Let’s face it, home theater systems are not cheap. And, the wires and cables that connect all of the various components can be downright pricey, which is a fact that has helped lead many to believing that they can cut costs by buying lesser cables and wires. But, the question must be asked, can you get by skimping on the cables and wires of your new home theater system?
Well, the simplest answer is, of course, yes, you can get by with cables and wires of lesser quality. However, before you go down this price-friendly avenue you need to know what you run the risk of by doing this.
Update Limits
One of the greatest benefits to starting out with high-quality cables and wires is that they will not need to be replaced as the amount of data they carry increases as audio and video tech is updated. One relatively recent, common upgrade was going from 1080i DSS to 1080p. This forced many home theater system owners to buy new, high-quality HDMI cables. Looking forward, the probable impending upgrade to 4K will most likely prove to be the end of many cables and wires in many homes.
Cable Latency
Some users of lower-quality cables and wires have noticed that some of them cause delays in the broadcasting of the video and audio of their systems. Please note that this does not mean all users of these lesser cables and wires experience this, but most of those who do, end up investing in cables and wires of higher quality.
HDMI Handshake Failure
One of the security steps involved in the transmitting of data from a source device to a receiving one is called the handshake. Unfortunately, some lesser HDMI cables fail to perform the handshake from time to time and need to have the whole system shut down until it will start handshaking again.
Long Cables
The longer your cables and wires are, the more important it is to go with high-quality products. After all, the longer the cables and wires are, the more likely they are to physically fail.
Conclusion
While you can indeed get by with lesser cables and wires, the fact remains that doing so will increase the odds that you will not be satisfied with your home theater system.