Maximum Optical Length Without SQ Loss

[CoolHandDuke]

I have done a lot of Google searching on this, but did not come to a consensus. If I were to run an optical cable 12-15 feet from TV to my AVR, would I be losing SQ and increasing jitter? Most sources said 15 feet max, but. I'm not sure where that number came from. This is in response to the down mixing bug in Denon/Marantz AVRs.

 

[slipperybidness]

The short answer is, "try it and see if you have problems". I have used an optical cable ~15 feet and did not have any problems for my application.

Wiki has some info:

Audio and video interfaces and connectors - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Connections longer than 6 meters or so, or those requiring tight bends, should use coaxial cable, since the high light signal attenuation of TOSLINK cables limits its effective range.

TOSLINK - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

TOSLINK does not have the bandwidth to carry the lossless versions of Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, or more than two channels of PCM audio.

Due to their high attenuation of light, the effective range of plastic optical cables is limited to 5–10 m.[1] They can temporarily fail or be permanently damaged if tightly bent. Although less commonly available and more expensive than plastic optical fiber (POF) cables, glass or silica optical fibers have lower losses and can extend the range of the TOSLINK system.

 

[CoolHandDuke]

The short answer is, "try it and see if you have problems". I have used an optical cable ~15 feet and did not have any problems for my application.

Wiki has some info:

Audio and video interfaces and connectors - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Connections longer than 6 meters or so, or those requiring tight bends, should use coaxial cable, since the high light signal attenuation of TOSLINK cables limits its effective range.

TOSLINK - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

TOSLINK does not have the bandwidth to carry the lossless versions of Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, or more than two channels of PCM audio.

Due to their high attenuation of light, the effective range of plastic optical cables is limited to 5–10 m.[1] They can temporarily fail or be permanently damaged if tightly bent. Although less commonly available and more expensive than plastic optical fiber (POF) cables, glass or silica optical fibers have lower losses and can extend the range of the TOSLINK system.

Thank you. I'd have to pull open my cable raceways (which is kind of a pain in the ass) to try, so didn't want to attempt in futility. My application is only for 2.1. I appreciate the info. Looks like I'm on the edge, but worth a shot.

 

[slipperybidness]

Thank you. I'd have to pull open my cable raceways (which is kind of a pain in the ass) to try, so didn't want to attempt in futility. My application is only for 2.1. I appreciate the info. Looks like I'm on the edge, but worth a shot.

Well....I would say try it out before you mess with your cable raceways!

Just set it up and test it out, and don't worry about making it pretty until you know if it will work for you or not. If it works, then go to the trouble of making it purdy.