[tomek]

hello, how are the digital coax cables different than a regular RCA?

i may have to use one with my dvd player and i'm wondering what the difference is.

 

[Ferbose]

Both types of cables have the same connectors and the same impedance (75 ohms). But the bandwidth of analog audio signal is 20-100 kHz, compared to digital audio signal at 100kHz to 6 MHz. As such, you can expect that the construction of audio RCA cables to be different from digital coaxial cables. For example, here are the data sheets of Belden cables built for these two purposes:

preferred digital audio cable--
http://www.bluejeanscable.com/pages/...s/1694tech.htm
preferred analog audio cable--
http://www.bluejeanscable.com/pages/.../1505Ftech.htm

Notice the difference in signal attenuation at higher signal frequencies. I cannot test this for myself, but I guess it is quite possible that an analog RCA cable can function as a digital coaxial cable, and the 0's and 1's can still be transmitted correctly. However, I suspect the clock component of S/PDIF, which contains analog signals, may be more seriously affected. This could cause additional interface jitter and degrade audio quality. These are my thoughts on the topic but I might be wrong. The safest bet I think is to get an inexpensive digital coaxial cable (<$20) from a reputable manufacturer. I think Blue Jeans cable can be a good place to start. Personally I just got one from a local Radioshack store.

 

[bdshort]

I remember reading an article a few years ago where a guy used a COATHANGER for an interconnect, and it worked just fine.

Brian