Audioquest Diamond would be a good choice. If the price is too high, Purist and Crystal Cable are also very good.
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I have been using Wireworld Starlight with my Sony 4K TV and Oppo UDP-203. No issues with 4K handshake and PQ/AQ is the very best. The cable comes with locking plugs for very secure connection. They are not cheap but one of the very few certified 4K spec cables available today. Some may suggest that almost all HDMI cables are Made in China and rest is all marketing gimmick. I suggest you to buy couple of brands and let your ears and eyes guide you on the very best cable in your setup. |
I like the inexpensive powered HDMI cables from Monoprice - Redmere? May have the name wrong. I paid $xxxx for an HDMI cable with magic wire from a dealer for my universal player to my flatscreen The thing wouldn't even pass a signal. I used the stock cable that was too short and it did fine. I returned the megabucks cable and the dealer told me my player firmware was bad, and so on. He gave me another one to try. Nope. As I understand it all other things being equal the key condition is that all of the "bits" in parallel get there at the same time. This is analogous to copper and fiber "repeaters" on the phone network and internet. The Redmere uses power/and a chip to achieve this. With an 18MHz bandwidth all the bits had better get there at the same time for a lustrous picture. One doesn't need expensive gold or silver wire for a digital signal. Save your money - try a Redmere. |
I used to use the Redmere cable for my plasma TV, and it's very good (especially for the money). On the advice of a fellow Audiogon member, I tried an HDMI cable from ApolloAV. (the 1.4 version not the 2.) that is silver plated copper and sells for $20.00. It bested the Redmere very noticeably. A good friend recently sent me the link above for the D Tech cable and said it was even better than the Apollo. I bought one and he was correct. Try one. It's a no brainer for the money. |
I use a 33 foot Redmere for my video processor to projector run. I had to do this because another 23awg Beldon cable wasn't working. Though, I don't know about using Redmere for short run or audio purposes. That being said, I recently discovered that a lower cost Beldon cable was not performing properly. A 5 foot Beldon Series FE cable that is supposed to be "Premium certified" to support 4K and 18Gbps bandwidth was actually smearing the sound when just using 1080p resolution and normal old compressed dolby digital. I'm was originally using this Neotech cable: I went back to using this and it removed all the smeared audio effect. Audio was crystal clear using this cable. It's only just a "HDMI 1.4" certified cable, but it still is sonically superior to the Beldon. One thing I have figured out here is that silver/silver-plated makes a significant difference for digital/hdmi cables. The Wire World stuff may be better than my Neotech, but I haven't felt a need to go that direction yet. |
I have just ordered Mediabridge HDMI Cable from amazon for my new Apple TV 4k after going through these few recommendations https://www.indabaa.com/best-hdmi-cables-apple-tv-4k/ |
I faced the same questions about 5 years ago when I tried a Mapleshade ViviLink cable for about $165. I had a couple of PS-Audio's I2s all-silver HDMI cables that retailed for around $1k/meter and it was no contest. I recently moved and needed to combine my HT and stereo systems in one room. The main HDMI cable is the run from LG OLED tv to the Yamaha receiver that is in place as a DAC and HDMI switching role. I also have one to connect an OPPO 95 dedicated to Blue rays. The rest of the system is far more refined since the last time I tested these HDMIs against each other. Mapleshade's wires are a little flimsy and are VERY directional, but they are still the best I have seen in my own system. |
For 4k the quality of hdmi does matter: http://archimago.blogspot.nl/2017/01/quickie-post-yes-cables-matters-for.html |
I have been through a dozen high end HDMI cables, purely for Videophile useage, not audio. Most made no difference. Some expensive cables were worse than stock (Chord HDMI Active, i'm looking at you). But the best was the Mapleshade Vivlink 2 with Plus Upgrade. And its affordable. Only negative is Mapleshades usual ridiculous construction technique, but that is a necessary part of their performance. |
It really depends on cable length. For 3-6 feet any decent cable will do. For lengthier ultra HDMI certified (Blue Jeans and others mentioned) will be more solid choice. But from 20 feet and up - no copper wire will push "full 4K resolution", ie. 18Gbps. Only newest active fiber optics cable would work without Metra Gigabit Accelerator I changed 2 monoprice Redmere and Audioquest Forest cables before I finally got full 4K to my projector via 50 feet HDMI - RUIPRO HDMI Fiber Cable. For more information -avsforum has huge thread dedicated to tests of HDMI cables throughput, guys did an amazing job measuring and comparing, an absolute impossibility in audiophile world. |
