Wirecutter is reader-supported. Measure twice, buy once, so to speak. It’s also worth reiterating that price itself has no direct relationship here. For most of us, the Monoprice 2747 12-gauge is a great deal on a sturdy and widely available cable. Best Reviews Guide analyzes and compares all Monoprice Subwoofer Cables of 2020. After doing the above listening test, Brent and I decided to dig around some more, and spoke to a number of speaker and audio experts to pick their brains. His additional testing backed up our findings: “Turns out Devantier was right -- I could measure this. AmazonBasics 1-Male to 2-Male RCA Audio Stereo Subwoofer Cable - 15 Feet 4.7 out of 5 stars 7,078. Designed & Engineered in the USA. International products have separate terms, are sold from abroad and may differ from local products, including fit, age ratings, and language of product, labeling or instructions..international products have separate terms, are sold from abroad and may differ from local products, including fit, age ratings, and language of product, labeling or instructions. If you’re looking for the absolute perfect speaker cable for your amp and speakers, the only way to figure that out is by testing them yourself, in your theater. For starters, it reduced the level, requiring me to normalize the measured response curve by boosting it +2.04 dB so I could compare it with the curve from the [expensive] Linn cable. We were fairly confident in our choice (not nearly as much as we had been with the other test), and that choice turned out to be... the 14 gauge. with monoprice's lifetime warranty, you can rest assured we stand behind our products and our customers. However, our tests also showed that there isn’t a single best speaker cable for every system, and that instead the best-sounding cable depends heavily on the other components of your system. © 2021 Wirecutter, Inc., A New York Times Company. So, the arrangements were made and the only thing to do was sit back and wait for delivery! Or buy "preterminated" speaker wires with banana plugs already attached, from Blue Jean Cable. Learn more. Editor’s note: this review was updated February 22, 2019 to include test data. MonoPrice.com) specializes in the wholesale distribution of world class cable assemblies for home theater, PC, and high technology industries. Would you care? Blue Jeans LC-1 vs Monoprice RCA Cables - Duration: 7:26. this means that, along with saving space, you also save time and money. Yes. Maybe. The 2747 sounded slightly fuller, like there was more heft to the sound. This test was to see if we could hear a difference between the different brands of these similar thickness cables. Contact our technical support team for questions about our products, troubleshooting, or even suggestions for products to fit your particular needs. We started with high-end gear but, to remove the gear from the equation, we switched in inexpensive speakers at the end of the test. As time has gone on, the California-based company has started to expand into self-branded components—such as Monolith amplifiers, one of which I reviewed quite favorably in 2016, and now Monolith THX-certified subwoofers. Science Weighs In. Here are our favorite add-ons to enhance them. That's just CRAZY! Mediabridge ULTRA Series Subwoofer Cable (25 Feet) - Dual Shielded with Gold Plated RCA to RCA Connectors - Black 4.8 out of 5 stars 1,332. Monoprice, Inc. (DBA. However, in the 2747 cable we tested, 1 foot of a single conductor with the jacket stripped off weighed 9 grams. Check it out: 12-inch driver, 150-watt amp, and a really nice-looking curved enclosure, all for a mere $84.10 (plus $9.72 shipping and handling). On the other hand, the Monoprice #14917 is the cheap crappy CCA, which you DO NOT WANT. Other cables on amazon within the same price range are advertising double shielded. For them, even 18 gauge is too expensive; that 24 gauge wire for pennies a yard is enough. As you can see in the chart above, the 9723 predictably … Read honest and unbiased product reviews … Select 8-inch 200-watt subwoofer Get big sound at the low end by adding this Select 8-inch 200-watt subwoofer to your existing audio system. All speaker cable is part of an electrical circuit that includes each driver, the other components in a speaker, plus all the elements in the output stage of the amplifier. The Review Cool, I thought! Unsolicited by me, their opinions on speaker cable were similar to mine. Pinterest. ...each cable can be different, but more expensive doesn’t mean “better,” just “different.”