Thai firm’s cheaper cable better than most
Imports can’t match Merrexkable’s latest 8K-ready HDMI1 cable
Thai firm Merrexkable is marketing a high-performance electronics cable called the Merrex HDMI1 Decade Series V2.1 that will stream 8K-resolution video from your player to your TV.
Movie players and TV sets capable of handling 8K resolution won’t even be available until next year, but meanwhile you can use this cable to enhance the picture quality of 4K and Full HD movies.
The cable – produced just as Merrexkable marks its 10th anniversary, is also good for Dynamic HDR (high dynamic range) and Game Mode VRR (variable refresh rate). It reduces lag time during game play on highend gaming platforms.
At the same time, 4K HDR is becoming a popular format for movies you can play on the new 4K TV sets. This cable will make the picture quality much better, with more realistic colours, for example.
To stream a movie to your TV with optimal quality, you need a high-quality HDMI cable. The Merrex cable has the two HDMI heads soldered to it with silver to reduce resistance. The cable itself is high-grade (5N OFC purity) conductors with layers of PE foam insulation to improve the high-frequency response, ensuring wider bandwidth and efficient signal transfer.
The cable is also shielded against electro-magnetic interference by top-quality insulators in twisted pairs of wrappings.
Depth of view and details in the picture are enhanced and contrast boosted, while noise grain is minimised. The cable will handle HDMI Ethernet Link and Audio Return Channel as well.
For my test, I used the cable to connect the ASUS ZenBook 3 Deluxe UX490 also reviewed on this page to an LG SJ850T Super UHD TV.
The 4K HDR YouTube clips I streamed were really outstanding in sharpness and detail and the colours and contrast were great.
Then I connected a Vivo Cute HDD player to the same TBV set to play Full HD movies. The picture quality was noticeably better than when a normal HDMI cable was in use. The picture looked brighter and the colours were more saturated. Merrexkable’s signal cables are esteemed among HiFi and home-theatre users for their premium quality and more affordable prices than imported ones.
Merrexkable started making signal cables in March 2005, initially analogue audio cables, high-grade power cables and DVD component cables (back when DVD was preferred movie format).
In 2007 the firm started making HDMI Version 1.3c cables, of which the HDMI1 Flex Flat was the first. In 2009 came the HDMI2 Low Loss cable that supported HDMI Version 1.4.
Merrexkable has been a popular choice ever since and its HDMI cables are now its signature products.
The Merrex HDMI1 Decade Series V2.1 is much cheaper than any imported equivalent. The 1.8metre line costs Bt4,100, whereas an imported cable of the same quality would set you back Bt10,000 or more.
The 1.2-metre Merrex HDMI1 Decade Series V2.1 sells for Bt3,500, three metres for Bt5,100, five metres for Bt6,100, 10 metres for Bt9,100 and 15 metres for Bt11,600.
Key Spexcs
- Maximum data bandwidth: 48Gbps
- Video resolution supported: 8K, 4K, Full HD (1080P)
- Functions: HDMI Ethernet Link, Audio Return Channel, Dynamic HDR, Game Mode VRR
