By Luke Anderson

If you’ve ever worked at a retail store, you probably know that the margin on most types of cabling is huge. The store only pays a few bucks for that $15 ethernet cable you picked up (or just about any other kind), which is why they’re always suggesting you get one. If you do a lot of networking, you learn to make your own ethernet cables. This is good for two reasons, you make it the exact length you need and you save a lot of money. Well it seems that the same theory will soon be applied to HDMI cables.

Audioquest has announced a like of HDMI connectors that can be terminated by anyone with the right tools. The 19 wires that make up an HDMI cable might look a little daunting (an ethernet cable only uses 8), but their system works by splitting those into a set of 9 and one of 10. By crimping these separately, you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle. They even claim that crimping the wires produces a better signal than with current soldering techniques (take that Monster Cable!). We still don’t know anything about pricing, so it’s entirely possible that this sort of thing will cost more than pre-made cables, but hopefully that won’t be the case.

[ Audioquest ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Evan Ackerman

These corkscrewy cables are Flexicords, which can stretch out to 10 feet from their coiled length of about 1 foot. It’s designed to help keep things neat and tidy by keeping excess cable from lying around all over the place for you to trip over and fall and smash your head open. Flexicords aren’t sproingy; rather, they have “patent-pending Memory Cord™ Technology” that holds the cord in whatever position you bend it into, which opens up all kinds of exciting cordy art project possibilities. To recoil the cord, the Flexicord packaging includes a “simple recoiling tool” which is basically just a tube that you wrap the cable around.

You can get Flexicords in HDMI, S-video, composite, CAT5, and four flavors of 6 foot USB cables. They’ll be for sale in February online for a little bit more than you’d pay for an equivalent non-Flexicord cord.

[ Flexicord ]

By Luke Anderson

I’m nuts about cable management. I’ve spent several years as a network technician, and there’s nothing worse than trying to untangle a mess of cords. Everyone has their various methods for keeping everything nice and neat, though many people just start plugging things in and making sure that it looks good to the average passerby. Of course when it comes time to rearrange things, you’ve got a wonderful ball of cords that requires the assistance of a snake charmer to untangle. Whichever type of person you are, I’m sure that these Flexicords from E-Filliate will appeal to you.

Picture your average cable or cord, then cross that with a pipe cleaner. What you’re left with is a cable that when bent actually keeps its shape. That’s almost exactly what the Flexicords are. They come in a variety of sizes and flavors such as USB, S-Video, HDMI and more. These were just shown off at CES, so we don’t have any additional information on pricing or availability.

VIA [ GearLog ]

By Luke Anderson

In case you weren’t aware, any time that a retail employee tries to get you to upgrade to a “higher-quality” cable  for just about anything, they’re really just trying to rip you off. While there may be the slightest gain in signal quality, rarely is it ever worth it. Having worked at retail stores in the past, I can tell you that cables actually have the highest profit margin of almost anything else in the store, which is why they get pushed so much. Knowing that, you might look at these Free Angle HDMI cables from Panasonic and think that they do offer additional benefits.

Sure, there are some situations where you might need an angled cable, but most HDTVs that I’ve worked with don’t need them, even if they’re being installed directly onto a wall. If you don’t specifically need a cable that can adjust its angle, don’t waste your cash. You’ll be paying $60 for a 3-foot cable or $80 for a 6-footer.

[ Panasonic ] VIA [ Crave ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Sometimes even the smallest of innovations can make a big difference. Panasonic, a company that doesn’t normally come to mind when you think of cable makers, has quite literally developed a new twist on the HDMI cable. While current HDMI cables can require up to 9cm (3.54 inches) of space behind a flatscreen TV depending on where the connections are located, the new Panasonic Free Angle HDMI cable features a connector that can be swiveled 180 degrees, requiring only about 3cm (1.18 inches) of space. It doesn’t make a big difference if your flatscreen is sitting on a TV stand, but if you wanted to mount it on the wall, I imagine these would be extremely convenient. The cables should be available this August in either 1.5 meter (4.92 feet) or 3 meter (9.84 feet) lengths.

[ Pocket-lint - Panasonic launches "free-angle" HDMI ]

By Luke Anderson

I spent several years working as a network admin, and can vouch for the fact that having a bad cable can significantly degrade your performance. Of course, since most ethernet cable is the same, it’s really hard to find a crappy cable, unless it has been severely abused. So what, you might wonder, is the point of dropping some extra cash on a premium cable which promises better performance?

The short answer is that there really is no good reason. The long answer is the same, only with more words. Denon is selling Ultra Premium Link Cables which are supposedly crafted from “high-purity” copper, which is supposed to increase performance. Honestly, when it comes to Cat5 (or Cat6) cable, copper is copper. You’re not going to get any better performance because they have “better copper”.

The only thing that I see here that might make this stuff worth more than it’s run-of-the-mill competition is the fact that it is insulated. There are certain factors that lead to interference if your cable isn’t insulated. Of course since most of those factors include draping your cable over an air conditioner, or other device which consumes a lot of power, it’s really a moot issue.

So just how much does this extra-special networking cable run? Just $500 for a 1.5 meter cable. Seems like a steal to me.

[ Denon ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Luke Anderson

When you travel, how many gadgets would you say that you take with you? For me it just depends on where I’m going, but I always have my laptop, Nintendo DS, camera and phone, all four of which need power at some point or another. When I’m staying at a hotel room, there are usually only two outlets at most that are next to each other, which means that I have to go across the room to plug something in. This is why I could use a small power strip to carry around, and Monster has the best one I’ve seen.

Just look at it, it’s the perfect size to throw in your bag, and it gives you that one precious outlet that you always seem to need. You can pick one of these up for just $15, not too shabby.

[ Monster ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’re a musician, a DJ, or have to deal with AV systems on a regular basis you might be interested in the Electronic Musician’s Emergency Adapters kit. It’s basically just a nylon bag full of essential audio adapters you might not think you’ll need, but could end up saving your butt at one point. The idea was originally conceived by electronic musician Liz Mclean Knight, but to be honest anyone who does this type of thing for a living probably already has a similar collection on hand. Liz just had the idea to sell it as an emergency kit. And if you’re curious, here’s a run-down on what you’ll find in the bag.

(1) 1/8” male stereo plug <-> (2x) 1/8” female stereo jack
(1) (2x) mono RCA male plug <-> 1/8″ male stereo plug (6′ cable + hook & loop cable tie)
(2) 1/8″ male stereo plug <-> 1/4″ female stereo jack
(1) 1/8″ (2x) female stereo jack <-> 1/8″ male stereo plug
(2) 1/8″ female coupler
(1) 1/4″ male stereo plug <-> (2x) female stereo 1/4″ jacks
(1) 1/4″ male stereo plug <-> (2x) female stereo ¼” jacks (Y-cable) (2) 1/4″ male stereo plug <-> 1/8″ female stereo jack
(2) 1/4″ female stereo coupler
(2) XLR female jack <-> 1/4″ male stereo plug
(2) XLR male plug <-> 1/4″ male stereo plug
(2) RCA mono female jack <-> 1/4″ male stereo plug
(2) RCA mono female coupler

It even includes a small red LED flashlight attached to the drawstring which should help you find the adapter you’re looking for, even in a darkened theater or club.

While buying all of these adapters separately might actually be cheaper than the $65 they’re charging for the kit, it’s definitely not easier, which is probably the biggest selling point.

[ Electronic Musician's Emergency Adapters ] VIA [ Gear Diary ]