# Blue Jeans vs Monoprice



## David.M

i need to buy a digital coaxial wire since I'll be upgrading my dac soon

 but i dunno if i should go for the $15 cable from Blue Jeans or the $1 cable from Monoprice.

 i did buy the white/red rca cable from monoprice a while back and i think they are decent + well shielded , but would the BJ cable provide me with better SQ?


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## googleborg

the $1 will be fine, i bought a similarly priced optical (£1) and it works perfectly 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 though at that price if you bought the BJ one you could get the monoprice to compare 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





 edit: looking at the monoprice site they are CHEAP! :O wow!


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## fenixdown110

Monoprice ftw.


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## islewind

It's not about sound quality. You get better build quality and reliability with the Blue Jeans, and that may or may not matter for your application.

 I like Blue Jeans because the connectors/terminations always fit perfectly, and they never come loose from the cable upon repeated plugging/unplugging. I do have lots of monoprice cables, you can't beat the prices, but there are a few places where the better build quality matters (such as the better tolerances on the mini-plug connectors, where fit can be finicky on some devices).


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## DoingOK

Blue Jeans hands down has generally higher quality cables. I've purchased from both quite a bit and prefer wiring/cabling from BJC. Monoprice is good for other odds and ends.


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## Steve Eddy

I'd take the Blue Jeans over anything that's just **** out of some nameless, faceless factory in China.

 se


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## userlander

Look at it this way: the monoprice cables can fail 15 times before you even equal the money you've spent on one of the "boutique" cables. How likely do you think that is to happen? 

 "Don't believe the hype."


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## scompton

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *islewind* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I like Blue Jeans because the connectors/terminations always fit perfectly, and they never come loose from the cable upon repeated plugging/unplugging. I do have lots of monoprice cables, you can't beat the prices, but there are a few places where the better build quality matters (such as the better tolerances on the mini-plug connectors, where fit can be finicky on some devices)._

 

I've never had a Radio Shack or Monoprice cable fail. Just RCA cables though. I've also bought HDMI cables from Monoprice, but they aren't plugged and unplugged, so I wouldn't expect them to fail. I recently bought a pair of TRS-XLR cables from Monoprice, but I haven't used them yet.


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## Mad Max

The Belden 1694a cable from BJC is probably your best bet.


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## tim3320070

I can't be sure if it matters but BJ digital coax cables and connectors are true 75ohms where some other are not- again, it may not matter but $15 is still cheap.
 And hey, people in China need to work too BTW. People one street over from you are nameless and faceless I bet.....


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## lmswjm

As far as SQ goes, the BJ's Belden cable is in my home rig. It out-performed the latest $300 Illuminati incarnation which shocked me. Can't speak for the monoprice. Hey, for $16, we could have a shootout.


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## kunalraiker

Do we need a nice mini- RCA for our amps or is a generic one fine touse, againg for sound quality.


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## anetode

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Koyaan I. Sqatsi* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I'd take the Blue Jeans over anything that's just **** out of some nameless, faceless factory in China.

 se_

 

I also am xenophobic about the technology excreted by those foreign devils. That's why I don't buy any cable unless it is handwoven by an appalachian redneck, wrapped in red, white & blue cloth, and delivered via eagle.

 Spontaneous combustion is unlikely in cables, but say that yours does fail - with monoprice, you could buy a replacement some fourteen times for what you're paying for at BJC. Of course, that's cold-blooded economic analysis and not faith in American entrepreneurship or quality craftsmanship which gives you the warm fuzzies. Those cost extra.


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## Steve Eddy

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *anetode* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I also am xenophobic about the technology excreted by those foreign devils. That's why I don't buy any cable unless it is handwoven by an appalachian redneck, wrapped in red, white & blue cloth, and delivered via eagle._

 

I'm not a xenophobe, *******.

 I avoid buying anything made in China whenever possible because I don't care to have my money helping prop up a political dictatorship (among other things).

 se


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## anetode

Fair point


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## tim3320070

Except for the "nameless, faceless" comment which ain't so un-xenophobic...


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## Steve Eddy

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *tim3320070* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Except for the "nameless, faceless" comment which ain't so un-xenophobic..._

 

Eh?

 se


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## Ham Sandwich

My concern with Monoprice cables is that I'm unsure about the quality of the soldering (or whatever they do) to the connectors. Is the connection just hanging on by a single strand poorly soldered? I'll never know. I have similar concerns with the base level MonsterCable and similar cables. I have no idea how the manufacturing of cables like that is. What kinds of machines. How automated. How much QC. Etc. I have little confidence in quality manufacturing. Course it is also unsound to base feelings of quality manufacturing based solely on the price of the cable. An $80 cable could be made to the same manufacturing standards as a Monoprice cable. Price means nothing.

 I use Monoprice (for RCA) and Hosa (for 1/4" TS and TRS) cables so I'm not all that concerned.

 If I was to splurge on cables it would be to get Blue Jeans or similar. Something where I'm more confident of the build quality and cable structure compared to whatever it is that Monoprice uses.


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## BIG POPPA

I would go BJC, Real people making real cables. The shop is a few minutes from my house.


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## FraGGleR

I won't get into the political side of the debate, but I have to chime in and say that the monoprice "premium" line are thick, stiff, and built like a tank. At least look at the pictures to get an idea. They use two coax wires together to make a mini to mini. Super rock solid. The plastic molding (compression molded plastic), is not very pretty, but the actual plugs (RCA) are very nicely machined (I have paid $5/piece for connectors that looked fancier but were not nearly as nicely made). I make my own cables, where I feel I get the truest bang for my buck, but Monoprice hasn't let me down with anything so far (7 years of using them).


