HDMI Cables: Any difference between the cheap vs the expensive cables?

[HeatM1ser2k4]

For years I was always told that there is no real difference between cheapr or expensive HDMI cables. Since then, HDMI 2.0+ have been introduced. Is it still true that the cheap cables are as good as the expensive cables?

Also, is the difference between an HDMI 1.4 cable and and HDMI 2.0+ cable noticeable?

 

[trents]

It used to not make any difference but with higher resolution monitors now it does. It probably depends on what resolution your monitor is capable of. What is the make and model of your display? I'm no AV expert so I hope others chime in.

 

[Evilsizer]

shouldnt matter but i could be wrong, no AV expert here. do you notice a difference in cheap vs costly Cat5e? HDMI is nothing more then a AV Ethernet cable, all the video and audio is digital. i have bought cheap HDMI cables from fry's like a 6 pack for 14.99 never noticed vs the $40 cable my parents got talked into a back in the day when it first came out. i would assume it would be the same case now, only time is maybe how long the run is but even then they should be using thicker wire for that since resistance over distance effects the signal. just my 2 cents.

 

[trents]

Evilsizer, I hear you but not sure that analogy applies in this case:

"Category 1-certified cables, which have been tested at 74.25 MHz (which would include resolutions such as 720p60 and 1080i60), and Category 2-certified cables, which have been tested at 340 MHz (which would include resolutions such as 1080p60 and 4K30).[6](§4.2.6)[63][72] Category 1 HDMI cables are marketed as "Standard" and Category 2 HDMI cables as "High Speed". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI

 

[Evilsizer]

right but im getting at if its rated at Cat5E regardless of price it still functions the same speed. just as if the cable is labeled as HDMI 2.0 cheap or expensive, it meets the 2.0 spec, nothing has changed. just because its cost more does not equal higher quality or better vs a cheaper one. they charge more for the slight more plastic used on the outter jacket then increase the price for a perceived quality. good example is head phones, remember the big deal that got made about the weight being added to beats headphones to make them seem quality. just remember wiki can be edited and changed by just about anyone. about the only i feel like i can use it for is checking out car specs/engine model codes on cars.

*edit*
that part of the wiki doesnt look right, cant have it two different ways. there is no way to have 2.0 cat 1 and 2.0 cat 2 doing two different things or ratings. that looks more like the difference of 1.0 vs 1.1 vs 1.1a ect different specs. maybe early on 1.0 might have had two different cat's but i never paid that much attention. its kind of like the snake oil some audio companies try to sell you on justifying the cost of their speaker cables. I dont care if the cables have been cryo treated in the tears from diablo him self, the audio still sounds the same to me.

 

[trents]

I agree with that, Evil. It's not how much you pay for it that counts but the standard. I'm just assuming the cables that meet the higher standards will also be more expensive than ones that don't.

HeatM1ser2k4, I would ask this question on some forum dedicated to AV stuff.

 

[Alaric]

It's not how much you pay for it that counts but the standard.

Chinese quality control and ethics are the standards I worry about. I've seen a few cheap HDMI cables go bad. No idea how that happens, but I'd suspect ultra thin wires and cold solder joints since that's all the cable is-wire and some solder joints with plastic around it. A friend of mine with a recent Ryzen build reinstalled his graphics drivers this week-3 times-because he thought that was causing his screen to black multiple times while gaming. The video would just drop out and come back a few seconds later. He finally swapped out the HDMI cable and no more problems.

I dont care if the cables have been cryo treated in the tears from diablo him self, the audio still sounds the same to me

The better the gear the cables are attached to the more relevant they can be, but there are diminishing returns. But if you have a pair of Radialstrahler mbl 101 X-treme loudspeakers being fed by a couple of 572 lb. Goldmund TELOS 5500 NEXTGEN amplifiers, a few grand ($10k) for some tasty Nordost cabling is almost an irrelevant cost, and probably does provide a discernible difference in a dedicated listening room. Better? Now you're back in to the subjective. Different than, say some nice Kimber cables? Absolutely. So it wouldn't surprise me if there were some difference in picture quality on some displays, with some sources, with certain cables, for some people who live for that sort of detail.

