What happened to Monster Cable????

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

That sounds a lot like Monoprice.

Can’t find that verbiage on their website, but I’d agree - Monoprice was the first name that came to my mind.

I don’t understand the mystery behind revealing the vendor. That ad copy is generic enough, and so buzz-phrase encrusted as to be unremarkable.

[AuntieDiluvian]

It's fine with me if Monster goes under. Their stuff has always been ove-priced, over-hyped, and underperforming.

Honestly, the "lifetime warranty" is worthless, because if any cable (or other accessory) craps out in the middle of a gig, there's no value in a replacement week later.

I have a couple of Whirlwind Leader cables that have over 20 years of heavy use, and they still work great with no microphonics or trouble whatsoever. They're not the cheapest, but they work reliably EVERY time I plug them in.

Same with surge suppressors. Furman makes a really good product with serious max kA capacity (which is the spec that protects your gear, not "joules"); Monster is priced higher with less actual protective capacity.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by AuntieDiluvian

Honestly, the "lifetime warranty" is worthless, because if any cable (or other accessory) craps out in the middle of a gig, there's no value in a replacement week later.

Same with surge suppressors. Furman makes a really good product with serious max kA capacity (which is the spec that protects your gear, not "joules"); Monster is priced higher with less actual protective capacity.

Midas used to have (they still may) a lifetime warranty on mufflers. Their mufflers were no better than others, but their research showed than 97% of their customers would sell the car before it needed another muffler. Craftsman tools have a lifetime warranty but mechanics buy Snap-On or Mac because they can't afford to have them break and take them back to the store.

IMO, surge protectors, other than whole-house surge protectors that protect against lightning strikes and similar major events that plug-in surge protectors couldn't handle, are snake oil. Modern electronic equipment uses switching power supplies that typically provide adequate surge protection. In fact, some inexpensive surge protectors have components that can explode and start fires. I actually had this happen, fortunately without a fire.

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

That sounds a lot like Monoprice.

I didn't know Monoprice sold guitar cables. Ok... The brand is Rean/Neutrik. I'm not sure what the relationship is but as far as the feel of them goes they are quality cables. The cable itself is a lot like I perceive of Mogami... and then there is the Neutrik name. I was first introduced to the brand via the jack in my Yamaha BTB675 bass. I've never felt a more solid jack ever (though some have an issue dealing with it because it has a release mechanism).

Anyway... I have to check out monoprice now. You've got me intrigued.

[ricdoug]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

I didn't know Monoprice sold guitar cables. Ok... The brand is Rean/Neutrik. I'm not sure what the relationship is but as far as the feel of them goes they are quality cables. The cable itself is a lot like I perceive of Mogami... and then there is the Neutrik name. I was first introduced to the brand via the jack in my Yamaha BTB675 bass. I've never felt a more solid jack ever (though some have an issue dealing with it because it has a release mechanism).

Anyway... I have to check out monoprice now. You've got me intrigued.

MonoPrice is simply a Southern California that business that this retired Marine San Diego veteran recommends!

[steelvibe]

When I bought my Monster I thought "you get what you pay for". It was bought back in the day when internet business was just getting started. Heck, Amazon was probably still just selling books. Well I paid a lot for it but still have it and it still sounds great! What can I say. It's as good as a Midas, a Craftsman kit, and I don't even need to use the warranty for a company that has apparently jumped ship.

I think I'll go sniff my cable now

But I have learned and would never spend that on a cable again. I now set up my own guitars, practically can set up an entire stage by myself, can dial in excellent live acoustic tone....and when the time comes can probably more than likely repair my own cable. Oh, and yes Monoprice makes excellent stuff. My next cable will probably be a few from them.

We have all succumbed to marketing hype at some point. If you say you haven't well.......

[B. Adams]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

I didn't know Monoprice sold guitar cables. Ok... The brand is Rean/Neutrik. I'm not sure what the relationship is but as far as the feel of them goes they are quality cables. The cable itself is a lot like I perceive of Mogami... and then there is the Neutrik name. I was first introduced to the brand via the jack in my Yamaha BTB675 bass. I've never felt a more solid jack ever (though some have an issue dealing with it because it has a release mechanism).

Anyway... I have to check out monoprice now. You've got me intrigued.

Rean is an Asian manufacturer owned by Neutrik, but the connectors, while decent quality, are certainly not the same. Theres no substitute for good strain relief, and that's what Neutrik does better than anyone else. Fortunately, if a connector ever fails, as long as the cable is good quality it will be easy to put a Neutrik connector on there and make it much more reliable.

Monoprice also has decent cables, although they sometimes cut some corners with their design. The connectors are often the weak link, but I've had very few failures.

