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Rating: 
Summary: Smoke and Mirrors
Review: I've had a few days of listening time with this "great" new speaker wire installed and I must say I am thoroughly disappointed. Between my wife and I playing several different DVD's and CD's we have not been able to hear any differences. This is in comparison to the 16 gauge bulk cable I've had installed for the year I have had my surround sound system...
Rating:
Summary: No Way !
Review: If you know the real deal like: Kimber Kable, MIT, Audioquest, ... you wouldn't say Monster Cable "Awesome"! Monster Cables is OK but wayyyyyyyyyy over priced (probably to pay for their mass marketing, not the technology).I currently own a pair of Monster speaker cables and they are NOT worth the money I paid.
Rating:
Summary: No Way !
Review: If you know the real deal like: Kimber Kable, MIT, Audioquest, ... you wouldn't say Monster Cable "Awesome"! Monster Cables is OK but wayyyyyyyyyy over priced (probably to pay for their mass marketing, not the technology). I currently own a pair of Monster speaker cables and they are NOT worth the money I paid.
Rating: 
Summary: Navajo speaker wire rules
Review: this wire is cheaper on amazon then i've ever seen even at best buy. the wire is nearly invisible and a offers great sound at a great price.. BUY IT ITS AWESOME WIRE
Rating: 
Summary: Monster gets a bad rap sometimes
Review: Yes, it's way too expensive. This variation is in MC's 'budget' level, and it's still $.65/ft! That's outrageous, compared to what you can get by going to a wire & cable wholesaler and buying a couple of hundred feet. Will you be able to tell the difference between this and any other cable? Chances are 'no'. Much more goes in to the quality of your sound system than cabling. Often (and rightfully so), cable is identified as a real 'weak link' in system performance. However, even excellent cable will not improve performance with otherwise second-rate components. Invest in high-quality cable interconnects between devices, good speakers and a good receiver before focusing on speaker cable. Is the price of Monster Cable worth the performance gain? Maybe. The real question is, is there actually a performance gain over other cable? In actual fact, Monster Cable provides sizeable endurance gains over other cable where performance is matched (usually these are just instrument readings anyway, whose tolerances are much tighter than the difference between a $200 amp and a $2000 amp, for instance). MC manufactures all its cable by individually jacketing all wire, then injecting inert gasses into the jackets to push (and ostensibly, keep) oxygen away from the copper. They do this to stem the tide of oxydation along the cable run, which can drastically decrease performance over thet course of several years. So with that in mind, you should ask yourself how many times (all other things being equal) in your lifetime you would like to replace your speaker cable. Multiply that times the cost of your preferred cable and then compare; MC is more likely to provide a cost benefit in these terms. That said, I would never spring for MC in a professional setting. With the cost of wiring a professional facility far outstripping a high-quality home theater (or the like) because of the number and variety of cable runs required, I'd always prefer the size, variety and cost of Belden or Mogami. Things change quickly in the pro setting, and installed cable runs may or may not be used for their intended purposes (or even their intended owners) years from now. Often it's cheaper to re-wire a facility than to repurpose existing cabling. With home theater, changes are typically far less destructive and facilities are likely to exist and be used for many years. Another thing I'd never do is spring for even more expensive (!) Monster Cable lines. At that level, you're paying much more money for instrument readings than what your ears think. Many of these products have very good instrument readings, and are engineered with meaningful, heartfelt considerations, and they still sound the same to the ears. Justify MC by saying "I don't want my cable to rust" instead of marketing-speak like "I can really hear the tight, deep bass!" Somebody at Best Buy will try to guilt-trip you into buying MC. This is understandable; MC is usually the only choice in top-quality cable at retailers, and the built-in outrageous price makes a good bottom-line crutch for Best Buy and Monster. Still, if BB is your only local option, you might as well invest in MC, since you won't be able to quickly replace something from a remote wholesaler. And if you already have Monster Cable installed, stick with it; you don't want your left front and right surround speakers going south three years before the rest of them, for example. All things considered, you should consider MC only if you want to build-in several more years of top-notch performance into your system before oxydation pulls it down, not if you're looking to improve performance in any way. Your money is best spent elsewhere first. Weigh factors like how long you'll keep the installation in place against the price benefits of cheaper, more professional cable like Belden. You should consider MC if you're not installing an entire system at once, since it will be easy to add a few runs of the same type and spec of MC with a trip to Best Buy. Just don't do it for "tight, deep bass"; you'll only be disappointed. Probably doesn't deserve four full stars, but this category's rating could use an improvement.