For Audio, DEFINITELY, Purist Audio Design HDMI.They have a Smooth, Full detailed sound without any brightness or harshness.You cannot go wrong with the Purist HDMI Technical Specifications Design Goals:-------------------------------------ULTRA High performance to cost ratio Conductor:-----------------------------------------Single crystal copper Shielding Level:----------------------------------Triple Gauge:----------------------------------------------24 AWG Bandwidth:-----------------------------------------340 Mhz (10.2 Gbps) HDMI Certified:-----------------------------------Yes HDMI Spec:----------------------------------------1.4 High Speed HDMI Compliant with all versions of HDMI:--------Yes CE Compliant:-------------------------------------Yes Material Treatment:-------------------------------Triple (3x) Cryomag Overall Diameter:----------------------------------10 mm CL2 (In-WAll):---------------------------------------Yes Supports TrueHD & DTS-HD:-------------------Yes Supports SACD:------------------------------------Yes Supports DVD Audio:------------------------------Yes |
I use any HDMI cable that is premium certified, as indicated by the logo: https://www.hdmi.org/manufacturer/premiumcable/faq.aspx |
Irrespective of HDMI cable I’ve used over the past few years, what’s taken my Samsung F8000 HDTV’s picture to a much higher level of sharpness, color presentation, etc., and gotten many compliments, including from the cable guys, is the Jensen VRD-1FF CATV isolator - http://www.jensen-transformers.com/product/vrd-1ff/. It installs before the cable box. |
CATV isolators almost a must - cable and dish companies often use separate grounding (as well as roof OTA antenna) for safety reasons, and as result unavoidable ground loops and hum of various degree. So I would install it no matter what. The only issue is dish, powered by receiver - then you will have to install separate power supply for your antenna, as isolator will break low volt signal coming from receiver to dish. Satellite service provider installed separate power for me for free by my request. |
I have another observation - most UHD players and even OPPO 105 have separate outputs for HDMI video 4K and audio. In theory it is done to support older receivers/processors, which do not have 4K pass-through. In practice it has a lot of other applications and implications, but in my experience separating audio signal (it does send video as well, but lower resolution) from video yealds a touch better sound for concert disks, May be it is a placebo effect, dunno, |
I have just now found few good quality HDMI cables and ordered amazon High-Speed HDMI Cable. The cable is capable to support bandwidth up to 18Gbps. |
I have excellent results with the Audioquest Carbon HDMI Cable, one of their newer HDMI cables controlled for directionality and with silver content in the connectors. I am using the Carbon with my new LG HDTV and LG Blu Ray player. Spectacular picture. I am also using contact enhancer on the pins and ground. |
I purchased, and then returned a set of Mapleshade Plus HDMI and digital coax about a year ago. The connector fit was extremely loose on the HDMI and caused digital boxes to form in a scene displaying a treeline, where my other HDMIs did not. There was obvious fuzziness in certain spots of various scenes. The digital coax was the exact opposite. Its fit was FAR too tight, and it transmitted no signal. Again, where my other coaxs had no issue. Obvious quality controls issues at Mapleshade. I did keep their Clearview double helix plus speaker wire and antistatic brush, which have both been excellent at their price point. I reverted to the MC Ultra black HDMI, which is no joke excellent, but I could not recommend at their retail price. Bought them cheap at auction. |
Awhile back, I mentioned the Jensen CATV filter. I had a pair of Mapleshade Vivilink 2+ at the time and initially had problems using them with the Oppo 203. At the time, I and those on the Oppo owners forum thought it a 1.4 vs. 2.0 problem. I don’t know if firmware updates or changing cable boxes fixed it, but by the time I got them back from Mapleshade, they worked. That led me to compare them with decent store bought and Monoprice cables, and I couldn’t see a difference. That’s testament to the Jensen filter (I wouldn’t think it applies to OTA, but don’t know). That’s video only. The best audio I’ve heard from both cable TV and Oppo, both via a DirectStream dac, are the silver cables formerly sold by PS Audio. (Suggestion to Mapleshade owners: If something needs return for technical support, ignore what it says on their website and always send it through the main location, not directly to Pierre S. That way it’s recorded in their system and they feel responsible. I didn’t, and had to threaten to go to the MD Attorney General to get the main office’s full attention and my cables back from Pierre seven months later.) |
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