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ups: clear image, clear audio, long cables, don't tangle
downs: somewhat more expensive than stock

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Monsterous Connections for the Xbox 360
review
game: Monster Cables
five star
posted by: Tristan Mayshark
publisher: Monster
developer: Monster
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date posted: 11:38 AM Wed Apr 5th, 2006
last revision: 11:37 AM Wed Apr 5th, 2006


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Click to read.Monster has a reputation for making excellent high end auido and video cables, and their GameLink line of Xbox 360 accessories is no exception. They are unquestionably at this point the best XBox 360 A/V cables on the market. Their prices do reflect this to some extent, but for gamers who can afford to have the best of the best, picking up a Monster 360 adapter should be a thoughtless decision, and even budget-minded consumers may find enough advantage over the stock cables to warrant the slightly fatter price tag.

All of the cables are ten feet long and encased in a mylar covering designed to keep them from tangling up among themselves or with other wires. This works quite well, and also gives the wires a distinct look that makes them easy to identify in the biomechanical spiderweb that is the back of my A/V system. All of them feature gold-plated contacts. All of them are rock solid. Provided below is a breakdown of the cables Monster has to offer XBox 360 owners

The GameLink 360 Component A/V Cable is designed to replace the stock Component video cable that comes with the XBox 360. I will admit that the image it provides looks slightly sharper than the stock cables (and the cables are longer). Monster\'s website attributes this to the \"nitrogen gas-injected dielectric insulator\" which \"maximizes video signal strength for the best possible picture\" and the \"SingleHelix construction with dual specially twisted conductors in a helical configuration\" which \"rejects RF & EM interference.\" The MSRP is 59.95, but this item can be found online for roughly $50.

The GameLink 360 Component Video & Fiber Optic Audio A/V Kit includes everything above, but has a fiber-optic audio lead instead of a standard L/R configuration. It has an MSRP of 69.95, but can be found online for roughly $50

The GameLink 360 SVideo Cable has gold plated outs for R and L audio, as well as for SVideo. The image quality is notably less flickery (although perhaps slightly darker) than the image displayed by the MadKatz SVideo adapter, which is equivalent to the Microsoft one from what I\'ve read (a Microsoft SVideo cable was unavailable for comparison). This adapter also has an MSRP of $59.95, but can be found slightly cheaper online.

The GameLink 360 VGA A/V cable includes a gold plated VGA lead as well as gold plated L/R audio leads (RCA), and is designed to replace the Microsoft XBox 360 VGA Adapter. As with the other cables, the image quality appears slightly cleaner than with the stock cables. The VGA cable retails for 59.99, and, as with the other cables, can be had for somewhat less than that.

The GameLink 360 Fiber Optic audio cable is an audio cable designed to be used in conjunction with another adapter that doesn\'t have a fiber optic out. If you have an adapter that meets your needs but desire a fiber optic audio connection between your XBox 360 and your home theater system, this is the best cable on the market for you. It has an MSRP of $29.95, but can be found online commonly for $20-25.

Monster has offered up an excellent set of cables, and they only cost 20-30% more than their Microsoft counterparts. Anyone in the market for a new adapter for their 360 would be strongly encouraged to look at the equivalent Monster cable. They\'re long, durable, don\'t tangle, and deliver the best possible signal to your A/V equipment.

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