DVDFILE.COM Forum - View Single Post - The Official (and only) Optical vs. Coaxial Thread

Ruined · 07-06-2002, 06:43 AM

Optical vs Coaxial?

Even the very best Toslink optical cable (the optical interface that consumer devices use) pales in comparison bandwidth-wise to any cheap, properly made 75ohm coaxial cable. Yes, RCA cables could be subject to RF interference, but if the cable is designed well with proper shielding the digital signal should not be affected in the slightest. Not to mention that optical cables are far more fragile than coax cables, and more pricey as well. To sum up, a $400 Toslink optical cable is inferior to a $15 Radioshack Gold 75ohm coax cable. It hurts, but it's the truth

NOTE: Dolby Digital/DTS (the bulk of home theater material) should not be affected at all by cabling, due to its packeted nature. With DD/DTS, it either works or it drops out. On the other hand, PCM (CD) transmissions can actually sound less pleasing to the ear without dropouts when using poorly contstructed cables. It is also worth noting that when concerned with PCM digital transmission that the cable is not the only thing to consider. The source (such as the CD/DVD player) and the destination (such as the receiver/prepro) can both also contribute to how accurate the final PCM sound is after your receiver/prepro is done with it compared to the PCM track on the original CD.

My advice? Go with a well made 75ohm coax cable. It will last the longest and cost you the least. Plus, if it makes you feel better it is capable of much higher bandwidth than Toslink optical offerings. So go buy that $10-20 Radio Shack Gold Video/Digital cable or maybe if you want something that looks a little nicer and is built noticably better you could snag an AudioQuest VSD-1 ($25) cable. Anything more is a waste of money.

07-06-2002, 06:43 AM	#128 (permalink)
Ruined It's Good to Play Together Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: NJ, USA	Optical vs Coaxial? Even the very best Toslink optical cable (the optical interface that consumer devices use) pales in comparison bandwidth-wise to any cheap, properly made 75ohm coaxial cable. Yes, RCA cables could be subject to RF interference, but if the cable is designed well with proper shielding the digital signal should not be affected in the slightest. Not to mention that optical cables are far more fragile than coax cables, and more pricey as well. To sum up, a $400 Toslink optical cable is inferior to a $15 Radioshack Gold 75ohm coax cable. It hurts, but it's the truth NOTE: Dolby Digital/DTS (the bulk of home theater material) should not be affected at all by cabling, due to its packeted nature. With DD/DTS, it either works or it drops out. On the other hand, PCM (CD) transmissions can actually sound less pleasing to the ear without dropouts when using poorly contstructed cables. It is also worth noting that when concerned with PCM digital transmission that the cable is not the only thing to consider. The source (such as the CD/DVD player) and the destination (such as the receiver/prepro) can both also contribute to how accurate the final PCM sound is after your receiver/prepro is done with it compared to the PCM track on the original CD. My advice? Go with a well made 75ohm coax cable. It will last the longest and cost you the least. Plus, if it makes you feel better it is capable of much higher bandwidth than Toslink optical offerings. So go buy that $10-20 Radio Shack Gold Video/Digital cable or maybe if you want something that looks a little nicer and is built noticably better you could snag an AudioQuest VSD-1 ($25) cable. Anything more is a waste of money. __________________ For every shadow, no matter how deep, is threatened by morning light.