[AuntieDiluvian]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

IMO, surge protectors, other than whole-house surge protectors that protect against lightning strikes and similar major events that plug-in surge protectors couldn't handle, are snake oil. Modern electronic equipment uses switching power supplies that typically provide adequate surge protection. In fact, some inexpensive surge protectors have components that can explode and start fires. I actually had this happen, fortunately without a fire.

That's not entirely true. Nearly every surge suppression device on the market today is MOV based, which means that it is a consumable. Every time is absorbs transient electrical energy it loses some of its capacity. What this means is that an external suppressor will extend the life of your electronics by taking the surge before it gets to the MOV in your main device.

As for fires from internal fusing failures, that issue was dealt with in an update to UL1449 more than a decade ago. New devices that meet the standards have been designed and tested to not have this problem.

[cdkrugjr]

20~20,000Hz is a laughably small bandwidth for cable manufacturers who routinely deal in cables designed for GHz signals.

People who care about GHz bandwidths buy their cable from Belden or Alpha.

It's VERY difficult to find a cable that won't perform acceptably in the Audio range.

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by steelvibe

We have all succumbed to marketing hype at some point. If you say you haven't well.......

Yes we have. Many of us have bought into the hype of a major guitar company that continually "innovates" and markets the heck out of their products while their "innovations" are often made to reduce production costs, many of those innovations effectively being downgrades from previous models.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by AuntieDiluvian

That's not entirely true. Nearly every surge suppression device on the market today is MOV based, which means that it is a consumable. Every time is absorbs transient electrical energy it loses some of its capacity. What this means is that an external suppressor will extend the life of your electronics by taking the surge before it gets to the MOV in your main device.

As for fires from internal fusing failures, that issue was dealt with in an update to UL1449 more than a decade ago. New devices that meet the standards have been designed and tested to not have this problem.

Actually, I've seen MOVs explode, not fuses. In any case, there is little evidence that surge protectors actually do anything. Think about all the unprotected electronic devices in your home. Are they dying due to surges?

As far back as 1992, IBM, in the manuals for their PS-2 PCs, recommended against using surge protectors, because the internal protection of the switching power supplies was sufficient, and additional surge protectors added complexity.

Also, surge protectors are parallel devices, not in-line devices, so while they can absorb some degree of power surging, they will likely not be able to handle major surges (lighting striking a power poll, etc.) that would take out equipment. This what surge protectors at the building's electrical service panel are designed to do, and I think they are a good idea, especially if your home or office is served by overhead power lines.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by Uncle Pauhana

… And that's one reason I've always avoided Monster. They have a nasty habit of bringing meritless lawsuits against competitors that they see as small and vulnerable in an attempt to stifle competition.

But in at least one case they sued the wrong company. The owner of Blue Jeans Cable was lawyer with nineteen years of federal litigation experience. His response to their frivolous cease-and-desist letter is a classic; thorough, surgical, subtly sarcastic, and devastating. It's a longish read, but although I'm not a lawyer, I found it fascinating and hilarious as he pounds Monster deeper into the sand with every paragraph. https://www.audioholics.com/news/blu...s-strikes-back

.

Another good reason to not buy Monster cables. Patent trolls just skim money, adding zero value in the process. I will not be sad to see them go out of business.

[AuntieDiluvian]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

Actually, I've seen MOVs explode, not fuses.

Right. UL1449 now requires that there be fuses in series with each individual MOV in multi-component TVSS devices; this limits the energy so that the MOV won't explode catastrophically.

In any case, there is little evidence that surge protectors actually do anything. Think about all the unprotected electronic devices in your home. Are they dying due to surges?

Not true. Not going to go overly pedantic on this forum, but the reality is that lab tests absolutely show damage to unprotected devices. Pull the MOVs out of any given product (as effectively happens once the oxide layer is consumed) and then subject the device to the standard CE certification test - I guarantee you that it will not survive.

Also, surge protectors are parallel devices, not in-line devices, so while they can absorb some degree of power surging, they will likely not be able to handle major surges (lighting striking a power poll, etc.) that would take out equipment. This what surge protectors at the building's electrical service panel are designed to do, and I think they are a good idea, especially if your home or office is served by overhead power lines.

I 100% agree that the BEST place to protect against external transients is at the service entrance where there is a solid ground (not surges, BTW - the "surge" is one possible effect of a transient over-Voltage event).

That said, the majority of transients in consumer and industrial power systems occur due to switching transients created inside the building, not from outside. If the device you care about happens to reside between the transient source and the panel, that panel TVSS will not protect your equipment.

FWIW, I don't sell or manufacture TVSS devices, but I have been in the electrical equipment industry since 1990 (and I also have one patent for a TVSS design).

[ricdoug]

https://musiccritic.com/equipment/ca...-patch-cables/

[Shaneh]

I was at GC today and a customer brought in 2 monster cables asking to have them replaced under warranty. They called the manager over and he said they wouldn’t do it even though they sell them they don’t honor the warranty and the customer would need to contact monster. That is really crap service if you ask me.