Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Another "Monster Wires" View...........

Since the Monster Company has been beat to death, here over the years....
I wanted to respond with my view this time, to yet another "Monster bashing fest".

As many of you already know, I have used, and enjoyed their products for many years. I really don't get worked up about this subject, or the Monster Company, but I used to wonder what all the negativity was about....I mean, talk about bitter dreggs. I found it perplexing, as to why so many here in the past, could get so venomous, and rude over............wires.

I believe the truth is: PRICE!........NOT the aggressive trademark, and patent lawsuits, or the "improved sound" claims, most state as the reasons for their angry flames.
Sorry, but it's true..................otherwise so many here would not condemn "Monster cables", then turn right around... buy, and so often recommend "blue Jeans cables"....essentially,
the exact SAME product, (only cheaper, of course). That "sameness" is the stated reason for the legal action, after all.
I think, IF everyone were honest about this, it would be discovered that Monster's prices, are the true source of the rage.

There are some audio products I don't care for, or think are not all they claim................but I don't get obsessed about it....searching for negative web blurbs to post, and responding to each and every post about the subject, trashing the product, or company, telling everyone.....again, and again, and again.

So please, enough already, with the "Monster mash".

I didn't post this to defend the company, or torque anyone off.............It's just getting a wee bit old, thats all.

Price is definitely a big part of it. Why does the price being the major factor mean we can't talk about disliking them? It seems like that's as good of a reason as any.

Larry, even many of those who've bought in to the magic cable fantasy love to hate Monster. I've seen this on other audio forums from guys who proudly describe the wonders of cables that cost far more than Monster's already generally inflated prices. So no, I don't think that price is the main consideration, although it's certainly a factor.

To me it's the whole attitude Monster takes, which entails the price, the marketing, the lawsuits, etc. They try to put themselves up on a pedastal, once you do that people are bound to try to knock you down and they just seem too smug and full of themselves. I do not believe anyone has ever said they do not make a good product but it is overpriced and overhyped making for good bashing material.

I don't like their heavy-handed competitive marketing practices. I prefer to think a company would get ahead by offering superior products, excellent service or very competitive pricing...not "muscle" to try to put the smaller guys out of business.

But yes, my biggest hangup IS the price. Because when my sister, or neighbor, or nice little old lady down the street buy electronics they are told that expensive cables (especially Monster) make a difference and they, in my opinion, get ripped off because they are misled.

The reason it happens is Monsters' extremely aggressive approach to training store personnel, all fueled by the big money to be made at the expense of those unsuspecting customers.

The entire companies' success is based on making huge profits by misleading people.

What's not to dislike?

In my opinion its Monsters over aggresive corporate and sales training policies that makes them easy to dislike.

For me it's the moral issue of the inconsistent drivel that the kids in the stores get trained to say when I challenge them to explain why Monster Speaker cables will sound so much better and thus should pay 10 or 20 times more for it.

My favorite of all time is
"The outer strands are woven more tightly so that makes it easier for the higher treble sound's electrons to travel faster so everything is crisper."

First of all, I wouldn't want my treble sounds arriving out of sync with the bass sounds (if that were even possible.) Secondly, by faster, do you mean 'faster than the speed of light????' because that's pretty close to how fast electrons travel.

My second favorite answer,
"The tightly weaved outer core keeps the sound waves inside the separate inner core."
OK this guy obviously was trying to go down the road of 'less signal loss' but obviously didn't have a clue.

I'm not saying monster trained them to say these exact things. But they are creating an atmosphere where the less knowledgeable are forced to pass on or create fallacies to justify getting the bigger margin bonus at the end of the week.

Honestly, if somebody could spew out an aswer that started to make sense, I would take the time listen, evaluate and research and then decide for myself if it's worth the premium. But until that day, I consider Monster to be a moral marketing monster and I don't appreciate seeing people cheated of their money. Especially since the many of the people who get talked into it are people who can't really afford it in the first place.


Damn it, I swore to myself I wouldn't post on this thread.

My main issue is that they have a huge markup for their products and justify it by making false claims -- and sometimes outright misleading customers with rigged store displays.



Oh, and I do not think the ellipses....... mean........ what you think they mean.......

I think they are the places where you are supposed to insert Monster Marketing Catch Phrases.

OK Sorry, that was uncalled for.

There's a ton of content out on the web about this topic. I found one that sums it up pretty well: "Why People Hate Lawyers".

My favorite part, near the end:

But if Monster Cable is really concerned about protecting its trademark, it could start by protecting it from a consumer backlash against its bullying, strongarm tactics. Its legal team apparently believes that ski videos for kids and an old clothing shop represent a real threat. That it's necessary to crush little companies with no relevance to its business at all.

That's why people hate lawyers.