“Let our rigorous testing and reviews be your guidelines to A/V equipment – not marketing slogans”
Facebook Youtube Twitter instagram pinterest

Recent Home Theater Cable Articles

Audio Video Cables

Should You Use Audio Cables as Tone Controls?

— August 19, 2022 00:15

Should You Use Audio Cables as Tone Controls?

Some believe that different cables lend different sounds to your system. Does that mean that you could use cables as a sort of tone control, to tweak the sound of your system? Read on to find out.

Audio Video Cables

HDMI 2.1 ‑ Everything You Need to Know Explained

— May 19, 2020 09:00

HDMI 2.1 - Everything You Need to Know Explained

HDMI 2.1 becomes a reality with the latest gaming platforms while also promising improve audio and video quality through eARC. Find out the new audio & video features and cable requirements for HDMI 2.1.

Audio Video Cables

Is Synergy In Audio Cables Real or Snake Oil?

— April 25, 2020 01:00

Is Synergy In Audio Cables Real or Snake Oil?

PS Audio recently announced a partnership with Audioquest cables citing that their products have a real "synergy" together. Is there any merit this synergistic effect claim or is it pure marketing BS?

Audio Video Cables

Long vs Short Speaker Cables: Does it Really Matter?

— July 22, 2016 01:00

Long vs Short Speaker Cables: Does it Really Matter?

This article explores if varying the length of speaker cables between speakers really makes a difference in audibility. Watch our related YouTube videos to see what truly matters in speaker cables.

Audio Video Cables

Speaker Wire: How to Choose the Right Gauge Type for Best Performance

— December 27, 2015 21:00

Speaker Wire: How to Choose the Right Gauge Type for Best Performance

We discuss speaker wire gauge and how to choose the best audio cables based on your loudspeaker impedance and distance to your amplifier to achieve best performance.

Audio Video Cables

How to Make Your Own DIY Speaker Cables

Dan Banquer — May 05, 2015 07:00

How to Make Your Own DIY Speaker Cables

This article explains how to make your own DIY speaker cables to save money and create the exact cables for your needs. From low resistance zip cord to braided audio cables, make them for less.

Audio Video Cables

The Truth vs Hype about Expensive HDMI Cables

— December 23, 2013 16:15

The Truth vs Hype about Expensive HDMI Cables

Do expensive HDMI cables make a difference? What should you look for in an HDMI cable? We answer those questions in an easy to follow video, and we have the science to backup our claims.

Audio Video Cables

Why Your Cat6/5e Network Cable is Slowing You Down: Interview with Blue Jeans Cable

— August 28, 2013 07:00

Why Your Cat6/5e Network Cable is Slowing You Down: Interview with Blue Jeans Cable

Cat6/5e network or ethernet cable quality is a little understood but big problem. We dive into why 80% of cables fail to meet spec and what you can do you ensure you are buying good network cable.

Audio Video Cables

Debunking the Myth of Speaker Cable Resonance

— January 28, 2013 00:00

Debunking the Myth of Speaker Cable Resonance

This article debunks the nonsense some exotic cable manufacturers like to spread about they have a solution to electrical or mechanical resonance in loudspeaker cables.

Audio Video Cables

RedMere Active HDMI Technology Poised to Change Cabling

— July 29, 2011 08:03

RedMere Active HDMI Technology Poised to Change Cabling

While active EQ on HDMI cables isn't new, possibly the most advanced use of it is coming out of RedMere, who has shrunken down the technology to a point that it's all but negligible.

Audio Video Cables

Audiophile Power Cords ‑ Do they really make a difference?

Kurt Denke (Blue Jeans Cable) — April 29, 2011 16:05

Audiophile Power Cords - Do they really make a difference?

This article explores the age old question whether or not exotic power cords make a difference over the stock OEM cables supplied with your AV gear. Get the truth about power cords & cables here.

Audio Video Cables

Locking HDMI Cables and Connectors

— June 04, 2010 02:30

Locking HDMI Cables and Connectors

How is a custom installer to deal with the loose HDMI connector? Several solutions provide a locking HDMI connection for HDMI - something the format surely lacks and which HDMI Licensing left open.

Audio Video Cables

HDMI Cable Speed & Features Explained

Kurt Denke — March 10, 2010 05:00

HDMI Cable Speed & Features Explained

Are you confused about HDMI cable speed and category ratings? Read this article to get the facts from the fiction about the relevence of HDMI cable ratings.

Audio Video Cables

HDMI 1.4 and Through the Ages

— September 03, 2009 05:20

HDMI 1.4 and Through the Ages

Is HDMI more of a stop-gap interface instead of a new standard? We think so - and the new HDMI version 1.4 does little to assuage our hopes in that regard. HDMI, while convenient, isn't all that.

