Denon's $500 Ethernet cable

Denon's $500 Ethernet cable

(Credit: Denon)

Doesn't this sound familiar? Denon is selling an "ultra premium" $500 Ethernet cable (the AK-DL1), for the audio sucker, I mean, enthusiast, reminding us all of Pear Audio's $7,250 cable from not long ago. Officially, the AK-DL1 is a Denon Link cable--a proprietary audio connection used between Denon products--but any Cat6 Ethernet cable will do. So why should I drop $500 on a Cat6 cable with "high purity copper?"

You shouldn't. Copper is copper, and like with any digital connection (HDMI or Ethernet), you either have a high-quality connection or you don't. Think of it like a on or off light switch. This isn't like the ol' analog days, where high-end cable may have meant something.

Be sure to check out CNET's Quick Guide to HDMI Cables for a further explanation. Looking at Monoprice.com, the same "high quality" Ethernet cables run for 22 cents a foot vs $100 for Denon's cable. Take your cash and put into a better television or AV receiver, unless you're the guy who has money to burn and already has the Pear Audio cable.

Source: PC Pro via Pocket-lint

[normteke]

I talked to a home theater reviewer who saw one of these at a show and gave the Denon rep a hard time about it. The rep's response was that customers are already buying these from other vendors, so why not let them buy them from Denon.

I wonder if it is not the end user buying these things, but the custom installers who give their clueless customers with big bank accounts a final bill that is not itemized.

[deecee]

Oh, Denon is just taking a page from the auto-maker's play books. I paid $16 for a plastic clip that holds the lining trim in the wheel well on a Nissan Sentra!! It's about 5 cents worth of plastic with 5 cents worth of spring max, but the dealer's price is $16 with tax. The profit margin is pretty much the same between that plastic clip and this "hi-fi" e-net cable here.

[normteke]

I did the math and it would cost me over $4000 to replace the Cat5e cable running through my place with this stuff. Will my Word documents read richer and have more detail?

[cromeyeller]

ESPECIALLY when you can buy a CAT 6A cable for $20.

[hdmicableguy]

True - But not all of the inexpensive HDMi cables are created equal. I agree. The inexpensive cables do just fine.

As an installer, one of the things you should be aware of is the molding around the connector. I have seen some of the Monster type cables with a large overmold on the end of the connector.

Here is the problem I run into. If the overmold is large, it sometimes interferes with the ports on either side of the HDMI port. Sometimes, you can't use two HDMI ports that are side by side due to the size of the molding

I have used these HDMI v1.3 Cables which are also low-cost and molded, but have a lower profile mold to allow cables right next to them.

http://www.showmecables.com/viewItem.asp?idProduct=2758

These cables also help with less strain due to the lower weight.

[What gives here]

ATTACHMENT SELLING is why you can only find expensive cables at your local electronics retailer. In order to compete for walk in traffic, the store advertises big ticket items at little and sometimes no profit. The profit is in the attached sales, being warranty, cables, line cleaners, and stands/mounts, which are never advertised and always at full retail. For example, when I sold on commission I sometimes made only $1.50 on a $1,500 TV. More typically, I made $20.25 on a Sony $2,298 TV and $98.45 on a Panasonic $5298 plasma. Then on the attachment sale of Monster 6' cable at $120 I made $18.84, on the Monster $400 line cleaner I made $75 and on the $400 warranty I earned $57.67. So accesories worth $920 earned me $201.67 vs. $20.25 on the Sony TV. The store profits are even greater on these items, so even if you shop at no commission Best Buy you will find mainly high priced cables and the warranty pitch at the cash register. For example, a manager had seen invoices for Monster Cable that retails at $220 showing store cost of $19.95. We were also trained by Monster on how to upsell to their more expensive cables and line cleaners, and the store encouraged us to have customers throw out the perfectly good cables that come with Motorola cable TV boxes, and then sell them expensive Monster replacements. I hope you folks at CNET keep up the good work on informing consumers on the facts. We don't all need to pay for the Monster brand on sports stadiums.