Are Gold Plated HDMI cables worth it? - Page 3

Another thing about gold plated HDMI cables as well as all of the super high end cables is that for MOST people they are a waste. The reason is that most people are simply not using equipment that is high end enough so that cabling on that level is necessary, nor would it make any kind of a discernible difference. The main advantage to those cables that cost several hundreds of dollars, when you completely rewire an entertainment system from top to bottom, is that they will begin to show slight differences in that you will have less of a signal loss throughout your system and components. The point is that if you are an audiophile and videophile (lol not a word I know) and have spent 50 to 100 thousand dollars on a home entertainment system, and you have purchased the best of the best in speakers, amps, television, HD players, game systems, and other top of the line components, then, yes, spend a thousand dollars to cable your system. You will have high end enough gear that you will probably discern a difference in both audio and video signal loss. When you have spend 10-20 grand on speakers alone, for example, and everything else is just as top notch, then you would NOT want the weak link in your system to be your cables.

But for the average or even most of the well above average setups, I think you are pouring your money down the drain by spending hundreds of dollars in cables. Keep in mind, though, that some experts would disagree with me and they would say to buy the high end cables if you can no matter what.

quote Koloth

No it's not the same yugi. Gold plated cables conduct electricity better. In fact a great deal of the components inside a PC use gold plating. Also gold plating provides very little actual gold to the product that the cost is minimal. If you removed all the gold from a 6 foot gold plated cable you would probably end up with less than 50 cents worth of actual gold.

The only gold really needed would be the plating for the connectors, so you are essentially correct.

quote Koloth

Actually for future proofing it does matter a little bit. When we get to QuadHD and higher the more expensive cables do perform better. But at 1080p the difference is negligable. And of course if you have the money to get quadHD when it comes out replacing a cable won't add much.

Again, in a super high end system, you would see a slight degradation of signal with the lower end cables. Keep in mind also that the really good cables are NOT just gold tipped. They are better insulated, better constructed, last longer, have slightly more refined metals used in the wiring, and that sort of thing.

You all seem to be getting Analogue and Digital signals confused... Signal loss makes NO difference on a Digital cable, there is 1's and 0's being sent down the cable, any other signal is filtered and ignored. High end equipment still sends the same strength signal using the same protocols and the same voltages down the cables. Some of you are saying that the difference is negligible, that is wrong too. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. NONE. Some of you are saying that the better cable stand up to corrosion...?!? Unless you are using the set up on the deck of your yacht there is also no difference, if the terminals corroded on your HDMI cable then I'd be more worried about the equipment at the end !

If the signal being sent was analogue, then shielding / resistance and signal loss would make a difference.

quote Stefan

quote Torres_9

quote Koloth

quote Bergin

QuadHD? You've got to be joking. What's that? How much better is it and when will it be available, and what will it be compatible with?

It is a resolution 4 times higher than 1080p. It has 2160 vertical lines meaning it displays 4 times as many pixels as 1080p. It should be out around 2015. Blu-ray drives at the time should be compatible but not much else. Cable and Satalite systems would have to be drastically upgraded to support the necessary bandwidth.

There is also Ultra High Definition Television(UHDTV) which is 4320p. But that's at least a decade or more from reaching consumer level technology. And literally nothing available at the consumer level today will support it.

BULLSHIT!!!

he just bullshitted koloth.

I dont think he knows what he has done...

What is it with people have a bash at Koloth recently? First the Star Trek conversation and now this? And on both times he done nothing wrong??

Back on topic

I had to buy the offical Sony one on release day for my PS3 cost me a small fortune, but when I set my ex up with hers we just brought a cheap £3 one from Amazon. GOld plated ones are a waste of time to be honest.

Unless you had to pay out for it like me and several others in this thread I would pick up the cheapest 1 you could find.

quote miles williams

You all seem to be getting Analogue and Digital signals confused... Signal loss makes NO difference on a Digital cable, there is 1's and 0's being sent down the cable, any other signal is filtered and ignored. High end equipment still sends the same strength signal using the same protocols and the same voltages down the cables. Some of you are saying that the difference is negligible, that is wrong too. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. NONE. Some of you are saying that the better cable stand up to corrosion...?!? Unless you are using the set up on the deck of your yacht there is also no difference, if the terminals corroded on your HDMI cable then I'd be more worried about the equipment at the end !

If the signal being sent was analogue, then shielding / resistance and signal loss would make a difference.

Wow, this is at the very least very thought provoking, and at most, you may have debunked all of our arguments in this thread. From an intuitive standpoint, this makes a ton of sense, and makes me wonder how I ever even thought the things I posted above. I am going to research this a little, because your reasoning sounds perfectly sound to me.

Thanks for the correction!

So because I didn't say a digital signal is nothing but 1s and 0s, his post was so much drastically different than mine? What did Smoke N a Pancake and I say that was so much different than him. We both said that the signal either gets there or it doesn't.

I guess I will start getting more technical when people have questions regarding cables, televisions, and signals. I just figured saying "It either works or it doesn't" said the same thing as it is only 1s and 0s and it can't be anything else, because, ya know, if it was anything else, it wouldn't work. Never mind me saying that you can't have a stronger digital signal...

quote Jeterocks

quote Smoke N a Pancake

His likely has better insulating and the like so his signal strength is a bit stronger. Not that it really matters, because with digital signals all that matters is that it gets there in the first place.

Exactly, you can't have a STRONGER digital signal. It is a common misconception. Digital signals either work or don't. You either get picture...or black screen.

Insulating does nothing when it comes to signal strength.

A $2 HDMI cable will do the same as a $50 HDMI cable. It is fact.

^^From the first page, and roughly 3 months before this wonderful new guy decided to shed his insight on the matter.

*nods*

quote Koloth

Actually for future proofing it does matter a little bit. When we get to QuadHD and higher the more expensive cables do perform better. But at 1080p the difference is negligable. And of course if you have the money to get quadHD when it comes out replacing a cable won't add much.

Wow. You posted that in 09. It's 2012 and I still don't see QuadHD coming out any time soon.