Do More Expensive HDMI Cables Actually Make A Difference?

Whatever difference more expensive cables can or cannot make in analog applications, the fact of the matter is that the digital realm is much different. Digital is much more all or nothing: Either it works or it doesn't. If you're old enough, think about how, before the 2009 American transition from analog over-the-air television broadcasts to digital, you could get a very iffy but still potentially watchable signal with a weak signal. With digital over-the-air TV, you can't do that. If you come in below 50 percent signal strength or thereabouts, you're unlikely to get an usable picture. It'll either have a nonexistent picture or behave like a heavily buffering streaming internet video. None of this means that quality doesn't matter in digital cable standards like HDMI, just that, past a certain point, it doesn't really matter.

If you go to Best Buy's website, search for "HDMI cable," and sort by highest price, you'll see HDMI cables from companies like AudioQuest that sell in the low to mid four figure range, even for normal cable lengths like five to 10 feet. Being available so prominently naturally leads to the question of if these cables are worth the price or one just an example of audiophile snake oil. The short version is that they don't affect picture/sound fidelity, but it's more complicated than that, as long runs of HDMI benefit from better quality control and boosted signals. With that in mind, let's look at what's actually known about the most expensive HDMI cables available.

At least when it comes to hoity-toity HDMI cables from expensive audiophile cable companies like AudioQuest or WireWorld, you can generally work under the assumption that they're not worth the outrageous expenditure in cash at all. In 2016, YouTube Linus Tech Tips did some unscientific testing using a $1,000 WireWold cable and found no discernible difference in audio or visual fidelity. That was followed by a more scientific 2021 test using a professional cable testing device. Though nothing particularly expensive was tested, their findings confirmed the conventional wisdom you'll find in most "Are expensive HDMI cables better?" articles that you'll read online: That cable quality starts to matter more as you get into longer runs of cable and that signal boosting can help a lot in that area.

Various articles from professional tech and A/V publications back up Linus's findings. "If you have a 4K TV but don't have a 4K120-capable gaming system and don't plan on keeping your home theater components too far away, nearly any HDMI cable you buy new will work for video content," reads one PC Mag article. In other words: Just make sure that you're buying brands known for quality, and you should be fine, even in edge cases. Digital Trends, meanwhile, spoke to Jeff Park, Senior Technical Manager for HDMI Licensing, LLC, who drew similar conclusions. "Price is not really indicative of signal quality; they're not related at all. What determines quality is your source material," he said.