Guide to Home Theater Cables
Audio and Video Cables, Speaker Wires and AV Connectors
Helping you make the most out of your AV system
Are you feeling confused by the myriad of AV cable options? What about the latest flavors of HDMI cables and connectors? Should you opt for HDMI or component video - is digital always better? What speaker wires should you use for the best results?
And what about cable quality - is there the need to replace those 'free' home theater cables that come with your gear? Do you really need to spend a lot of money on what are supposed to be 'quality' AV cables? Will these make a difference in home theater system performance?
To many, AV interconnects represent nothing more than an incomprehensible interconnected mess! But help is on the way...
We are presenting a series of home theater guides that discusses the different AV cables and connectors; in the process, we also present a couple of easy-to-follow cable connection tips to help you make the most out of your system.
AV Cables: Linking your Home Theater System Components
No AV home entertainment setup is complete—no matter how simple it is—without the use of appropriate home theater cables and speaker wires to connect everything together.
The problem for many is that AV cables have become quite a bit complicated.
While the first color TVs came with nothing more than a TV antenna input on their back panel, today's HDTVs come loaded with all sort of AV connections ranging from the traditional composite and component video inputs to the latest flavors of HDMI, USB and digital audio supporting multiple-channel sound. The same holds true for any home theater system component, whether that being a top-of-the-range AV receiver, Blu-ray player, or an inexpensive video player.
Luckily, most home theater components come equipped with the necessary cables to hook up your system and get it running in no time at all. Still, many in the audio/video industry would tell you that if you want to get the best in system performance, you have to replace the 'free' AV interconnects that come with your gear. But then...
What constitutes good quality home theater cables? Is there a way to make the most of your existing AV cables that come with your gear? Will replacing these cables really make a difference in overall system performance?
Sales talk by AV cable vendors regarding cable quality would often complicate matters more rather than help those in the market choosing the best cables for their needs. 'Top' cable vendors tend simply to justify the expensive price tag of their supposedly superior cables. But then they fail to explain why say a 10-foot HDMI cable is selling for $50 when an almost identical 10-foot HDMI cable from another brand sells for just $5! The truth is that what most cable venders would not tell you is that buying good quality cables does not necessarily imply expensive AV cables.
Do not get us wrong... There is a price to pay for a quality AV interconnects; and if you are after the best performance, there are instances where investing in a quality cable is important especially as cable length increases. But this state of affairs only enhances the confusion surrounding the subject while making cable selection more difficult for the uninformed. Add the vast selection of available options from the never ending list of suppliers, and your home theater cable selection process can turn out to be a totally frustrating experience.
Unfortunately, you cannot afford to make the wrong choice when buying good quality cables; quality home theater interconnects can turn out to be expensive and may amount to a good portion of any home theater budget. In addition, irrespective of this cable quality issue, choosing the right AV interconnects can make a whole world of difference in system performance.
We are featuring a series of articles designed to provide the required information to help you choose the right video and audio cables for your home theater system. The information includes details of the various AV interconnects, speaker wire and connectors, as well as easy-to-follow cable connection 'tips' to get the best results from your equipment.
A complete index of articles filed under this section together with the relevant details re. the information covered by the respective write-ups, appears at the end of this page.
Home Theater Cables - Section Index
Quality, Cable Length, and Performance Implications
How does cable quality and cable length impact system performance?
AV Cables - An Intro to Cable Anatomy
We discuss the anatomy of home theater cables. Do silver-coated conductors make a real difference in system performance? Discover more in this article.
Audio Cables
A guide to analog and digital home theater audio cables and interconnects
Video Cables
An introductory guide to analog and digital video interconnects
DVI Cables
The different flavors of DVI cables can be difficult for some to grasp. This needs no longer be the case; our DVI Cable Guide explains it all!
HDMI Cables
There is still a lot of confusion surrounding HDMI and its many different versions. This practical guide explains all there is the need to know about HDMI cables. It is a two-part guide with the first part discussing the basics and the different versions while the second part discusses the different HDMI cable-types and HDMI connectors.
Extending HDMI Cables - Copper, Wireless or Fiber?
Unlike their analog counterparts, DVI and HDMI cable lengths are very much limited by the nature of the interconnect itself. Discover possible available options to extend an HD video connection beyond the practical distances supported by these digital interconnects.
RGB & Component Video, or DVI & HDMI - Which is Better?
Is digital always better? We discuss the use of RGB and component video interconnects as against DVI and HDMI cables.
The Definitive Guide to Speaker Wires & Connectors
Selecting home theater speaker wires—speaker wire gauge and wire quality—and speaker connectors. Would the use of expensive oxygen-free copper and silver wire make a difference in speaker performance? Is it better to invest in quality gold-plated speaker connectors than in expensive exotic speaker cables?
AV Cables Connection Tips
Easy-to-follow tips to get the best results out of your home theater cables and interconnects.
A Word of Advice
Purchasing Quality Home Theater Cables: Keep in mind that good quality cables need not necessarily be expensive especially at the shorter lengths, yet it is always recommended to purchase high quality home theater cables from a reputable supplier. This is the only way to ensure you get all the quality you are paying for.
For
a full range of affordable high-quality HDMI Cables from major suppliers
available at the amazon.com storefront, please check out the following link:
HDMI Interconnects
