[el_matt0]

basic question, whats the general concensus..is coaxial or toslink optical the preferred means of connecting the digital output of a CDP to the digital input of a DAC? for me in specific, the particular components in question are a Cambridge Audio Azur 640c to my zhaolu dac (soon to be an Opus dac i think). the logic should apply to any cd player or dac though. i dont know if the distance of the connection is an issue, but in my case its just a short distance, so that isnt a concern. im currently using a glass optical cable which i believe to be of at least "decent" quality. i purchased it off another head-fi member, it has chromed silver barrel connectors that say "glass optical cable" on them in a white silkscreen. are there any cables in particular i might look into trying out? im not a huge advocate of spending TONS on cables, but if a cruddy cable is holding my system back i have no problem with trying something new!

 

[infinitesymphony]

Coaxial, because the transmission standard is less complicated and suffers less from potential jitter. However, if you have ground loop problems between components (which normally should not occur), you'll want to use TOSlink since it's not an electrical connection. This is one reason that many people advocate optical for connecting a PC sound card's digital output to a DAC or receiver; the electrical noise from the PC can leak onto the coaxial digital output, possibly to a greater extent than that of TOSlink.

 

[el_matt0]

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinitesymphony /img/forum/go_quote.gif Coaxial, because the transmission standard is less complicated and suffers less from potential jitter. However, if you have ground loop problems between components (which normally should not occur), you'll want to use TOSlink since it's not an electrical connection. This is one reason that many people advocate optical for connecting a PC sound card's digital output to a DAC or receiver; the electrical noise from the PC can leak onto the coaxial digital output, possibly to a greater extent than that of TOSlink.

thanks, quite informative, and confirms a few things i already suspected. would just your standards bluejean audio coaxial cable with canare f12 connectors do the trick just fine, or should i perhaps look to upgrading slightly? if so, recs?

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by el_matt0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks, quite informative, and confirms a few things i already suspected. would just your standards bluejean audio coaxial cable with canare f12 connectors do the trick just fine, or should i perhaps look to upgrading slightly? if so, recs?

I have one of BJC's typical Belden 1694A into Canare RCAPs and have absolutely no urge to upgrade. It seems to me that if a company is using quality cable (with listed specifications) and construction methods (including solderless crimping of the connectors with manufacturer-sourced machinery), there isn't much else you could want.

It depends on your philosophy, but from my perspective, BJC is the end of the line in terms of cable upgrades. If I want something different or of similar quality for cheaper, I'll probably DIY it rather than spending more on an expensive cable with questionable specs.

 

[OverlordXenu]

It doesn't matter, but I'd use coaxial as it would be less prone to break compared to glass toslink.

 

[IPodPJ]

Coaxial is typically the better choice. It suffers from less jitter potential. And also (something I don't see mentioned much around here) many optical outputs are limited to 96 kHz whereas Coax go up to 192 kHz and higher. This may not always be the case, but I know it happens to be the case with my soundcard (ESI Juli@) and with many other products as well.

 

[el_matt0]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPodPJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Coaxial is typically the better choice. It suffers from less jitter potential. And also (something I don't see mentioned much around here) many optical outputs are limited to 96 kHz whereas Coax go up to 192 kHz and higher. This may not always be the case, but I know it happens to be the case with my soundcard (ESI Juli@) and with many other products as well.

didnt know that, thanks

 

[socrates63]

The technical merits have been explained in the previous posts so no comment there (not that I could even if I wanted to).

Bottom line -- in my experience, coax sounds better than optical. Get both and try for yourself. Toslink cables are fairly cheap.

 

[xenithon]

Surprisingly (?) my experiences have been different. Coax is "theoretically" better, but I have always prefered optical - it sounds better to me.

Apologies in advance OverlordXenu, it's purely subjective so no DBT done

 

[theadmans]

For years I have been using a decent quality QED digital coaxial lead to link my Marantz CD63 Ki Signature to my Cambridge Audio Dacmagic DAC. However, recently the coaxial socket on the Marantz started to get crackly. So I switched to using Optical Toslink and if anything the sound quality seems better.

I also found further suppport for the idea of using the optical input on my DAC on this Diyaudio thread :

diyAudio Forums - Cambridge Dacmagic problem.

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OverlordXenu /img/forum/go_quote.gif It doesn't matter, but I'd use coaxial as it would be less prone to break compared to glass toslink.

It certainly does matter. Based on the comparisons I've done, a well made coaxial cable will outstrip any optical cable with a CD transport. Now, I have no idea as to the scientific reasoning behind this, but have been told that it may have something to do with the poor way that most products implement the optical receiver and likely has little to do with the different cables. That may well be the case, and in a way, would make us both right.

The only instance where I have found optical to be superior is in a computer as source system. I would guess that this is because the optical cable does not pick up on the noise from the computers switching power supply, but again, I am not completely sure on that.

 

[OverlordXenu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by socrates63 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The technical merits have been explained in the previous posts so no comment there (not that I could even if I wanted to). Bottom line -- in my experience, coax sounds better than optical. Get both and try for yourself. Toslink cables are fairly cheap.

I agree, the 1s are much blacker over coaxial. Optical's 0s are too fast.

 

[jaduffy007]

coaxial. That's why I'm bummed I'm stuck with optical. I actually prefer AES/EBU in general, but that's another story.

DH Labs. Affordable.
DH Labs Silversonic - Products - D-75 Digital Innerconnect Cable

If you can use BNC connectors...even better since they are true 75ohm. RCA's are not. I *think* DH Labs tries to minimize this issue. Ask them.

Easier...do a shoot out. Trust your ears.

EDIT: There are much better cables than the DH Labs...but big $$$.

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OverlordXenu /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree, the 1s are much blacker over coaxial. Optical's 0s are too fast.

Instead of smart ass answers, why don't you try a few different cables and see for yourself.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaduffy007 /img/forum/go_quote.gif coaxial. That's why I'm bummed I'm stuck with optical. I actually prefer AES/EBU in general, but that's another story.

There we go. I hear AES/EBU mentioned so seldom that I forget it exists. No one wants to incorporate balanced digital, I guess.