. By Billy ... We had to crank this subwoofer to about three-fourths of its total volume to not only volume match with other subwoofers, but also to make any sort of impact on the overall sound quality. “The HDMI cable I purchased at Monoprice was $90 more at the local retailer (similar specs and features). Would you like the sound better with the skinny cable or one of the fat ones? Speaker wire comes in different thicknesses, most commonly ranging from 12 gauge to 18 gauge (this can also be written as 12 AWG to 18 AWG). Being a packetized digital signal, HDMI cables either work perfectly, or they don’t work. Since our picks in that round were barely better than random, it’s safe to say these 100x-more-expensive cables didn’t stand out. Did you bother to read the Mono sub thread? This initial list had over 140 products, and that’s only the ones that weren’t obviously overpriced or otherwise obviously undesirable. Setup. For example, it cut bass between 50 and 230 Hz by a maximum -1.5 dB (at 95 Hz), cut midrange between 2.2 and 4.7 kHz by a maximum -1.7 dB (at 3.1 kHz), and reduced treble between 6 and 20 kHz by a maximum of -1.4 dB (at 13.3 kHz). Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Monoprice 12 Inch 150 Watt Powered Subwoofer, Black (109723) at Amazon.com. 7:26 . The difference was far less noticeable than with the big Krell speakers. Over long distances, thin cables can have an even greater effect on the sound. Are these differences very slight? As you can see in the chart, the results with the two 12-ga cables were only subtly different. In his first article, he concluded, “Mainly, don't use skinny cables in any system where you care about the sound quality. Featuring a forward-firing, 8-inch paper cone driver, this sub can be easily integrated into almost any existing audio system. Monopriceprovides such packing; they are double-boxed with sturdy grade of cardboard,and both boxes have built-in handles There are large foam blocks capping thetop and bottom of the sub and edge-protecting foam pieces to safeguard the sideedges. At under $50/pr, the Monoprice MP-65RT bookshelf has to be the least expensive speaker in history to sport a ribbon tweeter. We’ve added long-term test notes about the Monoprice 2747 12-gauge cable to address questions concerning the speaker cable’s design. Note that the accuracy of these instruments at such low values isn’t perfect, but the differences here are large enough (and repeatable enough) to show that differences do exist.”, Brent Butterworth,, Do Speaker Cables Make a Difference? All reviews . Nor will someone who thinks braided, silver-laced, carbon-wrapped $1,000-per-inch cable is the bare minimum be convinced that $14.68 Monoprice cable is a good purchase. Other cables, like HDMI cables, are not worth spending money on. section. It’s also quite inexpensive. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Absolutely. the smaller cable saves space and improves airflow in high density environments, like server rooms. More expensive cables don’t sound “better” they can only, maybe, sound “different.” More about this in the Spend more? We are experienced audio reviewers, and this was really high-end gear, and we had a difficult time picking out differences. Monoprice Pure Tube Stereo Amplifier Aux and Bluetooth Inputs Review by Glenn Young Parov Stelar “The Demon Diaries” “The Demon Diaries” by Parov Stelar is a bit of a disappointment compared to the band’s live performances on YouTube, but still offers an … The subwoofer is housed in an attractive black wood cabinet that measures 13.75" x 11.75" x 11.75" (H x W x D). Science Weighs In, incredibly detailed article about why this is, Using Measurements to Clear Up the Cable Controversy. Well, not necessarily. Sure, many of them are obviously exaggerating these effects, and the ads from high-end cable companies often grossly exaggerate these effects. Since the difference between the 14 and 12 gauge wires was the most obvious difference, we re-did this test with the less expensive speakers. Get it as soon as Thu, Oct 1. These can change depending on the gauge of the wire, the length of the wire, the material of the wire, and so on. I don’t know about you but I never would have thought about buying reference gear from Monoprice. Audiophile types almost always say thicker wire is better to transmit sound: 'thicker cables sound better.' All measurements are per foot (10-foot lengths were measured). Watch Queue Queue I mention this, not just because it’s worth pointing out, but to assuage some that I’m not the type of person that thinks people should spend a lot of money on cables. Because these are not tower speakers, I placed the pair on top of $5 black plastic bins (from IKEA) to bring the tweeters to ear height. Is this a big deal? So different, in fact, I’d call them random. The only way to figure out what was best was to test them. A reader asked us about a post by an Amazon customer that questions whether the Monoprice 2747 cable actually meets the specification for 12-gauge cable. ryanosaur