HDMI cables - expensive better than cheap?
- Thread starter jamesy505
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What you'd really need is a blind test.
Get a friend to disappear off behind your TV with all the cables and see if you can tell which one is best without first knowing what it is.
Remove the possibility for placebo effect and i think you'll find it much harder to find the expensive one
Get a friend to disappear off behind your TV with all the cables and see if you can tell which one is best without first knowing what it is.
Remove the possibility for placebo effect and i think you'll find it much harder to find the expensive one
What you'd really need is a blind test.
Get a friend to disappear off behind your TV with all the cables and see if you can tell which one is best without first knowing what it is.
Remove the possibility for placebo effect and i think you'll find it much harder to find the expensive one
Has to be double blind though . . . .
With the differences between the cables I have been mentioning there was very little difference in the price - just actual differences in the characteristics of the sound with noticeable image differences.
Definately not all exactly the same otherwise I wouldnt have spent the money.
Definately not all exactly the same otherwise I wouldnt have spent the money.
Can you explain the science behind why it's better? We can explain the science as to why it can't be better, so it'd be interesting to hear your argument from that perspective.
no I cant - however I would attribute the differences to use of materials in the manufacturing process.
QED uses very different cable to The Chord Company.
QED go for multiple fine strands woven or twisted to give the effect of thicker wire.
The Chord company use lesser strands that are thicker as a result their cables sound different.
I am sure they are made and silver plated with different tolerances as well and have different screening
The Chord also has an active filter or sorts to supposedly improve pic / sound ( I know very little about this and am skeptical if that even makes a difference)
The basic science to my knowledge says a digital signal is not affected this way its either there or its not
However in practice I would attribute the differences to what I have mentioned above, this is what makes any cable better than any other - materials, contruction, screening, design.
QED uses very different cable to The Chord Company.
QED go for multiple fine strands woven or twisted to give the effect of thicker wire.
The Chord company use lesser strands that are thicker as a result their cables sound different.
I am sure they are made and silver plated with different tolerances as well and have different screening
The Chord also has an active filter or sorts to supposedly improve pic / sound ( I know very little about this and am skeptical if that even makes a difference)
The basic science to my knowledge says a digital signal is not affected this way its either there or its not
However in practice I would attribute the differences to what I have mentioned above, this is what makes any cable better than any other - materials, contruction, screening, design.
Have a look at this
The same arguement over 10 + pages on a forum dedicated to this!
http://www.whathifi.com/forum/home-cinema/qed-signature-hdmi-or-chord-company-active-hdmi
There are people of there saying exactly the same as me - Pistol Pete 1 (page 1)
seriously its not placebo - its my honest and truthful experiences and I have been an audiophile all my life, I am also adverse to change and skeptical of everything.
I dont believe anything until I see it for myself
The same arguement over 10 + pages on a forum dedicated to this!
http://www.whathifi.com/forum/home-cinema/qed-signature-hdmi-or-chord-company-active-hdmi
There are people of there saying exactly the same as me - Pistol Pete 1 (page 1)
seriously its not placebo - its my honest and truthful experiences and I have been an audiophile all my life, I am also adverse to change and skeptical of everything.
I dont believe anything until I see it for myself
The signal going down the cable is an analogue one, modulated using frequency shift keying to represent the digital source that it is converted back into when it's received. Even if the cable is of a poor enough quality to degrade the signal to a level below that which the receiver can discriminate a 1 or 0 properly the information will just be lost. There should be no "dimming of the picture" or "loss of punch" in the audio, you should simply get clear artifacts, just like you do when watching a poor digital TV signal or listening to a scratched CD.
:Edit: I wouldn't for a second say you're lying, I believe you really do think there's a difference. The fact is that what you're saying just can't be true.
Have you ever tried it yourself ?????
You might be amazed if you do... I mean properly, with good enough stuff.
There is debate on this as well - if the signal is purely this straight forward do you believe there can be a difference in the sound and picture from different blu ray players?
You might be amazed if you do... I mean properly, with good enough stuff.
There is debate on this as well - if the signal is purely this straight forward do you believe there can be a difference in the sound and picture from different blu ray players?
I haven't tried it no, in the same way I haven't tried flapping my arms out of my windows while driving to go faster, because I know it won't change anything.
The blu ray argument is completely different, as they all apply some form of processing before sending on to the display.
then you cannot really make a full 100% judgement - if you have not actually tried it.
I expected you to say that you have tried it
Maybe you could buy a Chord Active Silver PLus used from Ebay try it against your cheap cable - hate it and sell it for exactly the same money as they are populer as hell. Nothing lost but you will have tried it.
Maybe you will really like it and prefer it - a hell of a lot of tryers would never put a cheap cable anywhere near their system
I expected you to say that you have tried it
Maybe you could buy a Chord Active Silver PLus used from Ebay try it against your cheap cable - hate it and sell it for exactly the same money as they are populer as hell. Nothing lost but you will have tried it.
Maybe you will really like it and prefer it - a hell of a lot of tryers would never put a cheap cable anywhere near their system
Why would I have tried it? It's not possible for it to make any difference, and I certainly don't believe in miracles!
This thread is pointless, just like every other cable debate on every audio/visual forum on the internets.
Those who believe and have golden ears/eyes will never change their opinion or stop reassuring themselves of their expensive purchases. Similarly, those who do not believe will never stop trying to make those who do feel bad about spending their money on over-priced cables.
wire is wire is wire
Those who believe and have golden ears/eyes will never change their opinion or stop reassuring themselves of their expensive purchases. Similarly, those who do not believe will never stop trying to make those who do feel bad about spending their money on over-priced cables.
wire is wire is wire
Its up to you mate, and anyone reading this to make their own mind up, I am certainly not the only person who thinks there is a difference, in fact I am not the only person I know who thinks there is a difference.
Unlike you I will try a cheap freebie HDMI again against the Chord and see if there is any difference.
My Kuro and Receiver are calibrated to my room so there can be nothing other than the cable to make a difference. I will see if there is any way or recording / measruring especially for you..... because I know you love it
If there is no difference I will sell them all and be quids in
Unlike you I will try a cheap freebie HDMI again against the Chord and see if there is any difference.
My Kuro and Receiver are calibrated to my room so there can be nothing other than the cable to make a difference. I will see if there is any way or recording / measruring especially for you..... because I know you love it
If there is no difference I will sell them all and be quids in
I have both QED HDMI cables and bog standard £5 jobby's from the rainforest.
No difference at all in any way shape or form, other than the cheapo ones having a dodgy connection at one end.
Before you ask, that is from £700 worth of Blu-Ray player to both £1400 worth of AV Amp or direct to a Panasonic TV, or from a Ps3, or from a HTPC.
No difference at all in any way shape or form, other than the cheapo ones having a dodgy connection at one end.
Before you ask, that is from £700 worth of Blu-Ray player to both £1400 worth of AV Amp or direct to a Panasonic TV, or from a Ps3, or from a HTPC.
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