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## chadbang

Thanks for the tip on these monoprice. I looked at the photos and they look quite nice. I'm going to try some. I dont believe in spending a lot for cables, but I don't like junk either. I actual prefer cheap Radio Shack cables which look similar in construction to the monoprice. I hate cables with big heavy Canare connectors just waiting to break your phono jacks off your cd player circuit board, so these look perfect. I bought a pair of Blue Jeans once and promptly sold them. Why? I paid 20 bucks for them and they sounded just like a pair of 5 dollar radio shacks. I hate when I get screwed on price to performance ratio, so the left the house pretty fast.


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## lmswjm

FWIW, I like BJC Belden digital cables. I didn't like their Belden cable used as a balanced IC.


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## gevorg

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Ham Sandwich* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_My concern with Monoprice cables is that I'm unsure about the quality of the soldering (or whatever they do) to the connectors. Is the connection just hanging on by a single strand poorly soldered? I'll never know..._

 

This is exactly why I prefer BJC over monoprice and the like. The wire of the monoprice cable is perfectly fine, but you want to make sure that the termination is properly done and tested. Paying a little extra for BJC (or something similar) will clear any possible doubts you might have later on. Unless of course you'll start hearing differences in so called "audiophile cables", but that a can of worms.


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## Mehve

I use them both, and don't hear any audible differences in normal operation, but the one area that I did notice a difference was in the shielding in high-interference environments. In my case, it was an wooden open-bench computer setup, and the cables were picking up interference. Between the two, the BJ cables blocked considerably more of the interference. Although this is obviously a worst-case scenario.


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## PabloDiner

Though i do agree in supporting quality work and US made products, is the sound quality degradation dramatic enough to notice a big difference?


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## JamesL

Quote: 





mehve said:


> Between the two, the BJ cables blocked considerably more of the interference. Although this is obviously a worst-case scenario.


 

 But its also nice to know that your $2 monoprice cables blocked considerably more interference than many vastly pricier self-proclaimed  audiophile cables would have. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



   
  I've only used one cable from BJC, and I don't really like how bulky and stiff they are.  A larger diameter means they can design the cable to have that ultra-low capacitance, but its not significant in most systems.  Monoprice is better in this respect but still kind of bulky.  I use belkin cables for short runs, and make my own cable for longer runs (for which I can calculate the capacitance myself)


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## PabloDiner

Quote: 





jamesl said:


> But its also nice to know that your $2 monoprice cables blocked considerably more interference than many vastly pricier self-proclaimed  audiophile cables would have.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 where do you get your raw cable from?


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## JamesL

Quote: 





pablodiner said:


> where do you get your raw cable from?


 
   
  I usually have some cable on hand.  Redco.com has a good collection & price for studio-grade cable and is where I get most my stuff, but if you're looking for more exotic stuff(for better or worse)... takefiveaudio, moonaudio, partsconnexion, michaelpercy, thecableco, for starters
   
  and then theres.. ebay,soniccraft,vhaudio,vt4c,homegrownaudio,qables,parts-express,markertek,cryoparts,doublehelixcables,diyaudiostore,canford.co.uk,audiophonics.fr,hifidiy.net,thlaudio off the top of my head.. some of which I like, and some of which I don't


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## PabloDiner

Quote: 





jamesl said:


> I usually have some cable on hand.  Redco.com has a good collection & price for studio-grade cable and is where I get most my stuff, but if you're looking for more exotic stuff(for better or worse)... takefiveaudio, moonaudio, partsconnexion, michaelpercy, thecableco, for starters
> 
> and then theres.. ebay,soniccraft,vhaudio,vt4c,homegrownaudio,qables,parts-express,markertek,cryoparts,doublehelixcables,diyaudiostore,canford.co.uk,audiophonics.fr,hifidiy.net,thlaudio off the top of my head.. some of which I like, and some of which I don't


 

 thanks for the recommendation, i will be ordering some raw cable soon so its nice to have some options available


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## PabloDiner

Well, i had no idea there was such a thing as an $8000 dollar per meter speaker wire (thecableco), so i went ahead and ordered from BJC, (total $71 for 4 cables)


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## sampson_smith

Currently, I am very satisfied with my Blue Jeans LC-1 cables in both build and sound signature. Also loving the toslinks. Very good for very little $$$.


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## PabloDiner

Quote: 





sampson_smith said:


> Currently, I am very satisfied with my Blue Jeans LC-1 cables in both build and sound signature. Also loving the toslinks. Very good for very little $$$.


 

 I agree just received my first BJC today, very heavy duty feeling cables, even had a tough time trying to strip the casing off of an unterminated speaker wire, they are very stiff but well built. But more surprisingly i ordered these cables yesterday morning around 9AM and they showed up today on my doorstep! thats fast shipping!


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## sampson_smith

That was REMARKABLY FAST shipping. I live in Canada, where I'd consider the shipping to be expedient if the package arrives within two weeks!


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## ccklone

Hey Now,
   
  On a recommendation for Blue Jean Cables, I ordered some Canare 4S11, some banana clips and a couple of HDMI type cables on Saturday morning and they arrived this morning (Monday) from WA to IN. That was quick. 
   
  Stuff looks good, got the bi-wire speaker set up and it sounds pretty darn good. 
   
  --
  Finest kind,
  Chris


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