Went into Maplins last night...

[tmcd35]

...to buy an optical cable

 

[staring at uber-expensive cables]

 

Me - "Do you have any sensible priced optical leads?"

 

[rep points to shelf behind me that I spent 10mins looking at without seeing]

 

Me - "Thank god for that, the prices of those other cables where scaring me!"

 

Rep - "They are shielded so they don't get interference"

 

[Greenbeast]

hehehe brilliant

 

 

it's the solar rays I tell you, THE SOLAR RAYS!!!!!

[rad]

I ordered a SD card on line with PC world. I walked into the store to collect it. Then walked over to the SD cards to almost faint at the prices they offered. I only ordered it the night before so they are in the store somewhere, most possibly not on display.

[unixman_again]

Here in Brum, I buy CD envelopes from Rymans for £4 for 50. Last weekend I popped in to get some and they had sold out, so I though I'd try WH Smiths. £10 for 50. I didn't bother.

[Greenbeast]

hmm I think the point of the post, was more that they had shielded optical cables (completely unnecessary)

[DeltaBravo]

Needed to buy a fuse the other day so went to halfords - £5 for 2!! Ebay - £1.35 for 10

 

No wonder the high street is dying!

[CAM]

The whole business of consumer grade products revolves around preying on those who don't know any better so they buy kit with useless or unnecessary features. Eventually it becomes normal to pay an absurd amount for a headset or cable.

[sparkeh]

Heh, like when they try to sell you 'high-end' HDMI cables

[mac_shinobi]

 

Rep - "They are shielded so they don't get interference"

 

 

To stop you from cutting them with scissors or other sharp object(s) ? lol

[difinity]

Perhaps the ends were gold plated for extra audio fidelity !!

[pcstru]

A huge chunk of the world of hi-fi exists just to falsify the "you get what you pay for" meme. I had a guy in Richer Sounds try to persuade me that even his mum could tell the difference between his £120 HDMI cable and a £5 one. Presumably the bits were a just a bit more 1 & 0 as they emerged...

[sted]

Heh, like when they try to sell you 'high-end' HDMI cables

 

you mean like monster hdmi cable just found a 4m one for £130 its a digital cable it will wither work or not

 

as to pc worlds pricing never buy anything straight in store order if online (even if you do it on your phone while there) then go and pick it up its much cheaper

[Andrew_C]

Twonk in Richer Sounds tried to tell me the sound on a CD player would be better because it had fewer front panel controls. No, I didn't bite my tongue!

 

For REAL snake-oil, try Russ Andrews £80 for an IEC lead? That'll do nicely!

[plexer]

I want to know what you said to him when he came out with that dribble?

 

Ben

[tmcd35]

I want to know what you said to him when he came out with that dribble?

 

Ben

 

I mumble something like "I don't mine, it's only light". I'm sure I used a disaproving enough tone that said to him - 'go away and think about what you just told me!'

 

Still I'll keep my curtains closed for optimal audio fedility

 

 

Edit: This of course is just an uneducated hang over from the old analogue days when gold plating and cable shielding actually did make a difference. I can see them getting away with it on HDMI leads (sounds plausable to the lay person) but optical!?! really!?!

Edited July 4, 2013 by tmcd35

[SteveBentley]

For REAL snake-oil, try Russ Andrews £80 for an IEC lead? That'll do nicely!

 

£80? You're not trying hard enough. £2835.30

[AMLinington]

Aluminium foil. It is the answer to everything.

[pcstru]

£80? You're not trying hard enough. £2835.30

 

Must cost a bit to run that all the way back to the power station.

[witch]

This of course is just an uneducated hang over from the old analogue days when gold plating and cable shielding actually did make a difference. I can see them getting away with it on HDMI leads (sounds plausible to the lay person) but optical!?! really!?!

 

This^. My first thought was - "Yes, and..?" because I was thinking analogue....I did think again (pretty quickly!) but there are lots of people out there who just wouldn't understand the change.

How would someone who knows that interference is possible know that that isn't going to happen on optical, or that digital makes all the difference?

[Andrew_C]

£80? You're not trying hard enough. £2835.30

I couldn't stomach looking any further than his home page. I'm just too tired to cope with the rage it would engender.

[bondbill2k2]

Reminds me of the time I went to currys with my mate who at the time was purchasing a PS3 on a finance scheme, of course then came the up-sale pitch from the Currys employee who ended up arguing with me that I wouldn't find a HDMI cable cheaper the what they sold which would be compatible.... in this case he insisted Monster cables were a requirement at £60 for a 2m HDMI.

 

I explained I worked at CEX and sold them for £4 (this was around 5 years ago), really wasn't having any of it so we went and purchased elsewhere.

[CHR1S]

I had a guy in Richer Sounds try to persuade me that even his mum could tell the difference between his £120 HDMI cable and a £5 one. Presumably the bits were a just a bit more 1 & 0 as they emerged...

 

you mean like monster hdmi cable just found a 4m one for £130 its a digital cable it will wither work or not

 

Not strictly true, over longer distances HDMI can artifact similar to a dying graphics card. On two 30m runs I had to return 4 cables to different manufacturers ranging from a few pounds to almost a hundred. In the end the middle of the road cables seem to perform better.

[sparkeh]

Not strictly true, over longer distances HDMI can artifact similar to a dying graphics card. On two 30m runs I had to return 4 cables to different manufacturers ranging from a few pounds to almost a hundred. In the end the middle of the road cables seem to perform better.

30m is way too long for an HDMI cable. At this length yes you will get degradation as you are beyond what is intended. You would be better of getting cheaper, shorter cables and an extender/repeater.

[X-13]

So... at what point does this go from being acceptable advertising hyperbole to being straight up fraud?

[tmcd35]

So... at what point does this go from being acceptable advertising hyperbole to being straight up fraud?

 

When someone is

 

a) Stupid enough to buy a gold plated, lead shielded, ant hair optical cable for $2000000

b) Is then clever enough to relalize how stupid they've been

c) Is then will to let the world know how gulable they are and put a complaint in with trading standards.

 

If you stupid enough to spend £50 on an IEC lead - you'll probably be wanting to keep that quiet