Which cables to buy for a new Rm6880bk speaker system?

saum

Hi All,

I recently purchased the Polk RM6880BK 5.1 home theater speaker system and need some help trying to figure out which cables to buy (looking for all cables - subwoofer, DVD to Receiver, Speaker etc). Good cables can make or break a home theater system, so I am keen on purchasing the right ones (albeit at reasonable prices). The 2 sources I am considering right now are - Monster cables and cables from Monoprice.com. Needless to say, the price differential between the 2 is huge and my online research shows reviews that go from praising each product as the best to labeling them as the worst. Not knowing much about cables, I am confused and appreciate any tips/guidance.

(a) Does anyone know whether or not cables from Monoprice.com of good quality?
(b) Monster cables cost roughly $200 for my configuration (room size 15'l x 13'w x 8'h) i.e. approx 25 ft for a speaker run. Same cables cost $40 on Monoprice.com. If Monoprice.com cables aren't good, then is there another brand I can use which will cost me say in the $100 range? (Or am I being too cheap at the $100 price point?)

I did look through the current threads and saw several discussions on cables, but couldn't find one that clears up my confusion.

Norm Apter

Yeah, there won't be one definitive thread that will answer your cable quandary, because there really isn't any answer. I would just read over some of the threads and try to skip the parts that get into technical debate. Do check out the two polls on speaker wires and analog interconnects initiated by SteveinAZ, if you haven't already. That would give you an idea of a sample percentage of folks here who use one brand (e.g. monoprice) versus others.

Personally, I wouldn't touch Monster with a ten-foot pole. But I'm not inferring that they are of poor quality. Rather, you're just paying top dollar for marketing. I'd rather get a bang for a buck product that Signal Cable and similar respected companies like Blue Jeans delivers. I can't comment on Monoprice but I would definately look at Signal Cable over Monster any day. With Monster its not about poor quality, its about marketing hype and being overpriced.

One guy put it well in a response to one of my queries on a different forum (Parts Express) a few months ago:
"I tend to put Monster Cables, Bose and Microsoft in the same bag. Average products sold for a premium by savvy marketing and brand recognition."

My personal view is that it is possible for cables to make a difference, but that it really depends on what kind of gear/speakers you are using. The higher quality the gear, the more potential for "higher-quality" speaker cable to make a difference. I'm not familiar with your HT system, so please excuse my ignorance, but for a 5.1 Home Theatre Speaker system (5 speaks and a sub, right?) I personally would NOT go overboard on spending for speaker cable and hence something like Monoprice might work just fine. But I should defer to others who have a similar 6-speaker set-up...

As for interconnects, I would definately consider either Signal Cable or Blue Jeans. You can't go wrong with either of those.

saum

Thank you to both responders. They are definitely very useful. I will definitely look at Signal Cable and Blue Jeans cable before buying the cables.

JohnLocke88

You will find no greater monoprice fanboy than myself. I've used both Monster Cable (my dad is a major fan of them) and monoprice cables. I've tested similar products from monster and monoprice (HDMI, Coaxial audio, optical audio, component video, 12 AWG speaker wire, etc.) and I was not able to tell the difference (or atleast enough difference to justify 500% increase in expenditure.)

Hope that helps. If you feel like you need to spend more on cables to get the best sound, by all means go for it. Remember, they're your ears, not ours!

tonyb

For an Rm system,monoprice,Bluejean,Signal,will all do you fine.As you move up the ladder with your system,the differences in cabling becomes more apparent.

jingoboy_78

I have the same RM6880 speaker system..i got the cables from monoprice ..below is the info for all the cables I got..hope it helps..My system sounds really awesome...


Speakerwires - 14AWG Enhanced Loud Oxygen-Free Copper Speaker Wire Cable - 300ft

HDMI cables - HDMI 1.3a Category 2 Certified Cable 28AWG - 6ft w/Ferrite Cores (Gold Plated Connectors) - BLACK

I got the 6 feet one..but if you need more length they have it at a very decent price.

Subwoofer cable - from amazon http://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-15-1599-Subwoofer-Cable/dp/B0002ZPIXM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1213823427&sr=8-2