I used this Monster cable to replace an ordinary speaker cable that came with my Onkyo speaker system, mainly because I needed a longer cable. My ordinary human ears could not notice any difference in sound before and after. But the cable is strong and well shielded which made it more reliable when I had to pull it around the attic, down the wall gap and through rough holes. And, the price (despite all the hype) wasn't much more than what I was expecting to pay. Monster Standard THX-Certified Speaker Cable (100 Feet)
All availible double-blind testing indicates that differences between copper wire of the same gauge over the same distance is completely inaudible. Monster Cable is no better than any other cable of the same gauge in terms of audibility, except in terms of Monster's marketing budget. 16 gauge stranded copper is more than enough for nearly any power draw over nearly any reasonable length of cable to any speaker. Anyone who claims otherwise has never attempted to A/B speaker wire under double blind conditions. Spend your budget on speakers and amplification and use the change in your couch to buy 16 gauge lamp cord at a hardware store. Anything more is a monumental waste of money. Thus spake Julian Hirsch, and it is the truth.
Monster Cable and its similarly overpriced imitators are a triumph of hype over substance, and ruthlessly exploits the consumer's naivete and trust in shady audio/video salespeople.
Yes, for most things you DO "get what you pay for"---but when it comes to speaker cables, interconnects, and other a/v wiring however it's another story.
All you need for optimal sound is any 12 to 16 gauge generic cable which you can buy at Home Depot for a fraction of the cost.
Save your money for things like speaker stands, which really do make a world of difference.
I was looking forward to using this product for all of my home theatre speaker-amp connections. As I was running the wire, I discovered that the wire pair does not have clear distinguishing markings identifying the polarity. The ridge on one of the wires is very difficult to detect as the jacket is clear and the wire inside is identical on both sides. Putting a stripe or wording more often on one of the wires would make identification much easier so the speakers don't get hooked up out of phase. Otherwise the wire functions very well.
I actually didn't buy this because of the Monster name brand, I bought this because it was the cheapest 100 ft. of 16 guage wire that I could find anywhere. It worked perfect too! It was a good length that setup my 5.1 surround system without a problem. Don't skip out on monster just because people say it is expensive. Sometimes it's the cheapest if you look around.
I started out with lamp cord cable from Radio Shack (they called it speaker cable). It was very rigid cable which made it a pain to work with. Short of stapling it to the floor, I don't think it would stay close to the wall. It was also a very bright gold color and stuck out like a sore thumb.
In comparison, the Monster cable seems to stick to the edge of the wall. It was like it was magnetized! I have the cable ran in front of a door (no other option). I couldn't do it with the Radio Shack cable but with this speaker cable you can hardly tell it's there. I also have it going up the wall to the speakers and it doesn't stick out as bad as the Radio Shack cable.
Finally, I don't see the sense of buying expensive equipment and using cheap cables to connect it together. I'm not saying to buy Monster all the way. There's now way I'd spend spend the kind of money they want for their cables but at the price this speaker cable is on sale, your aren't going to save much buy getting cheap lamp cable.
Electrons must be very intelligent as monster has labeled which way they will flow through this cable. This is great because I always thought the electrons were hiding out in my amp because I wasn't smart enough to install my speaker wire in the proper direction.... Really? Would Monster please show me the research that proves this labeling technique?
Shop around if you must have monster, they make a quality product but it is questionable if it is better than others 1/10th the price. Regardless I like their products and this one fits the bill for me. - Surround System - Home Theater - Monster Cable - Speaker Cables'
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