rapalloav Hdmi Cables Any good?

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mrhaboobi

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Topic # 109685 25-Sep-2012 08:31
Hi Guys, So just about to buy my HDMI cables to install, have been looking at the rapalloav stuff and while they sound good, the pricing is high (for me its very high , maybe not relative to other brands though in which case the price is cheap, yes i was quoted well over 800 for other HDMI cables by a local shop ). Has anyone used the rapalloav HDMI cables ( the longer ones 10 - 20M ) and if so did you find them to be as good or better then other brands. Currently looking at the dynamix 20M cables which i can get for $100, compared to the rapallo which is double the price. Hard to stomach the difference in price, but if its justified then i'll consider it.. Failing that does anyone have a decent discount code for rapallo, im not in the industry so cant buy at trade price ( if they even do that ive no idea ).. Thanks

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Reply # 690929 25-Sep-2012 08:44
I'd go with Dynamix, HDMI cables don't really differ in performance, higher priced cables may have better build quality but at the end of the day the signal either gets through or it doesn't. RapolloAV tend to import items, multiply the cost by three and then sell to unsuspecting kiwis. In fact, a lot of the Rapollo products can be found at www.monoprice.com at a fraction of the price.

mrhaboobi

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Reply # 690935 25-Sep-2012 08:58
So speaking of mono price has anyone used their redmere ( active ) hdmi cables? http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10255 Ive been looking are a few cables, i see most of the std cables monoprice sell are NOT 1080p compatible, they only list 1080i. only the active cables are listed as 1080p. any thoughts?

marmel

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Reply # 690938 25-Sep-2012 09:01
mrhaboobi: So speaking of mono price has anyone used their redmere ( active ) hdmi cables? http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10255 Ive been looking are a few cables, i see most of the std cables monoprice sell are NOT 1080p compatible, they only list 1080i. only the active cables are listed as 1080p. any thoughts? Don't worry about the 1080i vs 1080p, I have used quite a few monoprice HDMI cables and they all work fine with full HD and 3D. I also used $7 cables off trademe which also work fine. I cringe when I hear about people buying $200 Monster HDMI cables for "deeper blacks and richer colours". Those redmere cables sound pretty good though.

mrhaboobi

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Reply # 690940 25-Sep-2012 09:04
given that i have one go to get this right as its going in wall, im looking at what is available for a realistic price, ive not read alot about active cables, rapallo av has some reviewson their cables which seem ok. active cables seem to be the way to to go..

marmel

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Reply # 690942 25-Sep-2012 09:06
I think the most important thing is to test the cables before you put them through walls. Plug everything in, watch a few movies, full HD if possible etc.

Jaxson

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Reply # 690972 25-Sep-2012 10:06
rapalloav will stand by their gear and have first hand knowledge of what they sell. For runs over 10m you need to get a quality cable.

mrhaboobi

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Reply # 690974 25-Sep-2012 10:08
Fully agree that we need good quality, and buying local with support is idea. but still would like some feedback on the cables they have, especially compared to say the dynamix 20M 24 AWG cables, and now the active cables which seem to be coming on board more and more.. :). Id have no issues buying from rapallo just wish the pricing was a bit lower ( infact my preference would be to buy local ) ;) Jaxson: rapalloav will stand by their gear and have first hand knowledge of what they sell. For runs over 10m you need to get a quality cable.

networkn

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Reply # 690977 25-Sep-2012 10:22
I have bought rapolloav cables, usually only for internal wall HDMI, which needs to be really good quality as it's not exactly easy to repair/replace. Never had an issue. Murray knows his stuff especially around cables and projection. The only downside of Murray is that he is very product support centric, not customer support centric. IE when I asked about an issue with something he sold, that I didn't buy from him, he wasn't very happy about that, but for stuff I have bought from him, he has been fine. For any other cables, I buy what's pretty much cheapest of the standard I require. I recently purchased some Dynamix cables for my projector and high end amp, and it meets the requirements perfectly. HDMI is digital, so it's either working or not.

