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Monster Cable

lewis82

lewis82

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Aug 26, 2009
1,708
12
Totalitarian Republic of Northlandia
Or how to make money by screwing customers.

I went at Wal-Mart to buy a surge protector. There were some Monster ones, which I didn't give a look at, and Philips ones.

While I didn't buy it, I originally wanted to buy this one:
cmscontroller


Back home, I went on the Future Shop website to check the price of Monsters, just to see how much they cost. I saw this one:
10119865.jpg


They are exactly the same thing! However, the Philips was priced at 20$ while the Monster costs 79,99$ :eek: I mean, these guys have no sense of moral whatsoever...

I know there's nothing new here, but I actually tought they did design their own products. Absolutely pathetic.
 
lewis82 said:
Or how to make money by screwing customers.

I went at Wal-Mart to buy a surge protector. There were some Monster ones, which I didn't give a look at, and Philips ones.

While I didn't buy it, I originally wanted to buy this one:
cmscontroller


They are exactly the same thing! However, the Philips was priced at 20$ while the Monster costs 79,99$ :eek: I mean, these guys have no sense of moral whatsoever...

I know there's nothing new here, but I actually tought they did design their own products. Absolutely pathetic.

Back home, I went on the Future Shop website to check the price of Monsters, just to see how much they cost. I saw this one:
10119865.jpg
Click to expand...

Similar outward appearance matters very little
Perhaps there is a distinct difference in the electronic circuitry such as the values and configurations of any capacitors resistors etc mounted to a PCB inside. Also it could depend on the companies warranties and service offerings. Maybe the best way to figure out the difference is to open them up and compare the guts.
 
Ttownbeast said:
Similar outward appearance matters very little
Perhaps there is a distinct difference in the electronic circuitry such as the values and configurations of any capacitors resistors etc mounted to a PCB inside. Also it could depend on the companies warranties and service offerings. Maybe the best way to figure out the difference is to open them up and compare the guts.
Click to expand...

Both of them have a 2160J protection. Both of them claim to "purify" the AC power. I'm not going to buy one just for the sake of opening it, but I'm 100% sure this is the same exact thing. Don't forget Monster sells 150$ HDMI cables, they are well able to overprice a product they bought in China.
 
^^^ it's not a fair comparison, though. Monster has those little labels to tell you which component should be plugged into each socket. :p
 
lewis82 said:
Both of them have a 2160J protection. Both of them claim to "purify" the AC power. I'm not going to buy one just for the sake of opening it, but I'm 100% sure this is the same exact thing. Don't forget Monster sells 150$ HDMI cables, they are well able to overprice a product they bought in China.
Click to expand...

Do you have any independent benchmark tests comparing the two such as a consumer reports publication or Underwriters Laboratories data to back up your claim?

Like I already stated outward appearance matters very little there are probably 3 or 4 other brands that use a similar case mold and assemble the internal components in a different fashion and offer minimal 2160J protection under that same standard for a lower price. You never know.
 
When it comes to surge protectors, they are all pretty similar, and they will get fried if you take a strong hit, such as lightning. If you really want protection, get a UPS.

Here are a couple of tests on Monster HDMI cables vs generics. Not scientific, I know but interesting. Popular Mechanics.

Here's a fun test done where audiophiles couldn't tell the difference in a stereo setup using high-end monster cables and one using coat hangers as speaker wire.
 
http://www.monstercable.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=5178

http://www.usa.philips.com/c/power-solutions/smart-surge-protection-6-outlets-spp3225wa_17/prd/

Code: 
# Model MDP 650 	Type 3 SPD 	120 	1 	L-N, L-G, N-G 	400 	N/A 	N/A
Taken from here

Code: 
#Relocatable power taps/Surge Protective Devices, Models SPP3225, SPP3226 	Type 3 SPD 	120 	1 	L-N, L-G, N-G 	400 	N/A 	N/A
Taken from here.

According to UL, they offer the same exact protection. I agree, there is still a chance that the insides are different, but it is IMO very small, considering the price of the other products they sell.

EDIT: oh, and by the way: Philips offers 50,000$ more in warranty.
 
Ttownbeast said:
Similar outward appearance matters very little
Perhaps there is a distinct difference in the electronic circuitry such as the values and configurations of any capacitors resistors etc mounted to a PCB inside. Also it could depend on the companies warranties and service offerings. Maybe the best way to figure out the difference is to open them up and compare the guts.
Click to expand...

Wow, someone is naive.

Justify a 90$ HDMI cable next.

Then you can do the 499$ 3 ft Cat6 RJ-45 cable from Denon.

