Monster iCable for iPod: High Quality 3.5mm Stereo Mini-Plug to RCA Pin Cable

The Monster iCable for iPod, an iPod-dedicated accessory cable recently released by American company Monster Cable, is in fact not limited to iPods — it can also be used as a general-purpose 3.5mm stereo mini-jack to RCA phono plug adaptor cable for connecting other digital audio players or high-quality portable players with a stereo mini-plug output to other audio equipment, mini systems, or car stereos, without compromising sound quality.

【国内正規品】 MONSTER CABLE Monster iCable for iPod オーディオケーブル AIC IP-7 JP

ブランド: MONSTER CABLE(モンスターケーブル)

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When integrating a high-quality portable digital audio player into a pure Hi-Fi system, the weak point tends to be the quality of the 3.5mm stereo mini-plug to RCA phono adaptor cable. Equivalent cables with red-and-white plugs can be found easily enough at electronics retailers, but in terms of sound quality, one cannot help feeling they leave something to be desired.

As of 2005, there are almost no high-quality stereo mini-plug to RCA phono adaptor cables on the market that can match the demands of pure Hi-Fi, and being someone who has a weakness for “affordable, good-sounding” audio cables of this type, I decided to go ahead and buy the Monster Cable for iPod and serve as a guinea pig. I purchased it from my usual supplier, ONKYO DIRECT. The listed price may look slightly high, but it includes consumption tax and shipping. Taking into account their returns guarantee and exclusive deals via their mailing list and so on, Onkyo — the import distributor — might well be the recommended place to buy Monster Cable. (Later note: From 2010 onwards, counterfeit Monster Cables, earphones, and headphones bearing non-existent model numbers — extremely expensive fakes — have been circulating on Yahoo! Auctions and elsewhere, so please do be careful.)

AUDIO STYLE

1）Beware of Counterfeits! This is important, so I’ll say it again. Beware of Counterfeits!

For the sound quality comparison, I used the British audio cable IXOS 109. For several years now it has served as the external input cable for my portable MD player, the Victor XM-R1, for use in the car, and has been my reference cable for car audio. It is already discontinued in Japan, but at the time of purchase it retailed for around ¥8,000. In Europe and America it apparently remains a current product (※as of 2005). Doing a comparison inside the car would be rather impractical, so I brought the XM-R1 and the IXOS 109 home and conducted a sound quality comparison against the Monster iCable for iPod on my main system.

First, appearances. Both cables are roughly the same thickness — quite slim for a high-end RCA cable of this type. The IXOS 109 has a wine-red vinyl jacket, while the iCable for iPod uses a Hex Mesh woven jacket. The RCA plugs on the Monster iCable for iPod are small but finished to a very high standard. The fit is quite tight, which makes plugging and unplugging from terminals unexpectedly awkward — a minor drawback. As for length, the IXOS 109 is 1 metre, and the Monster Cable for iPod turned out to be, rather to my surprise, 7 feet — approximately 2.1 metres. There was no indication of the total length on the website, so do take note. Honestly, I would have preferred a shorter version… With a cable more than twice as long, strictly speaking the iCable is at a slight disadvantage in terms of sound quality, but that is something to bear in mind rather than hold against it. In any case, the Monster iCable for iPod in person has a premium feel that belies its modest price.

So, first the IXOS 109. A sound I know well from countless hours in the car — the perceived frequency range is moderate, and in typical IXOS fashion it is slightly warm, smooth, and mellow. There is a certain softness in resolution and sharpness, but it is a European-flavoured tonal character that has an intuitive feel for what makes music engaging. Against IXOS’s own higher-tier RCA phono cables it naturally cannot compete, but for classical music — its subtle expressiveness and dynamic shading — even at entry-level, it offers a world of its own that sets it quite apart from domestic rival cables. As of 2014, the closest equivalent cable available in Japan in terms of sound character would perhaps be the Swedish SUPRA BiLine MP, which I imagine is even more delicate and leaning towards higher resolution than the 109.

SUPRA　BiLine MP-2.0m（2本1組）　高音質ステレオミニ-RCAオーディオケーブル　サエク　Biline-MP　SAEC

¥12,032 （2024/03/11 22:31時点 | Yahooショッピング調べ）

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This may well be a deliberate tonal design choice aimed at making the high-frequency distortion of AAC or MP3 compressed sources — as used with iPods, iPhones, and similar digital audio players — less noticeable. The extension of the low bass cannot compare to Monster’s higher-tier cables, but even so, the music’s structural framework sits on a tight mid-to-low bass foundation in a pyramid balance, and there is a sense of seriousness and solidity across the full frequency range, with a lively, vital beat to the sound.

Compared to the IXOS 109, which is slightly hazy in phase, the Monster cable sounds crisp and well-ordered — and the sense of “temporal accuracy” it conveys even at this price point is very much in keeping with the Monster Cable character. Also, in contrast to the direct, analogue-flavoured presentation, the ambient sound — the sense of space and reverberation — comes across as dry, bright, and colourful. One might say it is evocative of a California sound. For those who listen mainly to Western pop or rock, Monster Cable is without doubt the recommendation. For the lush, sensuous bloom of classical strings or vocal music, the IXOS 109 has the edge — but for focus and sonic accuracy, the Monster iCable for iPod wins out, and it has more than enough musical expressiveness and textural quality to go beyond mere technical performance, so all things considered, Monster Cable takes the overall victory. And so the IXOS 109 was duly retired from car audio duty. (※Afterwards, it has been in use for PC audio.)

I did wonder whether 7 feet might be a touch long for running from the (Nakamichi CD-35 car stereo) to the Victor XM-R1 MD player, but it seems the difference in sound quality from changing the cable far outweighs any concern about length. Incidentally, with inexpensive domestic 3.5mm stereo mini-plug to RCA phono cables of this type — it goes without saying, really — but I rather doubt they would be in the running at all, sonically speaking, in a pure Hi-Fi or aftermarket car audio context. (At 7 feet, when I later got an iPhone, it turned out to be exactly the right length for connecting the iPhone to the car stereo within easy reach.)

AUDIO STYLE

The NEO OYAIDE d+MYR Class B with a 3.5mm Stereo Mini Plug on One End Is Also Available ピュアオーディオ用途と云うよりは、どちらかと云うとクラブDJ御用達っぽいイメージで楽器系に販路が広い印象のOyaide NEO d＋RCAシリーズ。日本では高級ケーブルに埋もれ…

Monster Cable for iPod — a cable of this quality for just a little over three thousand yen. For anyone who owns a capable digital audio player or portable music player and wants to connect it to a pure Hi-Fi amplifier, mini system, or car audio with the best possible sound quality, this is something I can wholeheartedly recommend.