A few weeks ago, David from Optimization World contacted me and asked me if I was willing to review an HDMI cable from their website. I took a look at their site and decided that I would give it a try. He shipped me a 6 foot HDMI cable and I gave it a try.
The picture is from their website. Note – I received this cable free of charge from Optimization World.


Some basic facts about the cables – they are 28 gauge, gold plated, version 1.3, meaning that they support 1080P (most do). The rest of the specs are pretty standard – triple electromagnetic interference shielding, HDMI certified, HDCP compliant, backwards compatibility, supports all of the formats. The cable physically felt sturdy and like it could withstand wear and tear. The plugs are very stable and there have been no problems with them.


The cable costs $12.99 which is a great price. Relate that to a comparable (technical specification wise) Monster HDMI cable which costs at least $75 from Amazon and $100 from Monstercable.com. They are comparable stats, almost identical yet the cost is only a fraction. This is a great deal if you are looking for a quality cable that does a great job.


So, the cable itself. Now, I should explain my system. I have an Onkyo TXSR605 and run a Monoprice cable from the receiver to the TV. From my devices (cable box, Xbox, DVD player), I run HDMI cables to the receiver which is then ran to the TV, a Panasonic 42 inch plasma 720P TV ran in 1080I resolution for basically everything. I have a 7.1 surround system set up with Athena Speakers for all except the two front channels which are box speakers built by my roommate worth over $1100 each. My subwoofer is an Athena down firing 400W max subwoofer.


We ran the new cable from my Xbox, which is using some nondescript gold plated cable that came with my DVD player, an Oppo. There was definitely a sharper image than the previous cable and the details were much finer. The colors were comparable as was the hue, brightness and tint. There was no delay or anything noticed in the video image and the saturation was perfect. On a side note, I did plug in the cable from my DVD player to my own TV directly (a 37 inch Olevia 720P). I did notice that it was very bright but I have a strong feeling that it was due to the episode of the show that I was watching. Other than that, the picture was definitely better than the generic silver plated cable that I had used previously.


There was no video interference noted, nor was there any vertical tearing. The refresh rate was good and the cable ran great at both 720P and 1080I. There was no flickering either. In fact, I found no visual disturbances while I was using the cable and I have used it for the last few weeks.


The sound quality was also great. There were no problems with noise, even at relatively high volumes. The sound effects of the Xbox games were distinct and so was the surround replication. The media I used only supported Dolby Digital 5.1 but my receiver creates 7.1 channels out of it. I did not notice anything special about the audio but I also live in an apartment and avoid making it too loud because of neighbors (I am in a medical/nursing/physical therapy student apartment – so people might be studying).


Overall, the cable is a great deal. Pricewise, it cannot be beaten especially compared to Monster cables. There are other cheaper cable manufacturers out there for low prices but this is definitely one of the more trusted, reputable companies. I would recommend that anyone try out cables from Optimization World before deciding to purchase others.

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