[wavoman]

linuxworks makes an important point about grounding.

I was having all kinds of SPDIF dropout problems over coax, despite very careful wiring, proper 75 ohm RCA terminations, etc. With the help of engineers marshalled by customer support at Wadia and Sonifex, we traced this to a ground difference issue. Converted to SPDIF over TOSLink optical for the last leg and problem gone! Optical is optical, so there is no ground!!

I am falling in love with TOSLink all over again. We first slept together in the '80s, when SONY gear only had optical outs, but I left her for coax. Something about that RCA male plug and the female connector ... you understand. But like every fling motivated only by the physical side, it ended badly.

BTW, Wadia pushes a glass optical SPDIF spec ... they are big believers in it. They would agree it is not the same as (plastic) TOSlink optical ... they offer both (as well as 75-ohm coax SPDIF with BNC and 110-ohm AES/EBU with XLR) on their CDPs (as outputs) and inputs on their DACS (DACS built in to CDPs but accessible).

 

[linuxworks]

all good coax spdif ends (both sender and receiver) should use pulse transformers. that way there are no ground loops on the beloved coax, as well.