[Eagle_Driver]

If you have less than $25 to spend on cables, and you're going to use them to connect a portable audio player (such as a HD-DAP or a PCDP) with a mini-jack output to a dedicated headphone amp which has only RCA inputs, which one would you pick (sound-quality-wise)?

The choices will be listed in the poll. And please, no super-expensive cables or any cables over $25 per 1m.

Please feel free to discuss your choice.

Randall

 

[ooheadsoo]

I would get a monster and be done with it. In fact, that's what I did. Until I got a zu pivot. And if you wanted me to tell you for sure if there was a difference between the two besides build quality, I couldn't tell you for sure.

 

[Jester]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ooheadsoo I would get a monster and be done with it. In fact, that's what I did. Until I got a zu pivot. And if you wanted me to tell you for sure if there was a difference between the two besides build quality, I couldn't tell you for sure.

I hate to admit it, but I experienced the same exact thing. Went from Monster to Zu Pivot and I tried hard to tell the difference but could not.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Yep. 3 votes so far for the Monster 200.

There are other mini-to-RCA cables in the under-$25/m range - like the Monster Interlink Portable 100 (which I didn't include in this poll because the Interlink 100 series is infamous for being as crappy as or even crappier than the sub-$5 ICs).

Also, in the $5 choice, be advised that some of those ultra-cheapies have gold-coloured plug tips, while other cheapies have tin-plated (or even bare aluminum) plug tips.

Finally, keep in mind that I had been going to Head-Fi meets in Chicago with the AR IC. I purchased the Monster 200 just today.

 

[Welly Wu]

Eagle_Driver:

Why don't you get a used Straightwire Short / Long MINI-RCA cable offered by HeadRoom Corporation? I had it for a few months and I could easily tell the difference between stock Radioshack RCA-MINI cables and the Straightwire cable. Greater clarity, sound stage, stronger bass, and immediate midrange.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welly Wu Eagle_Driver: Why don't you get a used Straightwire Short / Long MINI-RCA cable offered by HeadRoom Corporation? I had it for a few months and I could easily tell the difference between stock Radioshack RCA-MINI cables and the Straightwire cable. Greater clarity, sound stage, stronger bass, and immediate midrange.

That is one with a 90° mini-plug. However, running an amp from a recent-vintage Panasonic PCDP (North American version, which have no line-out or optical-out jack at all whatsoever) that has an LCD remote creates a special problem: Most of the mini-plugs on cables that I've seen - including the Straightwire ones - have plug bodies that are wide enough to hit the plastic housing of the remote itself, preventing their full insertion. (Panasonic's LCD remotes - the newer ones - all have headphone jacks that are recessed compared to the front edge of the remotes themselves, and the front edges are close enough to the jack to interfere with the complete insertion of most mini-plugs.) Even worse, the remote is required for the full operation of those Panasonics which have the LCD remotes. (On most of those, merely changing the battery would reset the EQ to S-XBS mode and the beeping sounds to On - and those settings could be changed only by remote.) The Monster cable is one of the very few cables that have a plug with a tapered handle, allowing the plug to fit the pesky Panasonic remote jacks.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

I'm back into IC Hell now - as far as mini-to-RCA ICs are concerned.

It turned out that the AR IC that I had used sucked even at $13 (being based on the crappy AP03# series ICs); it is almost as thin on the inside as the cheapo $5 ICs with bare, unplated aluminum plugs. (But unplated aluminum oxidizes and corrodes very quickly.)

And Monster's Interlink (Portable) 200 had crappy RCA plugs - they were really loose on every one of the RCA jacks that I tried that cable on.

Oh, well... It's back to square one. So, please, ignore this poll - I'm no longer recommending any of these three choices in the poll.

 

[mulveling]

Heh, I couldn't tell any difference between the 1.5m Zu pivot and the 6-ft, $6 RadioShack cable. Of course, I wasn't fond of the source driving the cables (RME PAD), so that may have overshadowed my brief comparison.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

I've looked at Circuit City a few days ago, and they don't carry the Monster Interlink Portable 400MkII any more. Instead, the only mini-to-RCA cable that they carry now is a Monster Standard THX cable ($15 for an 8-ft. cable).

Also, none of the other brick-and-mortar stores that I've been to carry anything better than a Monster Standard Interlink 200.

Oh, well...

I may be better off using a RadioShack dual-RCA-to-mini plug adapter, and then slap on RCA-to-RCA ICs of my choice...

 

[replytoken]

I believe that Audioquest makes that cable in that price range.

 

[raaj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eagle_Driver I've looked at Circuit City a few days ago, and they don't carry the Monster Interlink Portable 400MkII any more. Instead, the only mini-to-RCA cable that they carry now is a Monster Standard THX cable ($15 for an 8-ft. cable). Also, none of the other brick-and-mortar stores that I've been to carry anything better than a Monster Standard Interlink 200. Oh, well... I may be better off using a RadioShack dual-RCA-to-mini plug adapter, and then slap on RCA-to-RCA ICs of my choice...

I recently bought the Monster Interlink 200 cable from Best Buy.. and the cable sounds pretty good.. never mind the price.. Why don't you try at your local Best Buy??

 

[go_vtec]

Have you tried Ebay? I've got my second 2M mini to RCA 400MKII (brand new) for mere $12.50 off Ebay. They do come up occasionally

.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eagle_Driver I've looked at Circuit City a few days ago, and they don't carry the Monster Interlink Portable 400MkII any more. Instead, the only mini-to-RCA cable that they carry now is a Monster Standard THX cable ($15 for an 8-ft. cable). Also, none of the other brick-and-mortar stores that I've been to carry anything better than a Monster Standard Interlink 200. Oh, well... I may be better off using a RadioShack dual-RCA-to-mini plug adapter, and then slap on RCA-to-RCA ICs of my choice...

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by go_vtec Have you tried Ebay? I've got my second 2M mini to RCA 400MKII (brand new) for mere $12.50 off Ebay. They do come up occasionally .

Officially, the mini-to-dual-RCA Interlink Portable 400MKII inteconnect officially comes only in the 0.75m length.

The Monster Standard Interlink Portable 200 comes in both 1m and 2m lengths, of which the 1m length is carried at Best Buy.

 

[go_vtec]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eagle_Driver Officially, the mini-to-dual-RCA Interlink Portable 400MKII inteconnect officially comes only in the 0.75m length. The Monster Standard Interlink Portable 200 comes in both 1m and 2m lengths, of which the 1m length is carried at Best Buy.

Wow, what about these (1.5M and 2.0M) from buy.com? Aren't these official Monster cable items?

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...6&loc=111&sp=2
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...6&loc=111&sp=2

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by go_vtec Wow, what about these (1.5M and 2.0M) from buy.com? Aren't these official Monster cable items? http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...6&loc=111&sp=2 http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...6&loc=111&sp=2

I stand corrected. It's just that the vendor that I ordered my 400MKII portable from - Beach Audio - carries that cable only in the 0.75m length. It is actually available (officially) in 0.75m, 1.5m and 2m lengths - at $30, $40 and $50 (MSRP), respectively.