Don Lindich’s Sound Advice Blog

 Published November 23, 2002

Q:  I was recently told (salesman) that this new $50 high definition specialty brand cable with green, red and blue prongs will improve the picture even more if used for the DVD to television connection. Do you think this is true?
-Ray in Pittsburgh

A:  Part of what he said is true, part of it untrue.

A video cable with red, green, and blue connectors is called a component cable. This is the best possible connection available for your DVD player. Slightly below the component connection in image quality is S-Video. This is a single plug with four prongs and a plastic guide pin. A significant step below S-Video is the composite connection. This is a yellow RCA-type plug. So, when he said that using the component cable would give you a better picture, that was a true statement, as long as you are not using your DVD’s component connection already.

When he said using a $50 cable would improve your picture, that is not true. Specialty audio and video cables are the source of much controversy in the consumer electronics hobby. There are two camps: believers and skeptics. Skeptics content that any competently manufactured interconnect or wire will not have sonic or image properties at all, so it does not matter whether you use an expensive set or a utilitarian set. Believers claim that clear differences exist, and some well-heel enthusiasts are willing to spend thousands of dollars on speaker wire and interconnects, believing it makes a clear difference in the sound or picture of their system.

Due to the controversy, third parties have conducted scientifically controlled tests to determine if listeners can distinguish between expensive and ordinary wires and interconnects. Both skeptics and believers were invited to take part in the tests. In every single test conducted, listeners were unable to distinguish between different brands of expensive cables, or between inexpensive and expensive cables. In short, it did not matter what was used. No one could tell the difference. Video cables are manufactured to even more specific standards than audio cables. Similar tests for video have yielded the same results: people can’t tell the difference.

Some people, particularly manufacturers, salespeople, retailers, and dedicated enthusiasts, still say these products improve your system. “I could hear and see a difference,” or ” “Everyone knows you need great cables” are common themes you are likely to hear. The salesperson may be well-meaning, and possibly believes he or she noticed a difference in their system. Unfortunately, without scientific controls, such statements have no weight. Unless you compare the sound or image from different wires at the exact same volume level or video picture adjustments, in real time without knowing which wire is which, you can’t have a meaningful comparison. If you expect to hear or see a difference, you probably will. It’s a psychological thing. My upcoming multimediaanswers.com website will discuss this subject in more detail and provide a bibliography of these scientifically conducted tests.

Don’t fall for this scam. There’s no need to buy over-hyped, expensive interconnect cables and speaker wire. These are huge profit builders, so you are likely to get a very strong sales pitch from retailers you visit. It’s the audio-video world’s equivalent of expensive, ineffective snake oil. The cheaper examples of these products do have some merit, though. A well-made set of interconnects will last longer and may be worth a small investment for that reason. Though there is no difference in sound or video quality, they hold up better than the ones that come with your components. Spend $12 or $15 per set and you will be fine.