* A pair of those monoblock amps will set you back a cool half million. The speaker system is a relative bargain at $73.06 a pound. For 3600 lbs. of loudspeakers. If you don't want to go slumming with your Goldmund amps pick up a pair of Living Voice Vox Olympian bespoke speakers for a tick over $1 million a pair. It's all relative. I know people who think my speaker cables are too much.

 

[stompah]

Chinese quality control and ethics are the standards I worry about. I've seen a few cheap HDMI cables go bad. No idea how that happens, but I'd suspect ultra thin wires and cold solder joints since that's all the cable is-wire and some solder joints with plastic around it. A friend of mine with a recent Ryzen build reinstalled his graphics drivers this week-3 times-because he thought that was causing his screen to black multiple times while gaming. The video would just drop out and come back a few seconds later. He finally swapped out the HDMI cable and no more problems.

This. My quality belief theory is $1.99 gets you junk, $50+ is over priced but that spot in the middle will suit you fine.

 

[mackerel]

I recently ran into this problem. I got an OLED 4k TV. Found a random HDMI cable, plugged it into a 2070, and I had a weekend of G-sync compatible glory.

Later on I connected up my PS4 (1080p only) and also tried my PS2 with HDMI adapter, although that didn't work. Didn't think more of it. Later again I went back to my 2070 PC, and had all sorts of display problems, eventually losing signal altogether. Tried different ports on the TV. Tried my 1070 system also, same problem. Why was it working before, but not now? PS4 was still working fine.

Turned out, I had swapped cables while I was plugging in the other devices. Of the 3 HDMI cables I had on hand, only one of them would work at 4k. It was never a problem before because I didn't have a 4k display. The other cables are still fine at 1080p.

Since the above happened, I bought two different certified cables from Amazon, but I haven't tried them yet. They were the cheapest ones I could find. Thought it a good idea to have some more on hand regardless.

 

[EarthDog]

https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/are-expensive-hdmi-cables-worth-buying/


https://www.google.com/search?q=Sho...rome..69i57.5392j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[trents]

Good read in that first link, ED.

I can tell you that in my experience that HDMI hardware in general is more fragile than DVI, both the cables and the ports. I've run into issues with laptops when doing frequent video presentations for groups that the HDMI ports give out with use, kind of like USB does. DVI is much sturdier and I think it's because the plugs are secured to the ports with screws. And the cables themselves seem to develop issues from flexing over time like what Alaric described with the solder joints. Having said that, I find that Amazon basics offer reasonably good quality HDMI cables at reasonable prices.

 

[freakdiablo]

This. My quality belief theory is $1.99 gets you junk, $50+ is over priced but that spot in the middle will suit you fine.

To piggyback off this, I agree but find you can be closer to the $1.99 mark than the $50 mark. I've beaten the crap out of $6-7 6' cables and $9 10' cables that have been fine.

I also second trents - AmazonBasics cables seem to have hit the sweet spot. Have a small 10" monitor with only mini HDMI in that I use for field work, and have a 6' AmazonBasics HDMI > miniHDMI cable that's been through a good six months of abuse (plugging/unplugging, weaved around a roadside cabinet, bunched up in a checked airline bag, etc.) and still been fine. Monoprice cables are also respectable, but I haven't really put one through its paces - typical set-and-forget cases.

 

[Alaric]

I use KabelDirekt for cables from Amazon for all but important audio cables and have been very pleased with the build quality and performance. Not the high end on pricing (not the cheapest, either) but they're built like tanks.


edit: I've had this one for a while and it works great o a 20 foot DVI run with seriously low powered cards. LOL
https://www.amazon.com/KabelDirekt-...ding/dp/B00GZQWISA?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1