Audio Video Cables

Alternatives for AV Home Networking

— August 16, 2009 19:05

Alternatives for AV Home Networking

The ongoing convergence of Audio/Video and computing is inevitable, rooted in the dawn of digital media with the advent of the CD, and nurtured by such things as the the Internet and technology.

Audio Video Cables

Crimping & Soldering ‑ Keys to Connection Performance and Longevity

Thomas Steves — March 09, 2009 22:42

Crimping & Soldering - Keys to Connection Performance and Longevity

Audio and Video Cables are not just dependent on the wire or cable used, or the connectors used. The quality of the connection between the wire or cable and connector is just as important, if not

Audio Video Cables

What Do HDMI Spec Versions (1.2, 1.3, 1.3a, etc) Mean For Cable Choice?

Kurt Denke — March 05, 2009 11:01

What Do HDMI Spec Versions (1.2, 1.3, 1.3a, etc) Mean For Cable Choice?

Many people are worried, when buying HDMI cable, about the spec version of the cable in question. Is it the latest spec version? Will it support all the features of the devices it's hooked to? Most

Audio Video Cables

Do I Need 120 Hertz HDMI Cables?

Kurt Denke — December 31, 2008 09:39

Do I Need 120 Hertz HDMI Cables?

One of the most common sorts of questions from our customers these days is some variant on this: "Do I really need a 120Hz HDMI Cable?" In consumer electronics stores across the country, consumers

Audio Video Cables

Myth vs Reality – Putting Cat5E‑Based A/V Structured Wiring In Its Place

— October 06, 2008 12:45

Myth vs Reality – Putting Cat5E-Based A/V Structured Wiring In Its Place

Sending audio, video and control signals over twisted pair cables have become common practice in the contemporary marketplace. There is a good reason for this. Twisted pair cables are cheap,

Audio Video Cables

Wireless HDMI Takes Flight

— September 05, 2008 01:00

Wireless HDMI Takes Flight

Wireless HDMI seems to be coming to a living room near you. While everyone pretty much agrees that HDMI is the most bitter-sweet invention to hit the consumer AV electronics industry in some time,

Audio Video Cables

Long HDMI Cable Bench Tests ‑ Monster Cable Shootout

— July 08, 2008 10:50

Long HDMI Cable Bench Tests - Monster Cable Shootout

I decided to write this article the first time I saw another writer say "HDMI is digital - it either works or it doesn't." Then I saw that statement get repeated over and over. The problem is that

Audio Video Cables

Pear Cable Redux: How to Combat Scam with Science

— May 10, 2008 23:20

Pear Cable Redux: How to Combat Scam with Science

A Case Study in Applying an Audioholics A/V Education to Identify Marketing Drivel. In this follow-up to our initial article, we will look at Pear Cable as a case study in evaluating exaggerated

Audio Video Cables

HDMI 1.3 and Cables Part 1: It's All in the Bitrate

— August 22, 2007 09:57

HDMI 1.3 and Cables Part 1: It's All in the Bitrate

With the advent of HDMI v1.3 and 1.3a, consumers are starting to really get confused about cables and what they need to worry about when selecting a product that's going to be compatible with the new

Audio Video Cables

What's the Matter with HDMI?

Kurt Demke — May 16, 2007 21:10

What's the Matter with HDMI?

HDMI, as we've pointed out elsewhere, is a format which was designed primarily to serve the interests of the content-provider industries, not to serve the interests of the consumer. The result is a

Audio Video Cables

Bi‑wiring Part 2: The Cable Conundrum

Jim Lesurf — March 28, 2007 20:00

Bi-wiring Part 2: The Cable Conundrum

One of the arguments presented in the web forum thread I’ve already examined on a previous article is that there is a difference between a bi-wired speaker system and conventional wiring due to a

Audio Video Cables

Bi‑Wiring A Loudspeaker: Does it Make a Difference?

Jim Lesurf — March 19, 2007 19:00

Bi-Wiring A Loudspeaker: Does it Make a Difference?

Bi-wiring a loudspeaker involves running two pairs of cables tied together on the amp side but separated on the loudspeaker side to the low and high crossover sections. But, does it make a difference?

Audio Video Cables

Thinking in Isolation – A Primer on Ground Loops

— January 18, 2007 22:25

Thinking in Isolation – A Primer on Ground Loops

There is a humming sound coming from the speakers. A faint dark bar rolls from the bottom of the image to the top, changing colors and distorting the picture as it goes. What’s this? How is this