Monster FAQ's
What is microfiber?
Microfiber is a tightly wound dielectric insulator wrapped around each different
group of windings on each conductor. This helps maintain control over the
effects of Monster’s Bandwidth Balancing design.
What is Time Correct
technology?
Monster’s way of compensating for something called "Velocity
Propagation" or better known as the skin effect. An analog audio signal
passing through a copper cable succumbs to this law of physics in which bass
frequencies tend to gravitate towards the center of the cable; higher
frequencies are forced to the outer portion of the cable. The higher mass bass
frequencies create a magnetic field in the center of the cable while traveling
through the conductor, which impedes those lower frequencies. This impedance
forces those lower frequencies to arrive at their destiny (the speaker or amp)
delayed, which causes a mild distortion in the waveform. Monster utilizes
multiple gauge windings to help compensate for this distortion. Large,
solid-core copper strands in the center for bass frequencies (containing higher
mass) and smaller gauges wrapped around the solid core conductor to delay the
mid’s and high’s ensuring that the entire bandwidth of frequencies arrive in
uniform.
What is magnetic flux
tube?
This is a specially-designed dielectric tube that runs down the middle of a
group of different gauge windings. This helps break up the magnetic field
generated from the current flowing through the cable’s conductors. We wrap the
larger solid-core conductors (the culprit of this magnetic field) around this
dialectric for maximum affect.
How long can I run my
speaker cables?
We recommend that if you run cable lengths in excess of fifty feet, you should
use at least 14 gauge, 12 gauge is optimal.
What is the warranty on
my cables?
Lifetime Warranty
Do I need a special type
of cable to install behind walls/construction?
Yes, you want to use a UL(Underwriters Laboratory) approved cable. Monster Cable
manufactures a full line of UL approved cables you can examine under the
"Custom Install" category of the FAQ section.
What are Monster Locks?
Monster Locks are an original design concept created by Monster Cable for
complete termination flexibility of your speaker cables. Special gold-plated
high-performance termination blocks located at the end of each pair of
conductors that are threaded. Next, purchase the correct Monster Lock connectors
required by your amp and speaker configuration and simply screw them on. If ever
the need to change that configuration occurs, you only need to change the
connectors without soldering.
What is PEX dielectric?
PEX is a special dielectric or insulation that insulates each conductor from
each other to help eliminate noise.
Why do the cables have
directional arrows?
This is done for shielding purposes only, a design where we do not solder the
shield on the signal’s destination. This ensures that any noise picked up by
the shield will not be transmitted into your signal path.
What does Time Correct
mean?
Monster’s way of compensating for something called "Velocity
Propagation" or better known as the skin effect. An analog audio signal
passing through a copper cable succumbs to this law of physics in which bass
frequencies tend to gravitate towards the center of the cable; higher
frequencies are forced to the outer portion of the cable. The higher mass bass
frequencies create a magnetic field in the center of the cable while traveling
through the conductor, which impedes those lower frequencies. This impedance
forces those lower frequencies to arrive at their destiny (the speaker or amp)
delayed, which causes a mild distortion in the waveform. Monster utilizes
multiple gauge windings to help compensate for this distortion. Large,
solid-core copper strands in the center for bass frequencies (containing higher
mass) and smaller gauges wrapped around the solid core conductor to delay the
mid’s and high’s ensuring that the entire bandwidth of frequencies arrive in
uniform.
What are
"turbine" connectors?
Monster’s unique turbine design allows for maximum contact pressure, contact
points and contact mass, all of which are highly important for signal transfer.
This design also adds strength and durability.
Does Monster use
oxygen-free copper?
Yes. Monster Cable uses extremely high grade, oxygen-free copper to prevent
corrosion and maximize conductivity
What is Microfiber?
Microfiber is tightly wound dielectric insulator wrapped around each different
group of windings on each conductor. This helps maintain control over the
effects of Monster’s Bandwidth Balancing design.
What is Multi-Twist
construction?
Multi-Twist construction is a design where the positive and negative conductors
within a cable are tightly twisted together causing any external noise or
interference to cancel itself out. This design was originally used by Bell Labs
during its infancy to run long lengths of cable throughout the country to cancel
out noise.
Why use braided copper
and foil shielding?
Braided copper has been proven to the most effective way to repel RFI(radio
frequency interference). Foil shielding is the most effective way to shield
against EMI(electro- magnetic interference).
Why use gold plated
connectors?
We use gold because it doesn’t corrode and also has better contact than silver
conductors and looks excellent.
What should be the
longest length to run my interconnect cables?
We don’t advise running your cables any more than thirty feet to prevent
significant signal loss. If you are using balanced (XLR or TRS type) it is
possible to run cables much longer.
Will I notice a
difference if I hook up my cables in the wrong direction?
You probably will not, but if you think that you are experiencing noise
problems, check that they are. Cables are directional for shielding purposes
only. Should you not see these arrows, remember that the signal flow should go
in the same direction of the print on the cable jacket, reading left to right
away from the source (source to destination)
What is the
"source" in terms of connecting my cables?
The source would be the origin of the signal or sound. This would be a CD
player, phono player, VCR or whatever is generating the music or video and the
arrows should point away from these "sources".
How long can I run an
S-video cable?
We have run over 200 feet of S-video cable with almost no signal loss.
What is
nitrogen-injected dielectric?
This is a dielectric molding that surrounds the conductor inside the jacket to
maintain a 75 ohm resistance load within the cable. to keep a perfect 75 ohm
load, there must be equal distance between the conductor and outer shield. to do
this, we inject thousands of tiny nitrogen bubbles inside the dielectric that
provides a walll between the conductor and shield. Maintaining this resistance
is paramount for receiving a clear and precise picture.
Why do you use silver
plating on the conductors?
We use silver plating because is the best conductor for electricity. Newer
high-resolution TV’s as well as DVD’s and other digital sources of video
information have an ultra wide bandwidth. To ensure the complete transfer of
this ultra-wide bandwidth we chose silver.
What type of video cable
is better?
From lowest to highest picture quality: composite (RCA or F-pin), S-video,
component, and finally RGB.
What is the warranty on
my cables?
Lifetime Warranty
Why use braided copper
and foil shielding?
Braided copper has been proven to the most effective way to repel RFI(radio
frequency interference). Foil shielding is the most effective way to shield
against EMI(electro- magnetic interference).
Why use gold plated
connectors?
We use gold because it doesn’t corrode and also has better contact then silver
conductors and looks excellent.
Why do the cables have
directional arrows?
This is done for shielding purposes only, a design where we do not solder the
shield on the signal’s destination. This ensures that any noise picked up by
the shield will not be transmitted into your signal path.
Do I need a special type
of cable to install behind walls/construction?
Yes, you want to use a UL(Underwriters Laboratory) approved cable. Monster Cable
manufactures a full line of UL approved cables you can examine under the
"Custom Install" category of the FAQ section.
How long can I run my
video cable?
We recommend that should you run more than fifty feet of cable, insert a line
booster.
Do your RF splitters
have impedance matching capability?
Yes! This will maintain the picture integrity of your video signal.
What is the signal loss
of your splitters?
Each split adds only two to three decibels of loss!
Do I need a special
"RCA" type of connector for video cables?
Though signal will be transferred, for optimal results you should use a video
connector to maintain a precise 75 ohm load.
Will the in-line amp
work on my normal cable TV?
Yes! The ultra broad bandwidth line amps will work on almost any video source.