Monoprice 138076 RCA Two-Channel Stereo Audio Cable Review

Folks, the day has come where I felt compelled to do a review of audio cables. Anyone who is familiar with my articles, or my online presence knows that I am very critical of those who extol the virtue of expensive cables.  I have always believed that cables can’t add any depth to your signal chain or make any audible difference in your system. I have disagreed with readers who claimed that their cables made an extraordinary difference in their listening experience. And I have poked fun at those who have made the significant investment in a quality audio cable.  So what has changed to make me write this article? Nothing!  I still don’t think that an audio cable should add anything to your signal chain, and if it does, it’s defective. But I needed some 3’ cables for my system and at $17.99 per set ($20 on Amazon), the Monoprice 138076 RCA cables don’t break the bank, and the quality is outstanding.  Plus they come with a lifetime warranty. 

Monoprice 138076 RCA Cable Build Quality

So let’s start by saying that these are some beefy cables.  They are made from RG-6/U with double copper braid shielding, which should eliminate any EMI or RFI interference present. The Monoprice 138076 RCA cables are in-wall rated. They come in lengths from 3’ to 25’. 

The Monoprice 138076 cables are wrapped in a very premium-looking black braided nylon and are terminated with some equally beefy gold-plated RCA male connectors and are solidly connected with a hex set-screw.  The connectors do come with the Monoprice logo silkscreened onto them, but with some precision Sharpie application, you can remove that and easily convince people you paid $100 (or more) per cable! 

The Monoprice 138076 RCA cables are paired together at each end with a simple piece of heat-shrink. If you want to use these cables individually, a quick snip of the scissors and they are single cables. 

The connection is solid, which is the main reason I went looking for new cables. My current RCA cables didn’t have a solid collection and tended to unplug themselves when I dusted the back of my AVR, so this was a dealbreaker.  The gold-plating just makes them fancier! 

Edit: The cables have a locking feature. Once you plug them in, you can lock down the connections by screwing the base of them down!

The only thing that I can say is bad about these cables is that they do not come paired as a white and red cable. So this means that analogue users are going to have to pay attention when they plug them in. No biggie in my opinion. 

The Sound

So I added this just to be a jerk. There is no sound difference. They transmit the sound from my CD player to my Denon and don’t add ANYTHING! Exactly what I expected of them, and need them to do.

The Good

• Quality built and premium feel
• In-wall rated
• Comes in length from 3’ to 25’
• Lifetime warranty 
• Reasonably priced 

The Bad

• No left and right channel markings 

The Ugly

• People will see these cables and assume you overpaid for them and call you the A-word

Our Take 

Looking for a very high-quality, low-cost cable that comes with a lifetime warranty? If so, the Monoprice 138076 Male RCA Two-Channel Stereo Audio Cable (the name just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?) is the cable for you. Priced at $17.99 for the 3’ and up to $25.49 for 25’ the Monoprice 138076 is a must-have.