Ixos XHT458-100 HDMI-HDMI 1 Metre Cable

I have used and tested many makes of HDMI cables and can say that nothing has beaten the Ixos XHT458 HMDI cat2 v1.3. Many cables are let down by their connector housing where the least bit of stress or strain can cause a weakness in the connection, but the Ixos XHT 458 has a quality zinc cast design which does not flex with any movement or vibration. This also increases noise rejection properties at the plug. Typically at the back of an electrical component there are many electromagnetic (EMI) interferences due to the power supply. The cast metal plug rejects EMI much better than a (rubber) molded plug with an inner aluminum foil shield. Often the foil is ripped during the injection molding process allowing noise to enter.

Like any basic raw material used in industry, there are many grades of copper quality and the material used here is PC-OFC which is the highest grade of copper available with the lowest levels of impurity, and not surprisingly it comes at a price. PC-OFC has the longest crystals of copper with the least amount of breaks due to fewer impurities, resulting in a smooth channel for the electrons to flow through the conductor.

Removing such impurities comes at a high industrial cost. So the higher quality copper used usually means the higher the price of a true quality cable. Ixos has 2 ranges of cable higher than this one, which would be using extremely high-grade copper, but by utilizing these you will be approaching professional studio quality, probably being incapable of being recognized with home cinema equipment.

The gold plating used on the pins is a full 24k Gold quality and the reason for this is to protect against oxidization (rusting). If oxidizing is permitted to develop this will decrease the conductivity and in turn will decrease the rate of transfer of all transmitted signals.

Many cheaper cables are guilty of producing cross talk, but on the Ixos the pc board has increased the distance between the soldered pins. By increasing the distance between the conductors greatly reduces the possibility of signals tracking between one conductor to another, which is known as FEXT (far end cross talk). This stability is extremely important on a digital signal.

I smile to myself when people write about expensive cables being overpriced, but perhaps this brief precise might explain as to why some cables are much dearer than others, and why it is not necessary to go to the most expensive on the market as enthusiasts with a home movie setup could not possible appreciate what the top quality cables can produce. Just leave them to the professionals in recording studios - you really do get what you pay for!

The visual improvement is very noticeable. Without a shadow of doubt the Ixos XHT458 is a solid reliable and high-end performer.

A lot of semi-correct info from the previous reviewer (most of it relevant to analogue cables) Copper with bigger crystals? Its a solid metal (one large crystalline structure, with no breaks). A materials science lesson needed there. Each strand of copper is considered one solid piece from end to end with no breaks in the structure- that's why it conducts well. Copper purity to the ultra pure grades is far more important in an analogue cable. With a digital signal, a 1 is a 1 and a 0 is a 0.

Ixos makes good stuff, but all you're paying for here is the build quality. Expensive cables make a huge difference on analogue signals, but very little difference on digital ones, for short lengths at least.

If your cable isn't faulty, and you keep your power cables as far away from your HDMI cables as is practical behind a telly then a 12 quid lead will give the same performance as a 100 quid lead.

(electromagnetic radiation from a 240V power source diminishes over a few centimetres).

So may blind tests have been done on HDMI cables and they prove that a defect free cheap cable with reasonable shielding will perform as well as a dear one. Pay the extra if you're a believer in more expensive = better. A 300 quid blu ray player with a 12 quid lead will give a better picture and sound than a 100 quid player and a 50 quid lead through your telly.

This cable is well made (I was bought one as a present), but performs no better than a 12 quid one I have on another player.