't really help to fix the terrible audio. If you have a optical digital input in your rig, do yourself a favour and get an optical cable. Your ears will thank you!!

I own these cables, they are perfect. People need to read the directions. Nobody seems to realize that each component tip loosens up if you twist it counter-clockwise. These component cables are threaded. Unscrew them, they slip right on to the connection, then tighten them back up by screwing them clockwise again. Ive used these for over a year now, and the quality is amazing.

As many others have pointed out, the connectors on these cables are WAY TOO TIGHT. They are so tight in fact, that they will actually BREAK YOUR TV'S COMPONENT INPUTS. This is not a joke, not an exaggeration, not some crazy conspiracy, but is actual fact. I can not believe Monster let their "turbine connector" design out of R&D and into the real world, when it is so blatantly impossibly overly compressive. I had to use needle nose pliers to spread the connectors wide enough to fit. And finally, when I did get the darn things on the TV, the component video "quality" provided by these cables wasn't even better than the original s-video picture! This whole situation was a nightmare from beginning to end. Just please, don't waste your money or your time, or risk damaging your TV. Forget these overrated Monster cables and find a different manufacturer.

Using a component cable to hook your PS2 to your high definition/big screen is simply a must. Larger, high definition screens really "show off" how dated the graphics of your old PS2 really are. So, if you aren't using a component cable for video then you are making your old gaming system look that much worse.

Before you buy this cable, please first understand what you need to do in order to make the cable work. First, you must change the component video output selection from RGB to (Y, Cb/Pb, Cr/Pr) in your PS2's system configuration. To access system configuration, boot your PS2 without a disk and select it from the root menu. Scroll the selections until you see the video output selector, then change it to (Y, Cb/Pb, Cr/Pr) instead of the standard RGB setting (there are only two settings, so you shouldn't get it wrong.) More information on PS2 system configuration support can be found at the Sony website: [...]

Now that you've made the system configuration change, note that the change will not take affect until after you reboot the system. So now... unplug your old cable, install the new one, change your television input to the new component connection (easy to overlook), then reboot your PS2.

As others have mentioned, the video connections on the end are sprung somewhat tightly. However, you will not risk damaging your equipment if you are patient and careful with what you're doing.

I have one of the very first PS2 models (had to buy it on Ebay because they were so scarce at the time) and I can assure you this cable works with it. I'm willing to wager the reviewer who said the cable did not work with their model did not make the system configuration changes as required, or made some other installation error. Mine is one of the oldest PS2 models on the planet and the cables work fine for me.

Given the changes you must make, it's easy to make a mistake installing this cable. I fumbled it first try myself when I forgot to change my television to the proper channel after swapping cables... and if you don't make the system configuration change it will never work. So... know what you need to do (what channel/input your device is on your TV, making the necessary configuration change and rebooting the system) other than simply attaching the cables and expecting it to work out of the box. Have a game plan and do it right.

This is a great price for the cable, and it's a very nice length - important for the PS2 because of wired controllers, allowing users to pull out their PS2 (and its controllers) farther away from the TV if you want.