Dunnersfella

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Reply # 690986 25-Sep-2012 10:29
HDMI's signal is digital, but the cable is obviously just 19 copper strands. Shielding is something to consider because of this, particularly around the head of the cable. Remember, HDMI cables cannot apply error correction, that needs to happen at the destination end of the cable, meaning you need to ensure your device is capable of looking after any issues with poorly timed / corrupted data. The problem is, if you run it across the lounge to test, it may be fine... but once you chuck it in the wall next to power lines and other cables, the environment changes and results may differ. HDMI, to put it as delicately as possible, is a biatch. Enjoy...

mrhaboobi

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Reply # 691034 25-Sep-2012 11:43
Dunnersfella: HDMI's signal is digital, but the cable is obviously just 19 copper strands. Shielding is something to consider because of this, particularly around the head of the cable. Remember, HDMI cables cannot apply error correction, that needs to happen at the destination end of the cable, meaning you need to ensure your device is capable of looking after any issues with poorly timed / corrupted data. The problem is, if you run it across the lounge to test, it may be fine... but once you chuck it in the wall next to power lines and other cables, the environment changes and results may differ. HDMI, to put it as delicately as possible, is a biatch. Enjoy... Yes im hearing that more and more :) will run cat6 alongside the HDMI cables as a backup aswell, these thinner active cables seem to be easier to work with, and conceptually have the booster at the destination end, so seem to get the job done.. i know activewire have similar cables running even longer

marmel

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Reply # 691055 25-Sep-2012 12:05
If you are going to run cat 6 why not put two runs in and use an hdmi balun? I use the ones from mono price, cost about $18US and work perfectly. The benefit then is that when the plug standards change you can simply swap the balun instead of having an obsolete cable stuck in the wall.

mrhaboobi

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Reply # 691070 25-Sep-2012 12:18
marmel: If you are going to run cat 6 why not put two runs in and use an hdmi balun? I use the ones from mono price, cost about $18US and work perfectly. The benefit then is that when the plug standards change you can simply swap the balun instead of having an obsolete cable stuck in the wall. Reason for not doing that is just that ive heard lots of negatives around baluns aswell, and the ones i saw were very expensive.i figure get a hdmi in the wall, get some cat6 as a backup, hope that HDBaseT comes along for a reasonable price :).. Right now im thinking some active cables is the way to go, cost wise they are all but identical to dynamix, but if anyone from rapalloav wants to provide some alternatively priced hdmi cables for me to use, id be more than happy to consider them and write up my findings :).. wink wink .. yes i know there's not much hope that that happening :)..

bazzer

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Reply # 691076 25-Sep-2012 12:29
networkn: IE when I asked about an issue with something he sold, that I didn't buy from him, he wasn't very happy about that, but for stuff I have bought from him, he has been fine. Is this surprising?! What kind of support did the person you bought it off give you?

JimmyH

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Reply # 691307 25-Sep-2012 19:27
Whenever I look at RapalloAV I have no issue with the quality of the products. The pricing, on the other hand, is ludicrous on the things I have looked at. A multiple of what I would pay for an essentially identical item from the likes of Jaycar or Monoprice. I don't mind paying something of a premium for local support, but not circa 300%! Regarding what cables to run, the best option if you can manage it is to run conduit. Then you can pull through whatever cables you want and, if standards change, pull through a different one.

mrhaboobi

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Reply # 691408 25-Sep-2012 22:42
JimmyH: Whenever I look at RapalloAV I have no issue with the quality of the products. The pricing, on the other hand, is ludicrous on the things I have looked at. A multiple of what I would pay for an essentially identical item from the likes of Jaycar or Monoprice. I don't mind paying something of a premium for local support, but not circa 300%! Regarding what cables to run, the best option if you can manage it is to run conduit. Then you can pull through whatever cables you want and, if standards change, pull through a different one. Yup running 25MM conduit, but that seems tight for connector heads, not sure on the legality of 32MM conduit.?

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