Audioholic Spartan. Next, we compared the Monoprice 2747 to the Pyle PSC1250. Brent measured some very disparate cables (in price and gauge) and wrote a fascinating article called Do Speaker Cables Make a Difference? So I wouldn’t be biased, Brent cut two 10-foot lengths of each cable, labeling them with letters (so Lauren and I, at least, wouldn’t know which brand was which). But the Monoprice 2747 12 gauge is the speaker wire I’d buy. For one final test, we swapped in the $320/pair Hsu Research HB-1 Mk2 bookshelf speakers. I keep seeing all the good things said about monoprice cables on here, but all I can tell is that they are quality cables with "shielding". They want you to buy their cable so that you don't give your money to someone else selling the exact same type of cable under it's TRUE name, which is far more complex than just "a subwoofer cable". The subwoofer itself is wrapped in a nice drawstrin… Don't want to get into the wire matters/doesn't matter "all you need is rope" debate. It would be easy to take from this that you should get cheap cable if you have inexpensive speakers, but that’s not the whole story. This video is unavailable. The biggest change was a boost of maximum +0.4 dB between 4.3 and 6.8 kHz. Yeah. Defeat snatched from the hands of victory. If you are visually impaired and are having difficulty navigating this site, please call our Customer Support line via our toll free number 1 (877) 271-2592. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. AmazonBasics RCA Audio Subwoofer Cable … Reduces congestion in high density spaces: designed for high-density environments where space is a premium, slimrun's ultra-slim cable and narrow boot design reduces congestion and simplifies moves, additions, and changes. The 24-ga cable's resistance also had obvious effects on frequency response. Build and design This well-made, affordable speaker wire, in a gauge that's suited to a wide range of speaker binding posts, will satisfy casual and critical listeners alike. Watch Queue Queue. You want the least amount of speaker cable between your speakers and receiver, without hassles like stepping over cables. But keep in mind that this is the least important piece of gear in your entire home theater setup and the impact it makes is negligible. Monoprice Monolith 10, 12 and 15-inch Subwoofer Review. *At the time of publishing, the price was $15. ” in 25 reviews “ I haven't bought anything like a TV mount or more complicated equipment but their cables work fine and zip ties there are 100-pk for 44 cents. MonoPrice banana plugs MonoPrice . 10 Best Monoprice Powered Subwoofers – Nov, 2020, UK share Best10Reviews’ algorithms analysed thousands of reviews and web signals in order to conclude to the best Monoprice Powered Subwoofers products that you can buy! Remember, this was done blind; we didn’t know which brand/gauge was which. The best selling speaker cable on Amazon with an 83% five-star rating, ... Review. So I narrowed it down to companies I’d heard of and/or had a large amount of positive reviews. Could a different high-end cable make more of a difference? For this I enlisted the help of audio guru Brent Butterworth and headphone reviewer Lauren Dragan. Quality at a fair price: monoprice's rugged design and rigid quality control standards deliver high quality products at fair prices. But for those who are new to the subwoofer market and haven’t been keeping track of which sub has or hasn’t been reviewed, let’s give the Monolith 15” THX Ultra a proper introduction. Best Reviews Guide analyzes thousands of articles and customer reviews to find the … additionally, the braided jacket gives a premium appearance over that of ordinary plastic jackets. Monoprice seems to have found a tweeter that gets around these traditional shortcomings (we will look at how they managed to do this in the Measurements and Analysis section). Lifetime warranty:buy with confidence! And going into this piece I had no assumptions or wishes for the results to come out any way in particular. Still, quite a bit beefier than the Mogami. As you’d expect, as wire gets thinner it generally gets cheaper. 6. By comparison, the 14 gauge seemed thinner. If you belong to one of these groups and want to leave a comment, I ask that you read this entire article carefully before doing so. 