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my Monster Cable has turned green

770Hardtop

770Hardtop

New Member
HI - if this question has been posted previously, please tell me where, thanks.

my 6m of Monster Cable that I have had for at least 20 years has gone totally green (a nice emerald green) along its entire length and circumference. Took some plastic sheath off (with difficulty) and as I assumed, found it is the copper oxidisation throughout. A very knowledgeable guy I met says it is stuffed and to throw it out, that the copper has fully oxidised all through and not just the surface. What he said makes sense to me but I would like several other opinions from other experts on this before I discard it. Has it lost its ability to properly conduct sound frequencies as it used to? It still sounds ok to me on various speakers but I am no audiophile (not yet anyway!)

thanks.
 
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I have some I bought in the early 80's and it has turned green as well . And like you , I can hear no difference . But , I am not a big believer in cables having different sound .
 
I'd say you got your money's worth after 20 years, throw it away and get a better cable. Visit your local shop and see what they have.
 
Actually, IIRC, the Monster cable of that era had a chlorine in the plastic, which off-gassed and caused the corrosion. Other manufacturers used different dielectric, without the adverse effects.

The oxides are relatively less effective conductors than the metal. If you can clean the wire at the point of connection, you may be good for a while. If the corrosion continues, you might end up with a discontinuity in the wire.

For the price of similar 16 ga. wire, <30¢ per foot, new, in 100 ft spools, I'd replace it, for peace of mind. In fact, I got XLO 14 ga. at my local dealer's shop for <$1/ft, for the 24 ft I needed, for a high-current setup.
 
Monster does or did have a lifetime warranty on cables, don't know if the same holds true with speaker wire.
 
I had the same issue a few years ago with a 20 some year old set of Monster cables. I called the company and got a free set of replacement cables.
Since then I have read the following from Roger Russell's web-site:
I had some of this wire for about 6 months and noticed it was turning color. Now it has turned a very pronounced green on the surface of the copper wire, indicating a chemical interaction with the insulation and the copper. A new piece of wire is at the right for comparison. Although the wire may not corrode any further, it doesn't inspire confidence, particularly if the insulation comes close to the connecting terminals.
 
zebra03 said:
I have some I bought in the early 80's and it has turned green as well . And like you , I can hear no difference . But , I am not a big believer in cables having different sound .
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Cable_Products

In one experiment conducted by a customer, audiophile listeners could not distinguish between short Monster cables and ordinary coat hangers.[10]

Another reviewer concluded that "16-gauge lamp cord and Monster [speaker] cable are indistinguishable from each other with music."[11]
 
I doubt it's corroded through the cable, but a simple "snip" will answer that question.
 
I'd check it with an ohm meter, call/email the manufacturer and see if they'll replace it. If not, replace it anyway; at this point it doesn't owe you anything.
 
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770Hardtop said:
HI - if this question has been posted previously, please tell me where, thanks.

my 6m of Monster Cable that I have had for at least 20 years has gone totally green (a nice emerald green) along its entire length and circumference. Took some plastic sheath off (with difficulty) and as I assumed, found it is the copper oxidisation throughout. A very knowledgeable guy I met says it is stuffed and to throw it out, that the copper has fully oxidised all through and not just the surface. What he said makes sense to me but I would like several other opinions from other experts on this before I discard it. Has it lost its ability to properly conduct sound frequencies as it used to? It still sounds ok to me on various speakers but I am no audiophile (not yet anyway!)

thanks.
Click to expand...

Call Monster. They replaced mine, and did the same for a few other AKers here.

je
 
Thanks for everyone's experience, advice and comments. Much appreciated. I'm glad i'm not the only one where t his has happened. The most obvious reason I can now see is that of the chlorine used in the plastic sheath that has released gas. I cannot see any more logical reason for absolutely the entire outer surface area to go green. In my opinion and observation, the plastic sheath could not have allowed moisture or contaminants in - the copper is so well sheathed as to be virtually integral with the plastic - I found this when I tried to strip some sections. In any case, evenif moisture or whatever was allowed in at some point, it would not affect 100% of the copper area.

I tried the Snip test from "The X" , yes it has started moving inside but I estimate about <10% of the outer layers. However that shows it is not confined to the surface - however I doubt it would be discernible to the ear, unless this corrosion affects the join at the terminal ends, which was mentioned and is a very valid point. Thank you

I read the cunningly biased Wiki entry and I would have to agree that there is considerable controversy over the claims of improved sound compared to other cables or conduit. From reading about some of the aggressive litigation over just the 'Monster' name (directed at companies from any industry) I would now say I would never purchase another Monster product.

Well it looks like I won't throw it out - this cable can be demoted to the car audio system! And just today I had a win - I purchased 5 meters of used Naim speaker cable for only $50. New, this was retailing in the UK for 20pounds per meter (US$35). It is a directional cable too - a certain end has to be connected to the speakers. It has separated +ve and -ve cords (like old antenna cable) and looks a quality product

As for contacting Monster Inc and seeing if a replacement is possible - not sure...in Australia, you always need a receipt/proof of purchase before this occurs - and that has long gone after 20 years. I suppose i could write to Monster in Ca. Couldn't hurt.

Apologies for long reply!
 
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