With so many connections to make, it's pretty easy to spend hundreds of dollars on cables to connect an entire system. So, when a cable company arrives that makes spectacular quality cables at reasonable prices, they should be applauded and the word spread so other home theater enthusiasts can benefit from their products.

One such cable company to arrive on the HT scene is Cobalt Cable out of Spokane, Washington. Cobalt Cable offers a full lineup of home theater cables, and HTadvice.com was eager to do a full system review of the following cables:

Model Line
One thing to understand about Cobalt Cable's model line is that they don't offer 15 different models for each type of connection, but rather offer one model for each connection type which can be configured at different lengths or with different connectors.

This is a welcome change from the status qou in the cabling industry, where multiple model lines are the norm, and the differences between connectors, cable quality, and technologies as abundant as the explanations why the extra cost is worth it. This consumer confusion doesn't help anyone, and Cobalt Cable's simplified model lineup is greatly welcome.

With Cobalt Cable you can rest assured that the cable you're getting is what Cobalt Cable deems to be the best cable, with the best connector, at the best price. Their zero confusion, high quality, and practicality of design, is what sets Cobalt Cable apart from the pack.

Build Quality
All of the cables reviewed have a rock solid build quality. Cobalt Cable differs from other cabling companies in that all their cable has a braided, black, nylon-like wrapping around the cable, which makes it easier to hide. The "hiding factor" is real welcomed design in a world where speaker cables are usually comprised of clear plastic surrounding shiny copper wire; which not only stands out like a sore thumb, but looks ugly to boot.

Each connector was terminated with unprecedented strength and rigidity. This strength ensures that the wire won't bend at hard angles against the connector, and that the cable won't pull away from the connector over time.

Connector tightness was one welcome change from the industry status quo as well. Cobalt Cable offers a nicely snug connection, but not one that's ridiculously tight as to cause concern when removing the cables from their connections. There has long been an industry push that the tighter the connection the better, but when you go to unplug a connection, you shouldn't feel like your going to break your components doing so.

The banana plugs used on the speaker cables were terminated with Vampire Wire banana plug connectors, which Cobalt Cable regards as the best banana plug connector available. It does strike on odd chord that you'd get a connector made by another cable company, but the quality of the cable was definitely apparent during the review.

Ergonomics
One wouldn't think ergonomics would play a vital role in cable design, but Cobalt Cable sets the standard for others to follow. The folks at Cobalt Cable definitely had their thinking caps on when it came to the ergonomics of their cables.

Color coding cables for easy hookup has long been done by having various color stripes on the cable connector; indicating either left or right, positive or negative, and most recently, the three different cables used in a component connection.

In the low lit and often cramped environments behind HT gear, it can often times be frustrating to just make the connection, let alone see the little color-coded stripe on the cable. Cobalt Cable's obvious remedy to this huge ergonomic nightmare will no doubt become the industry standard.

The solution: all Cobalt Cables have a 5-6 inch color-coded sheath at each connection end. If you can see the cable, you can see the color-coding. It's so obvious and simple; it's a wonder why this wasn't done before.

Audio Performance
The Cobalt Cable difference is pretty astounding since most cable reviews are usually dull or non-comparable. With most high-quality cable reviews, the difference among cables is pretty minimal.

One company's cable might be slightly smoother, and another brighter. With Cobalt Cable, the difference was almost like upgrading to high-quality cables for the first time, which is a pretty amazing feat.

Cobalt Cable's audio interconnects and speaker cables performed a tour de force on the HTadvice.com review systems. The audio connections provided sparkling highs and greater detail than the other high-end cables that previously connected the test systems. More notable is the fact the most of the previous cables cost anywhere from two to three times as much as the Cobalt Cable tested.

The Ultimate Subwoofer Cable was a definite standout as well. With Cobalt Cable's Ultimate Subwoofer Cable, the subwoofer was noticeably louder with greater impact and tightness. In fact, during recalibration, the sub had to be turned down dramatically to account for the difference the cable made.

When a jump in volume occurs when switching between cables, the cable that increases the volume imparts less resistance on the signal. And less is definitely more when talking about resistance and cables. The lure of less resistance, which leads to a purer signal, is the main reason to buy high-quality cables in the first place.

Cobalt Cable's interconnects and speaker cables offer such sparkling clarity and airiness, that Cobalt Cable is a no brainer recommendation for use in anyone's home theater. Cobalt Cable's high build quality, great ergonomics, and value pricing, gives stiff competition to any other cable brand out there.

Video Performance
Cobalt Cable's video connections are on par with other great video cables out there. Granted with Cobalt Cable you get the ergonomic advantages that no other cable brand really offers, but you get video performance one comes to expect from high-quality cables... flawless.

One thing you can show off is the fact the Cobalt Cable's component video cable, with its three video cables wrapped in black braided wrapping, is about the diameter of a garden hose. If you like showing off your cables to your fellow HT enthusiasts, Cobalt Cable's Ultimate Component Video Cable definitely has aesthetic bragging rights.

Other than that, Cobalt Cable's video cable performed flawlessly with both S-Video and Component Video connections. Given the high build quality and ergonomics offered in the entire lineup, you'd be hard pressed to find cables of similar total quality at twice the price.

Warranty
Cobalt Cable offers a great warranty on all of their cables. They offer a 90-day, full-refund warranty, plus a lifetime "no questions asked" exchange policy. So if any mishaps occur with your cables, such as any unfortunate run-ins with a pet, you can just send them back for a new set. This awesome warranty policy all but ensures your cable investment will be around for years to come.

The choice is relatively simple... get more, spend less, go with Cobalt Cable.

Availability
Cobalt Cable is a mail order direct company available online at www.cobaltcable.com or by calling toll-free at 877-6-COBALT.