A Monstrous Scam
This cable is actually worse than the cable that comes with the Xbox 360:
1. It does not have a true digital optical output. All of the photos on Amazon and Monster's website carefully conceal this fact. The cable actually has a standard mini-stereo analogue output jack, so the digital sound out of the Xbox is converted to a cheap analogue connection, and Monster then provides a little adapter that converts this back to a digital optical output. Do you want to convert your CDs to cassette and then back to MP3 files? That's essentially what Monster is doing here, and you don't find that out until you actually open the box and see what's inside. Of course it's cheap for them since they can also sell a standard analogue cable to plug into their output for people who don't have digital inputs on their amplifier, but it's a major ripoff for people who think that they're getting pure digital sound out of their Xbox 360.
2. But it gets worse. The component video connectors are the same as provided for free with the Xbox 360. I own real broadcast quality component cables, so I know what a well-shielded cable looks and feels like. A real, high-quality component cable is as thick as all three of these Monster cables together, and a set of broadcast quality cables of the same length is actually a little bit less expensive than the Monster cable. The Monster cables do not improve the picture compared to the free cables that come with the Xbox 360, and they are almost identical in thickness. The connectors at the end look a little nicer, but the end result is the same on screen. (Unfortunately, I can't find professional cables available with the Xbox 360 plug, so I can't use them with the Xbox 360).
In conclusion, the free cable that comes with the Xbox 360 has the same picture quality (very good, actually) and real optical digital output. These Monster cables have faked optical digital output with no improvement in picture quality. I would be very happy with the free Xbox 360 cables if the optical connection was secure. However, it's a bit loose, so my optical cable tends to fall out. The Monster cable doesn't even have real digital output, however, so it's not an improvement. For now I'll just push the connector back in on the free cables whenever it comes loose. Saves me $60 and keeps the pure digital sound.
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Not worth price
I am able to find general 50' premium component cables on the internet for less than this. I have this cable and it does function perfectly, but I simply cannot confirm that there is a significant difference in either audio or visual quality. Monster is a premium brand name, you will always pay a premium price for it. If you must have it, I strongly recommend finding this cable from a source cheaper than the $60 listed here. The actual cable that comes with the 360 is great in my opinion.
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