HDMI cable: Any difference in Belkin vs. Audioquest cable?

[[email protected]]

Hi -

does using a $20 Belkin HDMI 1.3 cable make any difference in picture
and sound quality versus a $115 Audioquest HDMI cable (the ones sold
by Tweeter)? I have a 37 inch 1080p LCD and connecting a pioneer
receiver and blu-ray player to the TV.

Thanks!

 

[Tomi Holger Engdahl]

Hi -
does using a $20 Belkin HDMI 1.3 cable make any difference in picture
and sound quality versus a $115 Audioquest HDMI cable (the ones sold
by Tweeter)? I have a 37 inch 1080p LCD and connecting a pioneer
receiver and blu-ray player to the TV.

Should not have any difference when everythign works properly.

HDMI is digital signal that normally goes through the cable without
any alternation. If the thign get so bad that the bits start
changing (broken cable, loo long cable, strong interference etc..)
then you will definately see that something is wrong.

At normal short few meter logn HDMI cables the data should go smoothly
no matter which HSMI cable you use. When trying to make very long cable
runs then with some equipment combinations some cheaper cables
might nor work but with some other equipment they work without problems.

The more expensive HDMI cable could be marginally better (but there
is no guaratee that it is) in electrical characteristics than some
cheaper cable. The better electrical characteristics might have
some effect in case you are making so long cable run that the
HDMI data transfer will barely work (just in the edge the
recevier will get 0 and 1 bits right from cable). When you
are in "safe operating zone" (few meters long cables are definately this)
then the data will transfer nicely to other end of cable without
any alternation no matter if the cable is normal quality or marginally better.
So cable differences have practically no difference in normal uses.

All audio and video carrried over HDMI is in digital format.
Since it's a digital signal, it will not make ANY difference at all
what kind of properties the cable has as long bits get right from
one end to other end of cable.



http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2006/08/hdmi_part_8_-_c.php says:
"As with many other products, there are better-constructed cables with
better materials and better plugs, but this industry that offers a
cable for $20 while other company sells a similar application cable
for $300, has certainly created a lot of uncertainty among consumers,
and when quality in a cable performance is not easy to detect those
consumers become skeptical."



Some links:

Is there any difference between a cheap (i.e. $10 HDMI cable)
and an expensive (i.e. $150 HDMI cable)?
http://www.theps3faq.com/?q=node/10

The Truth About Monster Cable, Part 2 (Verdict: Cheap Cables Keep Up...Usually)
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/hdmi-cab...erdict-cheap-cables-keep-upusually-268788.php

The Truth About Monster Cable - Grand Finale (Part III)
http://gizmodo.com/tag/hdmi-cable-battlemodo/

Spend more on Cables?
http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2006/08/hdmi_part_8_-_c.php

How do I choose an HDMI Cable?
http://www.tech-faq.com/hdmi-cable.shtml

 

[Eeyore]

Hi -

does using a $20 Belkin HDMI 1.3 cable make any difference in picture
and sound quality versus a $115 Audioquest HDMI cable (the ones sold
by Tweeter)? I have a 37 inch 1080p LCD and connecting a pioneer
receiver and blu-ray player to the TV.

And why do you think there would be a difference ?

It's one of the oldest scams in the business. Buy the cheap one. Any
*ultra-minute* difference is going to be inaudible or invisible.

Graham

 

[Eeyore]

There's cheapo, industry standard, premium and ABS, for Audiophool
Bullshit. Paying for premium cable gets you more rugged connectors,
better strain reliefs, and thicker jackets.

Not always. In fact I've seen the exact reverse on occasions.

If you are doing convention
and tradeshow work, reconnecting your equipment a dozen times a year,
it's worth the price, but you will never see the difference in the signal
and the price isn't dramatically higher than standard. $115 for a short
HDMI cable puts it solidly in the ABS bin, along with the infamous $480
wooden volume-control knob and those little "cable elevators" that keep
the speaker signal from leaking into the floor.

Disgusting pieces of crap. You forgot Skakti stones and the Tice Clock btw.

Graham

 

[[email protected]]

Should not have any difference when everythign works properly.

HDMI is digital signal that normally goes through the cable without
any alternation. If the thign get so bad that the bits start
changing (broken cable, loo long cable, strong interference etc..)
then you will definately see that something is wrong.

At normal short few meter logn HDMI cables the data should go smoothly
no matter which HSMI cable you use. When trying to make very long cable
runs then with some equipment combinations some cheaper cables
might nor work but with some other equipment they work without problems.

The more expensive HDMI cable could be marginally better (but there
is no guaratee that it is) in electrical characteristics than some
cheaper cable. The better electrical characteristics might have
some effect in case you are making so long cable run that the
HDMI data transfer will barely work (just in the edge the
recevier will get 0 and 1 bits right from cable). When you
are in "safe operating zone" (few meters long cables are definately this)
then the data will transfer nicely to other end of cable without
any alternation no matter if the cable is normal quality or marginally better.
So cable differences have practically no difference in normal uses.

