Blue Jeans Cable
Video Cables
Reviewer: Shane Mattson
Review Period: 12/15/05-->12/31/05
Product Description:
Custom manufactured audio/video cables
available direct from the manufacture via the Internet.
About Blue
Jeans Cable:
Everything you
want to know about the company can be found here.
Evaluation
System (Video Components)
Denon DVD-2900 Universal Player used as a video transport outputting 480i
TAW ROCK+ Scaler/Processor running software version 2.74
Panasonic PTL-300U LCD Projector
PS Audio Ultimate Outlet power conditioner.
Build quality, first impression:
Blue Jeans Cable manufactures an assortment of
audio/video cables and sells them at extremely competitive prices. No, these cables
are not labeled as exotic however their performance is comparable to some of the most
premium (and expensive) cables available.
This review will focus on their video line of
cables. They have just about every type of cable an enthusiast would be looking
for. Component, RGBHV, DVI, Composite, RF, S-Video, HD15, and HDMI. Any
combination of terminations is also available. For instance, I ordered three 2 foot
lengths of Belden Brilliance 1694 (unbundled
component video cable) with male RCA connectors on one end and male BNC's on the
other. This eliminated the need for a female RCA to male BNC adapter for connection
to my video processor, which uses all female BNC's. Blue Jeans also offers several
breakout adapters. You can decide whether or not you want a custom made or
pre-assembled breakout adapter with flavors such as an RBGHV to HD-15 or component video
to HD-15. If you have a specialized application and need something custom made do
not hesitate to contact Blue Jeans Cable.
All of the cables are shipped in a basic shipping box
and arrive with no frills packaging. Your hard earned money is not wasted on fancy
packaging, which is quite common in the audio/video cable market. Terminations are
made using a Swiss-built computer-controlled stripping machine and 3-ton pneumatic presses
providing the most accurate and consistent termination possible. Blue Jeans is also
a certified Belden assembler, an honor shared by only a handful of companies. What
once started out as a small venture for Blue Jeans has literally exploded into becoming
one of the largest online suppliers of custom built A/V cables. Their cables are
extremely well manufactured and will most certainly last the test of time in your a/v
system.
Performance:
I ordered and installed a 20 foot RGBHV (Belden
Brilliance 7712A) cable terminated with male BNC's between my TAW ROCK+ video processor
and LCD projector. On the projector end I used a Blue Jeans RGBHV to HD-15 breakout
adapter in order to connect to the projector's VGA input. As mentioned earlier, I
also installed three 2 foot runs of Belden
Brilliance 1694 between my Denon 2900 DVD player
and TAW ROCK+. One word can be used to describe the results:
Astonishing. There was no noticeable video noise induced into the signal despite the
20 foot run between the processor and projector. Color saturation was outstanding
and the overall picture looked phenomenal. BRAVO Blue Jeans Cable!
Amazing, for under $300.00 I was able to purchase all
of the cables listed above including the breakout adapter. Blue Jeans Cable proves
that using properly terminated high quality broadcast rated cable can indeed compete with
the most exotic a/v cables on the market at a fraction of the price!
Product comparison:
Blue Jeans component cables (Belden Brilliance 1694 with Canare
terminations) $36.50 2/ft set against Audioquest's YIQ5-5 $650.00 1 meter set (on loan
from a friend).
I extensively A/B'd the two sets of cables between my
DVD player and video processor using several DVD titles including the AVIA and Video
Essentials calibration DVD's. After an exhaustive comparison I concluded that there
is no noticeable difference between the two sets of cables. Color vibrancy and image
detail was identical between the two cables and with the naked eye I could not discern any
differences using several test patterns from the calibration DVD's. This doesn't
mean there may not be a measurable difference, however my subjective opinion is that there
was not a noticeable difference between them. I was absolutely floored by the
performance of the Blue Jeans Video Cables.
Final
Thoughts:
There isn't too much to add here. Blue Jeans
Cable has something magical going on in the world of high performance audio/video
cables. Their products are very well built and perform like the exotics at nowhere
near the cost. Customer service is outstanding which is quite rare these days,
especially when dealing with an Internet based company. Even though my review
focuses on their video products, I would assume that their audio products perform just as
well. I highly recommend Blue Jeans Cables.
For more information visit www.bluejeanscable.com
Shane Mattson
Founder, Soundreproduction.com
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