I was wrong about HDMI cables!
For years I have argued how the cheap HDMI cable was no different to an expensive version.
However, today at the Bristol show I purchase 3 Chord Active Silver cables and it totally blew me away. For bluray playback or fir anything where data is being read actively from a disc, there is a massive boost in sound quality, the sound was sharper, crisp and punchier. Picture was also warmer, deeper in colour and rich. I am still reeling from the shock, I fully expected there to be no difference and to a certain degree I was right... Using it with sky, no difference, PC, no difference. However, bluray yes, music yes and even gaming.
My wife walked in and said "the tv looks better and sounds better". She was unaware of the test I was conducting, so that was unbiased from a non audiophile/videophile.
How long is the cable? Your findings are indeed interesting. I've got a chord active HDMI (got it free from What Hi Fi subscription) & found no difference.
I don't think mine is silver though, & it's only 2m.
Maybe it's the silver wot duz it! Certainly none of my approximately 25 HDMI cables, in varying lengths from half a metre to 20 metres, are silver.
Dunno what it is, but whenever i see comments like this I'm automatically convinced the poster is talking rubbish and its just an attempt to add credibility.
Maybe it's the silver wot duz it! Certainly none of my approximately 25 HDMI cables, in varying lengths from half a metre to 20 metres, are silver.
Dunno why silver should make any difference to digital data.
Why?
A) Because If they're seeing/hearing differences between cables, they probably are
B) I find it awfully convenient...
Why?
B) I find it awfully convenient...
Yup, very odd for someone's wife to walk into the living room - should be chained to the kitchen sink. Let alone have an opinion on something.
Dunno what it is, but whenever i see comments like this I'm automatically convinced the poster is talking rubbish and its just an attempt to add credibility.
Wuw.
The chord active silver has a noise cancelling chip in addition to help with sound purity too, so this could be a factor. However, to answer some questions.
The cable between AV and bluray player is 1M, and the cable from AV to tv is 3M
Dunno what it is, but whenever i see comments like this I'm automatically convinced the poster is talking rubbish and its just an attempt to add credibility.
Not at all I'm trying to remove bias or the placebo effect on my part. My wife watches bluray films with me all the time and it just so happened that we watched skyfall the previous night (which is what I was testing).
It truely is a case of try it to believe it. I am just saying that a cable that cost me £40 and £75 was a risk worth taking and it paid off for me. I fully expected no difference too, but I was wrong.
Why?
B) I find it awfully convenient...
Yup, very odd for someone's wife to walk into the living room - should be chained to the kitchen sink. Let alone have an opinion on something.
Entirely my fault, the chain snapped lol
Pretty much in tune with the review from WHF?
http://www.whathifi.com/review/chord-company-active-silver-plus-hdmi
For years I have argued how the cheap HDMI cable was no different to an expensive version.
However, today at the Bristol show I purchase 3 Chord Active Silver cables and it totally blew me away. For bluray playback or fir anything where data is being read actively from a disc, there is a massive boost in sound quality, the sound was sharper, crisp and punchier. Picture was also warmer, deeper in colour and rich. I am still reeling from the shock, I fully expected there to be no difference and to a certain degree I was right... Using it with sky, no difference, PC, no difference. However, bluray yes, music yes and even gaming.
My wife walked in and said "the tv looks better and sounds better". She was unaware of the test I was conducting, so that was unbiased from a non audiophile/videophile.
So for years you argued how cheap HDMI cables were no different to expensive ones - based on what then? 
When I was first setting up my GT50 I was switching between the Sky HD cable and my chord silver on Sky and the difference was huge!
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I'm intrigued by this. I had thought that there was little difference between cheaper and more expensive HDMI cables, one particular comparison that I had made was between a £15-£20 2m HDMI cable, made by Lindy, and a £64 2m HDMI cable, also made by Lindy. No difference that I could tell between those two (going from receiver outputs to television). But hey, when the facts change, I change my opinions. Next time I'm looking for an HDMI cable, I'll try Chord Active Silver.
I wonder what bigboss will make of this thread, as he (like you and I) has also often said that there is little difference between HDMI cables.
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