coaxial digital or optical for sound

[rcpilot_971]

coaxial digital or optical cable for sound or does it matter much


Thanks Tim

 

[Martiad3]

It really doesn't matter. I like digital coax because it is stiffer and seems more durable than optical. But that is a personal preference and has no effect on sound. It's all just ones and zeros.

 

[timetohunt]

When I was really new and getting back into audio this is one of the first questions I asked. The answer is no. You will never hear a difference. I actually ran a few non scientific tests and swapped out between the two. If you have to run longer lengths, then coax is better. More stable over distance, though not sure of exact specs. The only thing with toslink is that it might be a little more easy work with smaller/flexible in tight places when you have tons of other wires and such in cramped spots.

 

[rcpilot_971]

ok thanks

Tim

 

[Seth=L]

Yep, Coaxial has higher bandwidth cabability as well, but it is never utilized. There is no audible difference.

 

[adam71]

Yep, Coaxial has higher bandwidth cabability as well, but it is never utilized. There is no audible difference.

When I first got into higher end audio a salesman told me that optical was inferior to coax. Yes, in sound. My DAC has coax and AES/EBU inputs and I think I'm going to try the balanced input and see how much of a difference it makes. How much do you think this will make??

 

[Seth=L]

When I first got into higher end audio a salesman told me that optical was inferior to coax. Yes, in sound. My DAC has coax and AES/EBU inputs and I think I'm going to try the balanced input and see how much of a difference it makes. How much do you think this will make??

Nada, zero, zilch, nothin.

 

[solomr2]

I will be first to admit I have very little experience between the two, but in theory I would have guessed optical would be superior in bandwidth (capacity), signal quality and immunity from interference. Plus being a smaller cable it would be easier to work with.

In my experience with fiber optic interfaces in the computer industry, fiber optic is generally regarded as having higher bandwidth over copper, and is preferred for most interfaces to high-speed devices. But maybe this concept doesn't necessarily apply to music as it does in computer channels.

 

[Seth=L]

I will be first to admit I have very little experience between the two, but in theory I would have guessed optical would be superior in bandwidth (capacity), signal quality and immunity from interference. Plus being a smaller cable it would be easier to work with.

In my experience with fiber optic interfaces in the computer industry, fiber optic is generally regarded as having higher bandwidth over copper, and is preferred for most interfaces to high-speed devices. But maybe this concept doesn't necessarily apply to music as it does in computer channels.

Fiber optics can have more bandwidth than copper, yes, but Toslink has very limited bandwidth. As mentioned before, the bandwidth is more than enough to get the job done using either medium.

 

[markw]

The only thing with toslink is that it might be a little more easy work with smaller/flexible in tight places when you have tons of other wires and such in cramped spots.

Actually, toslink is more difficult to work with in tight spots since it can be broken if bent too sharply. It is only glass or plastic.

 

[furrycute]

Most everyday toslink cables are made of plastic. Only the ultra expensive, exotic ones are made of glass.

Toslink cables have more limited bandwidth than coaxial cables. However, toslink cables reject electrical interference better than coaxial cables, thus toslink interfaces are not as prone to jitter as coaxial interfaces. If your external DAC cannot handle jitter well, you are better off using the toslink connection.

 

[agabriel]

either way its a just a digital signal going from point A to point B. I think it would be interesting to see if systems do actually present a difference; with a calibrated mic and computer. The same signal could be clocked off with both interfaces and then subtracted from each other. I really think that people that hear a difference between copper and fiber have a bias that they may not be aware of or there hardware has an implementation problem since its a digital signature.

Fiber has way more bandwidth than copper by the way; the clock can be dialed up way past that of copper.