:rolleyes:

I bought APC surge protectors. 15$ each. I doubt Monster has better stuff than APC.
 
big thing is look at the warranty they give against surge damage but more importantly look how much trouble a company will give you if you try to collect.

All the manufacture know if lighting strikes all equipment plugged in will be fried. They know they will need to pay out for those but they odds are so low that it is a non-issues on the few claims they have to make. I had a friends who ground wire at their house got struck. Surge protector or not they had about 40-50k worth of damage stuff their homeowners insurrance paid out. Every TV got fried. 3 computer fried. All the pumps to their brand new pool had to be replaced. Pretty much everything plugged in was replaced. No surge protector is going to stop a lighting strike to the ground wire.

Monster is over rated. I find any surge protector that offers 10k or better warrenty is what I go after. I just want to make sure everything on it if my equipment gets fried will be replaced.

I have my desktop plugged in to an APC that can run it for 20-30 mins and then I have another APC on my TV, 360 cable box that can handle it for about 5 min. Reason for that is I want to make sure the TV and everything will make it threw one of those short power blips that sometimes happen during electronic storms. One thing I hate is the power blipping and ruin a game I am playing or knocking out a TV show and I have to wait for 4-5 min for everything to reboot. Power going out longer well not a big deal since the system is only in place for a short one.
 
steve2112 said:
When it comes to surge protectors, they are all pretty similar, and they will get fried if you take a strong hit, such as lightning. If you really want protection, get a UPS.
Click to expand...

Agreed, considering the spot outages where the power takes short little blinks around here I invested in a decent refurbished one of for my Linux server a month ago and haven't had any inconvenient interruptions, forced restarts or need to repair the file system since. I am hoping for a mild winter though since it is only good for 20 to 30 minutes of reserve power depending on the load it carries, but it is decent enough for me to get at quick enough for a controlled shut down.

KnightWRX said:
Wow, someone is naive.
Click to expand...

Not really, sometimes costs include import/export, labor and materials cost as well they may do exactly the same thing. But one company may have better buying power when it comes to supplies needed for the same parts. It's kind of like comparing a national chain of discount retail stores to a regional retail establishment. the bigger company can usually negotiate contracts at better prices for parts by buying in larger volume passing on those savings to consumers. The basic circuits may be quite similar as well but you never know there could be marked differences on how they reach the same benchmarked results in order to avoid getting sued over patents. I am hardly naive concerning business practices.
 
Ttownbeast said:
Not really, sometimes costs include import/export, labor and materials cost as well they may do exactly the same thing. But one company may have better buying power when it comes to supplies needed for the same parts. It's kind of like comparing a national chain of discount retail stores to a regional retail establishment. the bigger company can usually negotiate contracts at better prices for parts by buying in larger volume passing on those savings to consumers. The basic circuits may be quite similar as well but you never know there could be marked differences on how they reach the same benchmarked results in order to avoid getting sued over patents. I am hardly naive concerning business practices.
Click to expand...

Again, you're trying to justify with logic a product made by Monster. You really are naive. Monster sells you a bunch of crap, wrapped in shiny, at an exorbitant price. If you believe anything else, you're that sucker that's born every minute everyone keeps talking about.

Monster's whole business model to is sell cheap electronics accessories with something along the lines of a 10000% profit margin.

Like I said, entertain us some more by justifying a 90$ HDMI cable next.
 
An engineer at the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) did some tests for one of their consumer-oriented shows and demonstrated how the very expensive HDMI cables from the likes of Monster are no better than the $4 cable you can get from monoprice.com.

I know it isn't the same as a surge protector, but it just shows you how a company can make it look like you're getting some kind of special product by increasing the price for no reason.

In all likelihood, those surge protectors are identical. As long as the equipment coverage warranty is the same and the protection (Joules) is the same, then they are essentially identical.
 
KnightWRX said:
Again, you're trying to justify with logic a product made by Monster. You really are naive. Monster sells you a bunch of crap, wrapped in shiny, at an exorbitant price. If you believe anything else, you're that sucker that's born every minute everyone keeps talking about.

Monster's whole business model to is sell cheap electronics accessories with something along the lines of a 10000% profit margin.

Like I said, entertain us some more by justifying a 90$ HDMI cable next.
Click to expand...

You can continue being childish calling me naive or show me evidence of this "business model" you are going on about. I gave you the standard business models which would explain the differences in pricing reasonably on an open market, you immediately respond with "its crap" and throw some random number out to justify your opinion offering no relevant data--not a well thought out response.

