Is Monster Cable Lurking Around Your Speakers?

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Is Monster Cable Lurking Around Your Speakers?

Рет қаралды 2,238

Күн бұрын

We're talking about one of the most popular speaker cables of all time: specifically Monster Cable Speaker Cable. Most of us have owned or may still own some of it - perhaps in an active system.
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#monstercable #speakers #speakercable #audiophile #hifiaudio #hifi #homeaudio #hometheater #hifiaudio #hifirush #audioreview

Пікірлер: 31

@zizendorf 2 ай бұрын

Another goodie Lou! I am looking forward to the panic!

@mr.george7687 2 ай бұрын

I've been using Monster Cable for decades.Has not turned green, still shiney copper inside the jacket.

@audibleeleganceinc 2 ай бұрын

Great. But when it does, it's over. Alerting folks to be on the lookout for this and any clear jacketed cable including lamp chords and the like.

@dhala54 2 ай бұрын

That is my experience also.

@RogerBergqvist 2 ай бұрын

It´s a long walk to your store... I live in Sweden. But i´m sure it´s a great store.

@audibleeleganceinc 2 ай бұрын

Well, buy me the ticket and I'll come to you! Thank you for contributing to the channel regardless of your location. Feel free to add insights whenever you feel it helps others too!

@tonyjedioftheforest1364 2 ай бұрын

How about a close up? It’s impossible to see what you are talking about.

@watdanuqta-mf5ms 2 ай бұрын

It's green copper oxide. I don't think it's literally gooey. Lou did say that it would probably crumble.

@audibleeleganceinc 2 ай бұрын

Yes, you will get close-ups of it in the upcoming video about a very well known speaker company that used this cable for internal wiring. It's going to cause a panic.

@TriAmpHiFi 2 ай бұрын

. If that's all true then I believe that's why Polyethylene (PE) instead of Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cable jacket sheaths are preferred over that ancient one there. Acid Jazz, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊

@thomascollins7932 2 ай бұрын

Can you show a piece of non-oxidized cable too for comparison.

@audibleeleganceinc 2 ай бұрын

Tom, I don't have any of that new around here. That's why I put a penny on the video but it was not well shown. Tomorrow's recording will cause a panic as a major speaker manufacturer used this cable for internal wiring. Now, some folks have not had this problem and there are others who have. We will do more closeups tomorrow.

@gpower 2 ай бұрын

I used 12ga MC for a number of years. Up until I saw this very thing start to happen within the cable. I haven't used, or recommended that wire to friends since.

@audibleeleganceinc 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for confirming our experiences as well. Some folks have been lucky and it raises the question of quality control, then.

@trevorbartram5473 2 ай бұрын

I have two sets (bi-wire) 1986 vintage Superflex clear heavy gauge speaker cables. At some point I stopped bi-wiring, thoroughly cleaned one set of cables' stranded conductors in alcohol (95%) with a tootbrush, twisted then soldered the ends & removed soldering flux with alcohol. These cables are in use & have not turned green. The other unused untreated set were stored in the basement & have turned green (maybe humidity?). My assumption was the 'green' was mostly a surface effect & most of the copper was still OK, please advise?

@audibleeleganceinc 2 ай бұрын

The green is deterioration of the copper. The deterioration creates diodes and resistors. It will work, yes. Work at spec, no. I'd replace it with new. You raise a slightly interesting question about moisture as that might be a common thread although the last cable section I dissected the inside of the clear jacket was an oily type goo. That's not moisture.

@trevorbartram5473 2 ай бұрын

I've experienced that goo too. I assume humidity acts as a catalyst between copper & chlorine. Is there an online paper on the deterioration into diodes & reduction of copper cross section (resistance)?

@audibleeleganceinc 2 ай бұрын

@@trevorbartram5473 Not that I am aware of other than a fairly old article that I read years ago when this was first spotted. I don't have that paper any more.

@a.o.424 2 ай бұрын

Yes, I've had Monster Cable copper wire in the clear plastic jacket that tarnished after 15 years. I assumed it was oxygen getting inside the plastic over time. I haven't heard the chlorine theory before. I also have a 50 foot spool of RCA 14 AWG speaker cable, similar appearance to Monster Cable. It was cheap, purchased on clearance from Radio Shack 15 years ago. It has never been opened, still in the plastic shrink wrap, and still has a shiny copper color, no tarnish. So I'm not sure about the chlorine theory. Even if Monster Cable (or the cheaper generic lookalike from Home Depot) does wear out after 10 years, so what? Replacing it every 10 years, would take 200 years to equal the cost of certain boutique speaker cables.

@audibleeleganceinc 2 ай бұрын

I am glad that you have also reported this happening and that other pieces have not. A manufacturing consistency problem? In any event, I am not telling people what to buy but simply to replace it. If you want to buy OMC500 again, fine. Any cable that is deteriorating like this needs to be replaced. That includes lamp chords or anything similar.

@davidtraube7921 2 ай бұрын

I still have a couple MC interconnects, but they are in black jackets so I presume no reason to think they’d be suffering from that issue.

@audibleeleganceinc 2 ай бұрын

David, that is most likely correct. You can see the same effect on lamp chords and all sorts of power chords that used clear plastic over copper because it looked pretty. The other exception would be a litz wire construction where the individual strands are already coated in the manufacturing process before being put in such a jacket. So, I think for most of the Monster Cable products, everything is likely ok.

@rickc661 2 ай бұрын

I used standard Monster 14 ga for 20 + years , it was lookin scruffy so I changed but had zero issues.... for no particular reason now using 10 ga , same high Q copper but no fancy $ 50. a foot stuff. I did have a couple. Ebay $ 4. type banana plugs go bad , one broke the plug into subwoofer. Always wondered about the 'upgraded. M.C. with the plastic tube in the middle... I know they say elect. tends to flow around the exterior of wire , how real is that, .0000009 % ?

@audibleeleganceinc 2 ай бұрын

That is the general opinion. As I have not measured it myself, I have to give to the crowd.

@jasonk5979 2 ай бұрын

Mine turned green and black lol. Its probably 15+ years old. And i wasn't using it anyway. So no big deal.

@audibleeleganceinc 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for confirming, like others, that they have had this happen. All I am telling folks is if their cable has done this, replace it.

@sevestan 2 ай бұрын

Can you please do a chemical analysis of said copper to determine its purity and if the discolored jacket still retains insulating properties....nothing personal....I just don't trust society anymore.

@audibleeleganceinc 2 ай бұрын

ah, no but also see next video on this subject.

@dhala54 2 ай бұрын

Have always used Monster Cable and it is still on my system. I've never seen any of that on my wire. Maybe a bit of fear factor here.

@audibleeleganceinc 2 ай бұрын

Ah, fear factor is talking about something with no proof. I have had plenty of examples of this with OMC500 speaker cable dating back to the late 80s and certainly in the 90s. Some have reported no issues and that's great. Others have reported this experience. Once a cable starts to rot, it's shot. This also happens with lamp chords and all sorts of cables with a clear jacket. It raises, in my mind, a question then of quality control. Regardless, if you have green cable, it is time to replace it. If you want to buy OMC500 again, fine.

@davidhaladay6783 2 ай бұрын

I never said that it isn't happening, but maybe not as much as some may think.