The company produces consumer electronics accessories including audio and video cables, headphones, speakers, remotes, power conditioner equipment and digital audio players accessories under a breadth of brands, including Monster Power, Monster Mobile, Monster Performance Car, Monster Game, Monster Photo, and M•Design. The company holds over 350 patents and offers more than 6,000 products for sale in more than 100 countries.

In November 2005, the company launched a music label, Monster Music, releasing audio recordings in high definition surround sound on DVD media.

On September 28, 2004 the company purchased the naming rights to the San Francisco 49ers stadium at Candlestick Park, and it was named Monster Park. The naming rights deal expired in 2008 and the name has reverted back to Candlestick Park.

History

Monster Cable Products (Monster) was founded in San Francisco in 1978 by musician and audiophile Noel Lee. The company is based today in Brisbane, CA, and has additional offices in Ennis (Ireland), London, and Hong Kong with about 650 employees, most of them in the US headquarters. The company is privately held, hence it does not publish its sales figures; however, industry sources estimate its annual revenue to be around US$500 million. Monster Cable Products, Inc. is currently incorporated in California.

In recent years, faced with increasing competition in the consumer electronics market and in an attempt to reduce costs, the company outsourced many of its production lines. This has resulted in several rounds of layoffs, resulting in a substantial reduction of its workforce.

Quality and pricing

Monster Cable and similar "boutique" cables are a substantial source of revenue for retailers of electronics such as DVD players and TVs. While the profit margins of DVD players and TVs may be low, the profit margins of Monster Cables and similar products provide supplemental revenue for these retailers. Employees of such retailers are trained to market and bundle Monster Cable and similar products so as to increase profitability.

Nevertheless, various reviews have reported that listeners and viewers are unable to tell a difference between substantially higher-priced Monster cables and inexpensive cables, In addition, opinions differ, especially for cables which carry digital signals such as HDMI cables. In one experiment, audiophile listeners could not distinguish between short Monster cables and ordinary coat hangers. Another reviewer concluded that "16-gauge lamp cord and Monster 1 cable are indistinguishable from each other with music."

Taxes & Corporate Location

While Monster Cable's is headquartered is in Brisbane, CA the company has been accused of tax dodging for having a Bermuda based holding company. Records show that Monster Cable Products, Inc. has been incorporated in California since its founding in 1978. Monster Cable Products, Inc. also hasa subsidiary, Monster, LLC, which is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Monster operates a distribution facility.