At least the OP bothered to look something up to compare the benchmarks as I had challenged, to which I agree BTW and I adjusted my thoughts and considered other valid reasons for the difference in cost. You however made no productive contribution to the conversation.

The material costs from company to company are not set in stone and perhaps monster pays more for the same kinds of parts in bulk....as I stated earlier than their competition. Which may also be relevant, the only challenge you actually made concerning that hdmi cable you cannot just get the materials needed from just anyplace and build you cannot usually produce them the same way another manufacturer might.

A lot of manufacturers guard their manufacturing processes very stringently because if it means a saving in cost and higher profit they don't want the competition to know exactly how they do it and lose their rank in the market just because anybody can do it the same way. It goes a lot into the difference in buying power too one company may order larger lots of materials for later assembly than another and it is usually the company with the larger market share more money to buy and more uses for the materials that gets the better deal. Monster is not in general as widely known as a company such as Magnavox which Phillips is a part of.

If I were naive as is at the top of your list of reasons, I would be saying "it's crap" too I at least gave it some thought.
 
Ttownbeast said:
You can continue being childish calling me naive or show me evidence of this "business model" you are going on about.
Click to expand...

Uh ? You need proof ? Again, 90$ HDMI cable :

http://www.hd.ca/monster/127658.php

This is Monster's specialty. You can try to mumbo jumbo specs all you want, Monster doesn't give a damn. They will sell you the same Philips surge protector rebranded with some painted plastic for 5x the price.

Your long post shows you either have never heard of Monster or you really believe "that you get what you pay for" when it comes to their products. In both cases, you need to read up on what that company does because you're sorely misinformed.

But please, do keep trying to justify Monster's products.
 
steve2112 said:
Here are a couple of tests on Monster HDMI cables vs generics. Not scientific, I know but interesting. Popular Mechanics.
Click to expand...
Why even do a test? Bits are bits. No cable is going to magically make them better.

steve2112 said:
Here's a fun test done where audiophiles couldn't tell the difference in a stereo setup using high-end monster cables and one using coat hangers as speaker wire.
Click to expand...
I definitely believe that. The only thing that matters with speaker cable is how low gauge the cable is to how long it needs to be. I'm using dirt cheap lamp cord (from Lowes) and I guarantee you wouldn't notice.

Oh and as far as the bickering goes, I hate to say it but I agree with KnightWRX. Monster is well known for overcharging for their products and using marketing mumbo jumbo to make consumers think their products are worth it.
 
QuarterSwede said:
He doesn't need to show you anything. Even Sony doesn't sell their cables that high.
Click to expand...

I was simply trying to explain to him the reasoning behind cost that's all--bigger company better buying power makes it easier to get larger lots and maintain a decent profit of course Sony won't they want to remain competitive right? They can afford to buy larger lots and resell them individually for a lower price than a smaller company too. Monster is a name but not an established one and not the biggest player in the market for electronics.

I can guarantee you there are private retailers too not affiliated with any sort of chains or have any buying power at all to order lots which will probably charge 10 to 20 percent more than that to sell them out of a storefront making less profit, because they don't deal in the kinds of volume which keeps the prices down.
 
Ttownbeast said:
Sorry DM, you're right.
Click to expand...

I've got a serious buzz going right now, so maybe that's the reason for my attitude. I dunno. I understand the debate as to whether Monster hardware is worth it - you pay a crazy premium for it, and my instinct is to proclaim that it's a rip-off. I also understand those that say you should tear the equipment open and ensure that it's a ripoff before simply assuming as much.

But to start slinging names (and I know that wasn't you, Ttown) over it? About a week ago I spent close to $600 on a purse for my wife. If you're scoring at home folks, that's roughly $575 more than any sane person should pay for a ***** purse - at least IMO. It doesn't make any logical sense, but I did it anyway, because I love my wife and she's capable of making me do dumb, completely stupid s***.

Anyway, if someone wants to spend $90 on an HDMI cable - whatever. I might think them an idiot, but I'm pretty sure they'll be able to say the same thing about me in some other regard.

It's all just money. And with that, I'm gonna go hug my wife.
 
QuarterSwede said:
Why even do a test? Bits are bits. No cable is going to magically make them better.


I definitely believe that. The only thing that matters with speaker cable is how low gauge the cable is to how long it needs to be. I'm using dirt cheap lamp cord (from Lowes) and I guarantee you wouldn't notice.
Click to expand...

They probably tested to shut up people who insist expensive HDMI cables are better than cheap ones. Never mind the fact they are digital and either work or don't work.
 
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