[Ruahrc]

It seems like many people here use coaxial connections instead of optical connections when they are passing digital audio around. I get the feeling that optical connections aren't as good as coax?

I don't get it, however. From a technical standpoint, isn't optical far superior to coax? Signal transmission via light is much less susceptible (if not impervious) to RFI, and fiber optic cables are much less prone to signal loss and degradation when compared to coaxial cables.

Is it just that the optical cables/ports we see on equipment nowadays is of subpar quality?

So if I had say 2 digital sources going into a reciever with 1 optical and 1 coax input, I should hook up the source I'd use more often to the coax input since it has the potential for better quality?

Ruahrc

 

[Bostonears]

The problem with most optical connections is the cable. Most Toslink optical audio cables on the market (even some very expensive ones) use plastic-type fibers for light transmission, which adds jitter to the signal. Get yourself a cable with silica "glass" fiber, and the signal transmission is at least as good as coax, and probably better because it's immune to RF interference.

The least expensive (by far) glass fiber optical cable that I have seen is this one, from The Sound Professionals, for $49.

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cg...1HQ&type=store

I own two of these. They don't have any name brand on them, but the construction quality appears to be quite good. I'd rate the sound as slightly better than the digital coax cable I have from Better Cables.

 

[Ruahrc]

Thanks for the info. If I needed to get an optical cable then (to connect an Xbox to my reciever) would it be worth my while to get the glass-core cabling? This is a college-set up and thus there probably wont be a dedicated CD player, and cd's will end up being played through the Xbox or a DVD player (which would connect via coax).

Here's some other glass core cable I found- the first link looks like its the same manufacturer as the link you gave: Are these cables good too?
http://www.national-tech.com/specs/10tg-70020.htm
http://www.holomaxx.com/trade/produc...ee9a03e8a21cbd

Ruahrc

 

[ProFingerSk8er]

if you are going to play with a xbox, i dont think you will need a glass cable. simply because xbox isnt soemting like a 24bit cd player. so cheap optical cable would do fine
*i use my ps2's optical out to reocrd MDs on SP mode, and i only use cheap optical cable, and it already sound amazing already!*