I wish people would learn what "digital" means. In the old days (I'm pushing 50...) when everything was analog, using a better wire to connect devices might indeed have some benefits. Even now, the connection between the receiver and the speakers is analog so using better wire can have some sonic effects.

However, when the transmission is _digital_ (as in HDMI), all the receiving end needs to be able to do is to tell whether a bit is a 1 or a 0. It doesn't matter at _all_ whether the bit is 1% beyond the detection threshold or completely at the limit for the medium (i.e truly at zero volts or at 5.00 volts if that is the max allowed). If the detector sees a "1", it sees a "1". The "1" doesn't get any better or any cleaner because the analog voltage on the wire was closer to the "ideal" voltage for a "1".

My other favorite ripoff is the really really expensive power cords. (Yes - the cord that runs from the wall socket into the back of whatever device you're running.) It wouldn't be so bad if the user rewired their entire house with really "good" wire, and used welded connections and upgraded the power company's transformer to make a cleaner signal.... and then moved to the outback to get away from all of the radio stations and cell phone towers that broadcast waves that are picked up by home wiring....

Or the "CD stabilizers" (again, using an analog idea in a digital world...)

I guess that's enough of a rant for now..
edc

I find this post very apripo as I bought some cables yesterday from Microbarn for 7.99 for a 6 foot and 12.99 for a 16 foot. I have noticed that there is no reason to spend so much on cables for example buying a USB Belkin cable in a store like Best Buy can cost 30 dollars but I can find that exact cable on the web for 5 dollars and the same goes for networking cables there must be a ridiculous markup on them.

I find this post very apripo as I bought some HDMI cables yesterday from Microbarn for 7.99 for a 6 foot and 12.99 for a 16 foot. I have noticed that there is no reason to spend so much on cables for example buying a USB Belkin cable in a store like Best Buy can cost 30 dollars but I can find that exact cable on the web for 5 dollars and the same goes for networking cables there must be a ridiculous markup on them.

I strongly agree with "chejlava" (I am also over 50) as I began enjoying high fidelity in the analog era of the late 1950's and early 1960's. The digital era has brought many improvements in the creation and reproduction of audio and video information, but all signal transmissions (either by wire or by air) are still using analog media carrying that digital signal.

Personally, I try to use better cables and other signal media when possible, but I don't buy the best or most expensive. My latest example was with my new Vizio LCD HDTV which has an HDMI interface (the Vizio brand is another example of great TV with less cost). But my DVD recorder only has component output, so I am using that interface with gold-plated $10 cables from Radio Shack, which were the least expensive of the best on the local market. My TV and DVD viewing is excellent, and I know that a $10 cable does the same function as a much more expensive one, but that I will never see any improvement or even recover that extra cost. Even places like Costco (where I bought my HDTV) play the same "costlier is better" game as they offer expensive (over $100) multi-cable packages next to their low-cost HDTV sets in the store.

So, just like expensive imports with the same transportation fuction as domestic automobiles, there will always be more expensive brands on sale for those purists that believe in the "higher cost, better function" dogma instead of using cheaper local brands. But for most of the down-to-earth users like me, the only real difference is cost, not quality. I get the same quality and long usage for less cost. And I have a 23-year-old Oldsmobile (only $9,000 when new) as a testament to my practical way of thinking and buying cars, HDTV, or cables.

I feel sorry for those who sell or buy more expensive brands. Their loss, my gain.

Raymond

I also am appalled by the apparent stupidity of a lot of AV "geeks" out there these days.

My roommate in college (this is only 2 years ago mind you) had a job at a Best Buy and received their employee discount. Now, on most things, this discount amounted to a hill of beans (i.e. video games, computers, TV's, etc.) but when it came to accessories, his discount was a gold mine.
I was wanting to hook up my PS2 to my surround sound using an optical audio connection and too hook it up to my TV using component. Using his discount I bought an audio cable equivalent to Monster Cable (something Acoustics?) that cost the average consumer $50 for $5. That meant Best Buy was ravaging $45 profit (900%) for 1 cable. I saved about $25 on the PS2 Video hookup also.

Another incident I'll never forget relating to consumer disinformation was at RadioShack one day. A helpless soccer mom was buying cables for her DVD player to her TV and was looking at buying whatever super awesome gold plated Mother Theresa world saving Component Video cables. Mind you this was just the Video connection part.
Well, RadioShack is selling this for over $35 for about a 12 foot cable. But then you look just to the side of it, and they have the Same EXACT cable but with the Yellow, Red & White colors on the ends instead of the RGB and the cable is $15. So much to the dismay of the guy working there, I told her to buy that one (if she wanted the super duper connections and gauge wire) and save at least $30 on the total purchase of both audio & video cables.

The whole cabling Scam amazes me even to this day. I have actually started making my own wire so I don't feed any more money to these guys than I have to. You should all do the same.

Ah, how true this article, and these comments, are. And how unfortunate that these companies are able to make money so easily. It's hard to blame the consumers for this - even if you do your research, it sure does seem that these cables "add more" and "improve sound", because these companies have produced so much literature to that effect.

If you want to see a great example of how out of control this can get, check out this cable. Notice the price at the bottom, and that it is only 2 meters long.

http://rav.stores.yahoo.net/norvahspeakc.html

GT4400, if she was attemting to hookup using component video you may have just cost her picture quality. The cables you told her to buy do not use a shielded video cable for the audio cables in the set thereby increasing the risk of signal loss and interference. An RGB cable is three video cables, not one video and two audio. If she was trying to connect using a composite video and stereo cables then you saved her some money.

hinkewaza -

While your statement is, as far as I know, true; there are two things worth mentioning.

1) The danger from signal degradation when using a composite cable when you should be using a component cable is related largely to the length of the cable. Essentially, there is a limit to what the human eye can see and the human ear can hear. The longer the cable the more the problem, but you won't even know there IS a problem until it becomes large enough to be seen. 3-6 feet should be OK, over 6 feet I'd start to get nervous if I had I higher end TV.

2) You can still buy very cheap but good quality audio cables and simply buck up for a high quality video cable by itself.

Personally, I only upgrade in two ways:

a) I buy good quality speaker cable because it really does matter, and;
b) I buy cables; whether they be RCA, BNC, F or whatever; that have gold plated connectors. Gold simply doesn't have the same oxidation issues that copper has.