All audio and video carrried over HDMI is in digital format.
Since it's a digital signal, it will not make ANY difference at all
what kind of properties the cable has as long  bits get right from
one end to other end of cable.

http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2006/08/hdmi_part_8_-_c.phpsays:
"As with many other products, there are better-constructed cables with
better materials and better plugs, but this industry that offers a
cable for $20 while other company sells a similar application cable
for $300, has certainly created a lot of uncertainty among consumers,
and when quality in a cable performance is not easy to detect those
consumers become skeptical."

Some links:

Is there any difference between a cheap (i.e. $10 HDMI cable)
and an expensive (i.e. $150 HDMI cable)?http://www.theps3faq.com/?q=node/10

The Truth About Monster Cable, Part 2 (Verdict: Cheap Cables Keep Up...Usually)http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/hdmi-cable-battlemodo/the-truth-about-mons....

The Truth About Monster Cable - Grand Finale (Part III)http://gizmodo.com/tag/hdmi-cable-battlemodo/

Spend more on Cables?http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2006/08/hdmi_part_8_-_c.php

How do I choose an HDMI Cable?http://www.tech-faq.com/hdmi-cable.shtml          

Tomi and others, thank you for your message. This is very helpful.

I received my Belkin cables today. They have a warning on them about
lead content. Do all HDMI cables have lead content? Should I be
concerned about this?

Thanks

Andy

 

[Eeyore]

I received my Belkin cables today. They have a warning on them about
lead content. Do all HDMI cables have lead content? Should I be
concerned about this?

Are you a troll ?

Graham

 

[Baz]

Hi -

does using a $20 Belkin HDMI 1.3 cable make any difference in picture
and sound quality versus a $115 Audioquest HDMI cable (the ones sold
by Tweeter)? I have a 37 inch 1080p LCD and connecting a pioneer
receiver and blu-ray player to the TV.

Thanks!

My son had the loan of a PS3 a few weeks ago and it came with an HDMI cable
(not supplied by Sony). It refused to work at 1080p on my Samsung LCD TV,
but was ok at 1080i. I changed cables to one of mine and it was fine at
1080p. The "bad" cable had one of those ferrite noise suppressors on each
end (black plastic moulded blobs about 35mm long and 20mm dia).

So all cables are not the same. The ferrite suppressors are of course
pretty obvious, and whilst maybe necessary for a unit to pass its C-Tick
certification, may cause problems with some TVs.

Barry

 

[Jasen Betts]

My son had the loan of a PS3 a few weeks ago and it came with an HDMI cable
(not supplied by Sony). It refused to work at 1080p on my Samsung LCD TV,
but was ok at 1080i. I changed cables to one of mine and it was fine at
1080p. The "bad" cable had one of those ferrite noise suppressors on each
end (black plastic moulded blobs about 35mm long and 20mm dia).

So all cables are not the same. The ferrite suppressors are of course
pretty obvious, and whilst maybe necessary for a unit to pass its C-Tick
certification, may cause problems with some TVs.

I can't see how ferrites can cause signal degradation in an HDMI
cable. It's more likely the cable itself was poorly shielded and
the ferrites were to mask that.

Bye.
Jasen

 

[Eeyore]

My son had the loan of a PS3 a few weeks ago and it came with an HDMI cable
(not supplied by Sony). It refused to work at 1080p on my Samsung LCD TV,
but was ok at 1080i. I changed cables to one of mine and it was fine at
1080p. The "bad" cable had one of those ferrite noise suppressors on each
end (black plastic moulded blobs about 35mm long and 20mm dia).

So all cables are not the same. The ferrite suppressors are of course
pretty obvious, and whilst maybe necessary for a unit to pass its C-Tick
certification, may cause problems with some TVs.

The ferrites reduce the bandwidth. That would explain it.

That must have been a substandard cable. There are few of those thankfully. One
thing for sure though is that you don't have to pay MONSTER prices for good
cables.

May I suggest you Google 'Blue Jeans' cables. Quality at a sensible price.

Graham

 

[Eeyore]

I can't see how ferrites can cause signal degradation in an HDMI
cable. It's more likely the cable itself was poorly shielded and
the ferrites were to mask that.

I agree.

Graham

 

[Jasen Betts]

The ferrites reduce the bandwidth. That would explain it.

as I understand it they only reduce the bandwidth of common-mode
signals, and that category excludes all the useful signals on an
HDMI cable.

Bye.
Jasen

 

[Bob Myers]

as I understand it they only reduce the bandwidth of common-mode
signals, and that category excludes all the useful signals on an
HDMI cable.

In theory, yes; in practice, there will also be some decrease
in the differential-mode bandwidth. And the clock rate of
1080p is right at the HDMI 1.2 and earlier upper limit anyway...

And in any event, we don't know that the ferrites are the
only difference between thesse cables - they're just the
most obvious difference.

Bob M.