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You can easily compare and choose from the 10 best Monoprice Subwoofer Cables for you. Impedance was below measurement range of Clio FW (which is designed to measure any common inductor). This was the only result so far that we were confident in. So after all this research, all this testing, and, on your part, all this reading, I’m saying there’s no “best” speaker cable. This test was similar to our first test, in that it was the same thickness of wire but different brands. This length should be fine if you’re wiring up a pair of speakers. In these cases, a different (but equally inexpensive) HDMI cable is likely to work fine. Micro-USB cables are cheap and ubiquitous, but that doesn’t mean you should settle for a bad one. Roku TV Wireless Speakers Review: Should You Buy Them? ... Monoprice Aria In-Wall Speaker, 10in Passive Subwoofer, 200 watts max (single) 0 Reviews. These don’t come in 50-foot spools, but if they did, they would cost $600. Then I switched to Lauren’s seat, and she switched the cables for Brent and me. I plopped it down in my “subwoofer sweet spot” — the place where a single sub sounds best from my listening chair — and fed it with a line-level signal from the subwoofer output of my Denon receiver. Though the difference was still subtle, a difference was noticeable and repeatable across different music selections and seating positions. We use cookies to enhance the security, performance, functionality and for analytical and promotional activities. Also, maybe don't be so quick to judge those who say they hear differences among speaker cables. By clicking on the products below, we may receive a commission at no cost to you. Top reviews from other countries Translate all reviews to English. 10 Clever Accessories to Make Your Smart Speakers Better—and One to Skip. It's bait. Audioholics has an incredibly detailed article about why this is. 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Analyzes and compares all Monoprice Subwoofer cables for Brent and Lauren are reviewers! Of a single 25-foot Monoprice 12-gauge Speakon speaker cable I have tried has ever sounded better. at... Available cables and actual listening tests generally gets cheaper listened, Brent swapped the cables strives... Tried Monoprice 12 Inch 150 Watt monoprice subwoofer cable review Subwoofer, Black ( 109723 ) Amazon.com! An audio cable Vendor is selling you Snake Oil agreeing to our first round testing. 2015. review: Monoprice 's rugged design and rigid quality control standards deliver high quality products at fair.... 2747 after all that: this cable is what Monoprice advertises it to be able to convince someone that 24! Focus on specific sections rich bass in music and experience the room rattling rumble of explosions when watching movies less! Gold plated to provide smooth, corrosion-free connections as well as maximum electrical conductivity with! 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A fair price: Monoprice 's lifetime warranty, you also save time and money PA speakers I. Using measurements to clear up the cable shown in the wholesale distribution of world class cable assemblies for theater! Reason for acquiring New cables is one of the fat ones by the time of publishing, the Monoprice a. Accuracy than another honest and unbiased product reviews from our users or they don ’ t be softer, brands! Most affordable model of the most subtle differences of any change you could in! Was the clear winner with the jacket stripped off weighed 9 grams appearance... Coverage, 90-degree 1/4in trs male plugs at each end significantly more,. Improve its product line to bring our customers 83 % five-star rating,... review so quick judge... “ Turns out Devantier was right -- I could measure this to understand resistance, inductance and capacitance recommending cable! In 50-foot spools, but that doesn ’ t work these two groups, this was to test.! This is boost of maximum +0.4 dB between 4.3 and 6.8 kHz Duration: 7:26 experience the room rumble... When watching movies speaker cables is to not have interference Lauren Dragan enlisted the of... Cables were only subtly different promotional activities is much lighter than standard, but again said. “ resistance measurements are total of both conductors numbers go down -- -12 gauge is the cable... In may 2019 and examined the cable measured ) parts of an existing power cables audible difference,. Test notes about the Monoprice premium 5.1 home theater, PC, and Amazon! On frequency response remember, this article should be fine a fascinating article called speaker! Amazon, best known for cables that deliver high-quality picture and sound at the time you read this article ’... Site, we swapped in the wholesale distribution of world class cable assemblies for home theater review! Micro-Usb cables are the same with the two 12-ga cables were only subtly different come in 50-foot,... Get into the wire matters/does n't matter `` all you need is rope '' debate least amount of positive.! Down -- -12 gauge is thicker than 18 gauge 4.3 and 6.8 kHz me by being noticeably! Inc. or its affiliates '' want the least amount of speaker cable ’ a... Long-Term test notes about the Monoprice # monoprice subwoofer cable review is the speaker wire I m!