The Difference Between Cheap and Expensive HDMI Cables

[Wendle]

http://www.tested.com/tech/3329-the-difference-between-cheap-and-expensive-hdmi-cables/

We learn once and for all, whether or not expensive HDMI cables are worth considering for your home theater...

HDMI cables range in price from $5 to roughly ALL of the money. Opinions from both the informed and the uninformed vary to a similar degree, though the commonly held opinion is that for most people, there is nothing about expensive HDMI cables that make them worth the price of admission.

Someone hoping to prove this widely held, yet oft-questioned theory is Zsolt Malota, owner of an audio visual installation company since 1995. Using a series of inordinately expensive devices, Malota has produced a set of results which shed some light on the subject. Stay tuned for charts!

http://www.tested.com/tech/3329-the-difference-between-cheap-and-expensive-hdmi-cables/

 

[spiny norman]

We learn once and for all, whether or not expensive HDMI cables are worth considering for your home theater...

Oh, that's good, so there'll never ever be another pointless thread going round and round the same houses, dragging up the same tired old web references and youtube videos and trading the same insults over and over again.

Yeah, sure. :rofl:

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

You just don't understand what you've started do you?

 

[cheeseboy]

won't stop the whathifi reviews finding amazing differences between HDMI cables... 😉

Hell, even the HDMI people who create the standards say there isn't any difference, that's the point in having the standards, yet people still like to disagree... :help:

 

[Paul.]

There is a major difference between HDMI cables... The expensive ones will be really pretty :rofl:

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Whilst I believe that expensive hdmi cables are nonsense, I also dont believe this particular report is broad enough to sway opinion either way. Colour balance alone is hardly conclusive evidence of anything.

 

[Paul.]

HDMI cables range in price from $5 to roughly ALL of the money.

$94 dollars for a 35' cable doesn't seem crazy unreasonable, if it works? £60 is only double what That-cable would charge.

 

[cheeseboy]

Whilst I believe that expensive hdmi cables are nonsense, I also dont believe this particular report is broad enough to sway opinion either way. Colour balance alone is hardly conclusive evidence of anything.

I disagree. Taken from here http://www.whathifi.com/review/sandstrom-gold-hdmi

"Allows films to deliver a rich, colourful picture..."

the test above shows there wouldn't be any difference between that cable and another.

 

[spiny norman]

the test above shows there wouldn't be any difference between that cable and another.

No, the test above shows that when it comes to colour, 'There are some minor variations, but they all fall within acceptable limits'

 

[cheeseboy]

the test above shows there wouldn't be any difference between that cable and another.

No, the test above shows that when it comes to colour, 'There are some minor variations, but they all fall within acceptable limits'

apologies, you are correct, however the differences hifi/av mags seem to gain from the cables would possibly indicate the use of illegal substances to get that kind of difference

 

[spiny norman]

however the differences hifi/av mags seem to gain from the cables would possibly indicate the use of illegal substances to get that kind of difference

Hilarious. And original, too. Not.

I was merely making the point that all the article said was that the differences fell within acceptable limits. A bit like the way the differences in sound between audio components fall within acceptable limits, I guess. Or would you have it that everything sounds the same, too?

 

[cheeseboy]

however the differences hifi/av mags seem to gain from the cables would possibly indicate the use of illegal substances to get that kind of difference

Hilarious. And original, too. Not.

oooo get you. Maybe you'd like to dismount off that high horse of yours for a moment?

I was merely making the point that all the article said was that the differences fell within acceptable limits. A bit like the way the differences in sound between audio components fall within acceptable limits, I guess. Or would you have it that everything sounds the same, too?

what are you on about??? Acceptable limits, IE, next to no difference whatsoever that you need special equipment to measure. Here's another test that concludes that they are the same http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/home-entertainment/1292371/expensive-hdmi-cables-make-no-difference-the-absolute-proof

 

[spiny norman]

Acceptable limits, IE, next to no difference whatsoever that you need special equipment to measure.

No, it said 'There are some minor variations' and that they were 'within acceptable limits': you are interpresting that to suit your case.

That really isn't very objective, is it?

And anyway, 'next to no difference' is not no difference; it's only next to it, but it's good to see a test that 'once and for all' clarifies the fact that differences exist between HDMI cables.

 

[cheeseboy]

Acceptable limits, IE, next to no difference whatsoever that you need special equipment to measure.

No, it said 'There are some minor variations' and that they were 'within acceptable limits': you are interpresting that to suit your case.

That really isn't very objective, is it?

And anyway, 'next to no difference' is not no difference; it's only next to it, but it's good to see a test that 'once and for all' clarifies the fact that differences exist between HDMI cables.

...and the second one that found no diffrerences?

 

[spiny norman]

...and the second one that found no diffrerences?

Yes, of course I was commenting on that one, too. After all, no-one had mentioned it at that point.

But thanks for conforming to my earlier stereotype of 'dragging up the same tired old web references'

I like you – you're funny. Got any good youtube videos you'd like to share?

