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sara_tanaquilOne of my recent favorite mini-timewasters has been surfing Gizmodo. It's surprising how much actual useful information I've picked up along with the dross.
I was reading yet another article about how $2 HDMI cables are just as good as $150 cables (I really wish I had known that before I bought my two HDMI cables last year, at least they were on the "low" end of Best Buy's line...), and came across a passing comment:
"Overpriced cables get hilarious reviews on Amazon..."
... with a couple of links. Half an hour later, and I'm sitting here with tears of laughter streaming down my face.
The whole page is made of awesome, but I was particularly fond of:
My cats chewed on this cable and now they can both speak. One of them is gay and the other wants to kill me. I would have rather not known.
(The cable in question lists for $8,450. Yep, you read that right.)
ETA: Don't miss the Tags Customers Associate With This Product.
I was reading yet another article about how $2 HDMI cables are just as good as $150 cables (I really wish I had known that before I bought my two HDMI cables last year, at least they were on the "low" end of Best Buy's line...), and came across a passing comment:
"Overpriced cables get hilarious reviews on Amazon..."
... with a couple of links. Half an hour later, and I'm sitting here with tears of laughter streaming down my face.
The whole page is made of awesome, but I was particularly fond of:
My cats chewed on this cable and now they can both speak. One of them is gay and the other wants to kill me. I would have rather not known.
(The cable in question lists for $8,450. Yep, you read that right.)
ETA: Don't miss the Tags Customers Associate With This Product.
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no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 04:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 04:13 am (UTC)This was hilarious though. I can't believe people pay that price for cables! My friend at Best Buy also told me that cheap cables work just as well, even though I still don't understand how (I mean, $2 vs. $200? What's the difference?!).
no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 04:25 pm (UTC)The expensive cables are made out of better material, are more reliable and will last longer, especially if you plug/unplug them a lot or run them through the wall.
However, if you're looking at 10 foot cables or less, the signal is digital and any two cables with the same rating (preferably, say, HDMI 1.3 and Category 2) will carry the same signal. It's only at greater cable lengths that sensitive machinery can detect any degradation of signal, let alone the human eye.
So, if you're running 20 ft or more of cable through the wall and plan to leave it there for 15 years, it might be worth paying through the nose. For any other use, you might as well buy the cheap stuff first. If it breaks, it won't cost that much to replace or upgrade.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 05:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 04:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 04:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 04:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 05:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 07:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 04:59 am (UTC)gotta love the amazon crowd. :)
no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 05:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 07:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 08:37 am (UTC)I think this was my favorite:
"Help! They've come to life! The cables... they're... they're eating my daughter! Call an ambulance! Great price though. .. And her screams! I've never heard such crystal clarity! This is totally worth it!"
no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 10:17 am (UTC)Though now I wish I had itemized my HDTV/TiVo/DVD player purchase two years ago so I could see how much I paid for the cables.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 02:37 pm (UTC)TWINS!
Also, this review:
"Actually, I was a little disappointed with the cost here...if only it was a little more expensive...then it would be, well....OVER 9,000!!!"
*crying laughing*
no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 03:36 pm (UTC)I call clonsies on the favorite tags. Those are clearly the winners.
Got Milk?
Date: 2011-01-11 03:20 pm (UTC)Re: Got Milk?
Date: 2011-01-11 04:05 pm (UTC)To the icebox I aspired, motivated to admire
How its avocado pigment complemented my decor.
Then I grasped its woodgrain handle - here I opened wide the door; -
Darkness there, and nothing more.
brb, dying laughing
Mvrdrk poked me to read this
Date: 2011-01-11 09:25 pm (UTC)Cables, in particular, come in only two real varieties, "well made" and "not well made". If you have a well made, sufficiently sized cable, you're good.
This does not have to cost an infinite quantity of money. I did recommend http://www.bluejeanscable.com/ as they are more or less the examplar of "well made and sensibly priced". Long HDMI cables are expensive, it is actually a physics problem at its heart, but there is no excuse for a 150 dollar 3' HDMI cable except that somebody wants to get about 120$ more money than they ought to, or unless you like the pretty color or whatever...
Your example of an 8K$ isn't even the worst. There are speaker cables, etc, than run in excess of $20K U$D. For some other whoppers, look up http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=110-439%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&FTR=duplex%20socket and read the comments.
Audio, except for the loudspeaker and room acoustics, is pretty much a commodity part at this point for the playback side. Amplifiers, solved. CD players, solved. There is little real tweaking one can do that has any effect.
Hope this helps.
Re: Mvrdrk poked me to read this
Date: 2011-01-11 09:33 pm (UTC)Audio, except for the loudspeaker and room acoustics, is pretty much a commodity part at this point for the playback side.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean by this?
I have much to learn, it seems.
Re: Mvrdrk poked me to read this
Date: 2011-01-11 09:56 pm (UTC)Re: Mvrdrk poked me to read this
Date: 2011-01-11 11:36 pm (UTC)A commodity item means that for the same functions or features, you should be buying by cheapest price.
An example would be eggs. For industrially farmed eggs, all brands are about the same so buy the cheapest ones you find. Unless you are looking for something special like organic, humane, or sparkly, there's no need to pay extra. For HDMI cables or most other audio equipment, as long as you know manufacturers A, B, and C all have decent reliability/quality, buy by lowest price.
Re: Mvrdrk poked me to read this
Date: 2011-01-12 12:17 am (UTC)Audiophile parts.
They really cost quite a lot.
But, are they worth it?
:)
no subject
Date: 2011-04-12 11:54 pm (UTC)