Rating:
Summary: Monster gets a bad rap sometimes
Review: Yes, it's way too expensive. This variation is in MC's 'budget' level, and it's still $.65/ft! That's outrageous, compared to what you can get by going to a wire & cable wholesaler and buying a couple of hundred feet. Will you be able to tell the difference between this and any other cable? Chances are 'no'. Much more goes in to the quality of your sound system than cabling. Often (and rightfully so), cable is identified as a real 'weak link' in system performance. However, even excellent cable will not improve performance with otherwise second-rate components. Invest in high-quality cable interconnects between devices, good speakers and a good receiver before focusing on speaker cable. Is the price of Monster Cable worth the performance gain? Maybe. The real question is, is there actually a performance gain over other cable? In actual fact, Monster Cable provides sizeable endurance gains over other cable where performance is matched (usually these are just instrument readings anyway, whose tolerances are much tighter than the difference between a $200 amp and a $2000 amp, for instance). MC manufactures all its cable by individually jacketing all wire, then injecting inert gasses into the jackets to push (and ostensibly, keep) oxygen away from the copper. They do this to stem the tide of oxydation along the cable run, which can drastically decrease performance over thet course of several years. So with that in mind, you should ask yourself how many times (all other things being equal) in your lifetime you would like to replace your speaker cable. Multiply that times the cost of your preferred cable and then compare; MC is more likely to provide a cost benefit in these terms. That said, I would never spring for MC in a professional setting. With the cost of wiring a professional facility far outstripping a high-quality home theater (or the like) because of the number and variety of cable runs required, I'd always prefer the size, variety and cost of Belden or Mogami. Things change quickly in the pro setting, and installed cable runs may or may not be used for their intended purposes (or even their intended owners) years from now. Often it's cheaper to re-wire a facility than to repurpose existing cabling. With home theater, changes are typically far less destructive and facilities are likely to exist and be used for many years. Another thing I'd never do is spring for even more expensive (!) Monster Cable lines. At that level, you're paying much more money for instrument readings than what your ears think. Many of these products have very good instrument readings, and are engineered with meaningful, heartfelt considerations, and they still sound the same to the ears. Justify MC by saying "I don't want my cable to rust" instead of marketing-speak like "I can really hear the tight, deep bass!" Somebody at Best Buy will try to guilt-trip you into buying MC. This is understandable; MC is usually the only choice in top-quality cable at retailers, and the built-in outrageous price makes a good bottom-line crutch for Best Buy and Monster. Still, if BB is your only local option, you might as well invest in MC, since you won't be able to quickly replace something from a remote wholesaler. And if you already have Monster Cable installed, stick with it; you don't want your left front and right surround speakers going south three years before the rest of them, for example. All things considered, you should consider MC only if you want to build-in several more years of top-notch performance into your system before oxydation pulls it down, not if you're looking to improve performance in any way. Your money is best spent elsewhere first. Weigh factors like how long you'll keep the installation in place against the price benefits of cheaper, more professional cable like Belden. You should consider MC if you're not installing an entire system at once, since it will be easy to add a few runs of the same type and spec of MC with a trip to Best Buy. Just don't do it for "tight, deep bass"; you'll only be disappointed. Probably doesn't deserve four full stars, but this category's rating could use an improvement.
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