Correct cable for digital input help????

langrish
langrish Posts: 6
edited February 2002 in Technical/Setup
Setting up my new receiver, dvd etc... Both my Cable box (digital) and my DVD player have Digital audio out and then my new receiver has the digital in. Looks like it uses a regular coaxial cable. Is this the exact same type that does the Right and left audio and video? Figured there was some high speed coaxial or special digital version of coaxial but just don't know. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Pete
Post edited by langrish on
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  • jcaut
    jcaut Posts: 1,849
    edited February 2002
    There are special coaxial digital cables that probably SHOULD be used. I'm not sure what the exact differences are, but I can tell you that pretty much any audio-video cable will WORK. I think the cables labeled for video are supposed to be preferable, if you're going to skimp.

    Some will say that the type of cable makes a difference in the sound, but on a digital connection--as long as the information is being transmitted from one component to the other, I can't see how it could make any difference. I've tried the coaxial digital cables vs. the cheapo Radio Shack audio patch cords, and PERSONALLY I can't tell the difference. I'll probably get blasted for that one---

    Jason
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  • goingganzo
    goingganzo Posts: 2,793
    edited February 2002
    the diferance between a digital coax and a regular rca is that the coax had a solid center core cabble and more sheilding than a regular rca. on cabbleing i use a mid grade cabble nothing fancy and nothing cheap i heep my power and my sgonal seperated and that is good for me ps if you buy the cabble and ends sepreatley you can save alot of money all you need to know how to do is strip and sodder that is it
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  • joe logston
    joe logston Posts: 882
    edited February 2002
    a digital coaxal works best if it is a 75 ohm but i like the toslink opictal best for digital inputs & outputs
    . rt-7 mains
    rt-20p surounds
    cs-400i front center
    cs-350 ls rear center
    2 energy take 5, efects
    2- psw-650 , subs
    1- 15" audiosource sub

    lets all go to the next ces.
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  • Aaron
    Aaron Posts: 1,853
    edited February 2002
    Use a composite video cable (RCA). They are 75ohm which is the proper impedence.

    Aaron
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  • langrish
    langrish Posts: 6
    edited February 2002
    Ran to Circuit City and I was introduced to a $40 dollar monster digital coaxile. Guy said I would be stupid to use anything else even though I needed two and would be out double that. Laughed and went to Target and got RCA digital coaxile that was mid grade and works great. I used the monster cable to run my speaker wires but seems a bit much to buy $40 digital coaxile that will probaly not be reused later.

    Thanks for the assistance. This is a great resource for those what to do situations.

    Pete
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  • OrangeToupee
    OrangeToupee Posts: 488
    edited February 2002
    Am I mistaken, or are you talking about the orange colored port that wants a digital coaxial cable?
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  • langrish
    langrish Posts: 6
    edited February 2002
    Yeah it's the orange ones. Digital Coaxile is what the book said. The instrucitons for the Onkyo and the DVD player said digital coaxile cable 75. The RCA Digital cable I went with didn't say anthing about 75 but did at least say digital coaxile cable and was a step above the usual RCA type jacks as far as shielding. I wish I could have just used the optical but the DVD and Cable box just support the digital not the optical even though my receiver does.
    Any thoughts about this digital coaxile stuff???
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  • goingganzo
    goingganzo Posts: 2,793
    edited February 2002
    i like ar cabbles they are as good as monster and half the price plus i can get them at abc so i can haggle the price
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  • Aaron
    Aaron Posts: 1,853
    edited February 2002
    The consensus is that coaxial digital is better than optical digital.

    Aaron
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  • johnnyamerika
    johnnyamerika Posts: 382
    edited February 2002
    Really? You guys feel that coaxial is better than optical? I've always felt the other way around, but maybe it's because I like to play with the little caps that come of of them...
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  • goingganzo
    goingganzo Posts: 2,793
    edited February 2002
    i have lerned when they both forst came out coxal was beter caues the sinc on the optical but they are about the same on qualty but optical is a little beter but the cabbles cost twice as much for the same cabble
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  • Eddie624
    Eddie624 Posts: 77
    edited February 2002
    From what i have read the optical and coaxial are pretty much the same just that with the coaxial cable u may pick up interference. Then like the digital optical there is i guess type of that due to the construction materials used. The guy at circuit city was tellling me some guy purchased the glass one and said was a lot better then the one made out of some poly material. And the glass one is like 2 times as much. For me i would be suprised if i could tell any difference in any of them so i just went with the digital optical cable that monster toslink as i didnt have much choice as my dvd only had that output on it.
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  • pdebaum
    pdebaum Posts: 59
    edited February 2002
    Digital transport is so much simpler and reliabler than analog transport. Assuming the cables are sound of construction (i.e. no gross defect), there can't be any audio quality difference between coax or optical. Digital signal transport is very forgiving at the low sampling frequencies used, and even a decent 75 Ohm coax would have to be really screwed up and laid out in a very unlikely noisy enviroment before "interferences" could affect the digital pulses meaningfully. With digital transport, only jitter can be argued for possible signal errors, and even then, it is more a function of the sending and receiving electronics than the cable itself, not counting it is very unlikely anyway considering the state of digital technology today.

    Given an equal choice between the type of digital input, coax or optical, the only concern one should have is cable reliability. An optical cable is typically more fragile than coax cable and thus has more chance to break down early. I know the audiophiles **** want to convince themselves they can find "audio" flaws in anything between the turbine generator in the power plant to the density of air in front of their speakers, but they'll just have to move on with the matter of digital cables.
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  • Aaron
    Aaron Posts: 1,853
    edited February 2002
    My head hurts.

    Aaron
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  • wangotango68
    wangotango68 Posts: 1,056
    edited February 2002
    audio ****? thats a new one.

    scott:cool:
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  • OrangeToupee
    OrangeToupee Posts: 488
    edited February 2002
    Hey, Wango....

    Ever heard of 'The Basketball ****' ... yeah, it's that Bobby Knight guy you're so fond of. Let me tell you something, if that guy isn't "accidentally" shooting his "pals", he's busy berating young men at every available opportunity and hurling vases at elderly female secretaries. Why anyone would consciously deify such an execrable incarnation is beyond my capacity to understand. I'm not a big fan of Napoleon, Hitler, or Martha Stewart either.

    Sorry for the rant, but the mere mention of such individuals make the hair on the back of my neck want to engage in a hissy fit. It's cool, man, I love my Polk speakers.
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  • joe logston
    joe logston Posts: 882
    edited February 2002
    i like opictal better than coaxal because of interferance in the wire but it will be hard to hear so it is up to the person on this one so what ever you like, but on yamaha receivers i thank that the opictal connections sound better for some reason maybe the opictal is more direct in the yamaha
    . rt-7 mains
    rt-20p surounds
    cs-400i front center
    cs-350 ls rear center
    2 energy take 5, efects
    2- psw-650 , subs
    1- 15" audiosource sub

    lets all go to the next ces.
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  • wangotango68
    wangotango68 Posts: 1,056
    edited February 2002
    like most of the bob knight bashers all you see i what is on espn and the like. well if you saw the bob knight that the people of indiana saw and all the things he did and does for his formel students you would think twice about your statements.

    unlike mich. indiana never had a scandel,they never had players suspended for "borrowing" sport uts. oh and one more thing
    INDIANA 75 MICHIGAN 55.

    scott:cool:
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  • OrangeToupee
    OrangeToupee Posts: 488
    edited February 2002
    Fair enough, I probably shouldn't have been so aggressive in my anti-Knight stance, knowing that you hold him in such high regard. Have a great weekend.
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