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

 

[cheeseboy]

...and the second one that found no diffrerences?

Yes, of course I was commenting on that one, too. After all, no-one had mentioned it at that point.

But thanks for conforming to my earlier stereotype of 'dragging up the same tired old web references'

I like you – you're funny. Got any good youtube videos you'd like to share?

[EDITED BY MODS - please do not insult other members]

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Two good tests. I like cheesboys. Read em & go buy whichever u prefer I say. 🙂

 

[ROTH AV]

All views expressed below are entirely personal, as it just so happens that my father knows a thing or two about eyes.

I am with Cheeseboy on this - the answer to the OP question of 'is there a difference between cheap and expensive HDMI cables' is simply....not that you or I would notice.

Everyone is banging on about a slight difference in colour reproduction, based on test measurements taken with some (what looks like) pretty serious equipment. It seems that the results from using this test equipment (on this occasion) resulted in some differences........whether you and I would notice the differences with the naked eye is highly unlikely.

Back in the real world, what no-one ever mentions is the change in perception of short wave colours as one gets older, particuarly blues (the colour obviously, but also in some cases, the music...where as everyone knows, appreciation of the genre increases with age).

If one asked the question of an eye specialist what the difference was between the colour reproduction of one HDMI cable over another, his/her professional response would invariably be......ask a child. Anyone under the age of around 10 years old might see a difference. This has nothing to do with what people refer to as 20/20 vision either - colour perception is entirely different.

When HDMI cables are 'reviewed', it may be argued that the reviewers do have remarkable colour perception - we'll never know and it is highly unlikely that this could ever be proven or disproven simply because it seems unlikely that the magazine publishers (and I mean all of them, not just Haymarket) have ever paid for specific functional eye tests for their staff writers that can then be compared over a period of time. Same applies to hearing tests, but I won't dwell on this as it could be interpreted as being fairly incendiary.

As far as differences in audio reproduction are concerned (through an HDMI cable) - if it's built right, there are none regardless of whether it costs 50p or £ 500. Anyone that says different is wrong.

Fundamentally, if someone wants to spend a bit more than 50p on an HDMI cable, then that's their choice and we're bloody lucky that we live where we do and we can still make such choices. A free market allows us all to make decisions that are not necessarily driven by science or facts - if we like what something looks like, if we like the salesperson, if we like the brand image, if we like the perceived quality, if we like feeling good about spending £ XXX because we've earnt it by working hard - these are all good enough reasons to spend your money.

By the way, I'm 47 years old and I have perfect hearing and remarkable colour perception and vision. And all my own hair.*

*at least 4 of the above statements in the last sentence are untrue.

 

[AnotherJoe]

This test is better. It compares raw HDMI data grabs - a spectrophotometer and colorimeter could be affected by outside lighting.

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/home-entertainment/1292371/expensive-hdmi-cables-make-no-difference-the-absolute-proof/3

WHF reviews are subjective and undertaken by people with a journalistic background, not a technical one - the same problem occurs with lossless sound - where they claim some blu-rays sound better than others even though they are playing lossless sound over hdmi.

Again data grabs have proved that the data carried by various HDMI cables is EXACTLY the same.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Nothing more to be said I recon on hdmi.. 🙂
And your opinion (Mr Roth AV) on other cables/connects?
Without wishing to open endless debate but just hear an opinion from other 'manufacturer' forumites. Please.

 

[John Duncan]

This test is better. It compares raw HDMI data grabs - a spectrophotometer and colorimeter could be affected by outside lighting.

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/home-entertainment/1292371/expensive-hdmi-cables-make-no-difference-the-absolute-proof/3

WHF reviews are subjective and undertaken by people with a journalistic background, not a technical one - the same problem occurs with lossless sound - where they claim some blu-rays sound better than others even though they are playing lossless sound over hdmi.

Again data grabs have proved that the data carried by various HDMI cables is EXACTLY the same.

That test does claim that one of the cables is directional, and produced different results when placed the wrong way round...

 

[RobinKidderminster]

This test is better. It compares raw HDMI data grabs - a spectrophotometer and colorimeter could be affected by outside lighting.

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/home-entertainment/1292371/expensive-hdmi-cables-make-no-difference-the-absolute-proof/3

WHF reviews are subjective and undertaken by people with a journalistic background, not a technical one - the same problem occurs with lossless sound - where they claim some blu-rays sound better than others even though they are playing lossless sound over hdmi.

Again data grabs have proved that the data carried by various HDMI cables is EXACTLY the same.

That test does claim that one of the cables is directional, and produced different results when placed the wrong way round...

Yes John. Accepting that reversing uni-directional cable adds errors seems to nulify the whole report. Laughable really! :wall:

 

[The_Lhc]

Accepting that reversing uni-directional cable adds errors seems to nulify the whole report. Laughable really! :wall:

Except that's what apparently happened, so it's not a question of them "accepting" a statement blindly, they have (some) proof.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Exactly my dear LHC !
How can 'cables make no difference' be the final summary when 'reversing a lead' gives errors? As I said .... laughable?