Optical or coaxial,.,

dan t

Anyone have an opinion on the 'proper' cable to use between the pre-amp and dvd player for dd 5.1?

CHRIS

Very veried opinions on this. Some say coax has less jitter, good coax. Some say Opt is better for DTS coax ffor DD. If you can afford it get real fiber opt. it is supposed to be best. IMO unless you have a lot of money tied up in your system you can't tell.

scottvamp

real fiber opt.

As oposed to fake -- say Monster Cable?????????????????????

juice21

i've tried both, i couldn't really tell a diffrence 'quality' wise between the two (mediocre monster cables) maybe if i spent more on higher end stuff, i would have seen the benefit of optical over coaxial? the coaxial has held up alot longer though, so i always reccomend this...

dan t

Anyone,.,.,what are some of the name brand optical cables with great quality? I may go that route unless the shielding on the coaxial helps to reduce induced noise.

avelanchefan

Dan I have the Monster optical cable and am pretty impressed with it. I am not big on buying from Monster but over all their optical cable has been more than impressive for me. I noticed a big jump in sound quality and clarity. I have the ILS100TM-2m.

CHRIS

Yes Scott some companies mke real fiber optic cables.

The following is from Transparent Cable.

Transparent has extensively examined the issues involved in the accurate transmission of digital signals through cabling. After years of research, experimentation with materials, shielding and grounding schemes, and consultation with digital experts, we build a select range of digital cable, based on three different performance levels.
We have experimented with many different cable configurations, including using the filter networks that are so strongly identified with Transparent Cable. Since passive networks on digital cables always affect bandwidth and therefore rise time of a digital signal — resulting in distortion — we do not use networks on our digital cables. This is in sharp contrast to our analog interconnect and speaker cabling, where we actually limit the cable's bandwidth via passive networks.
The purpose of our low pass filter technology in the analog audio cables is to keep noise out of the audio signal; whereas, in digital signal transmission, our goal is to transmit the very signals we are trying to avoid in analog transmission and, at the same time, to avoid pollution of the digital signals by external noise. To meet these goals, cables must include the following characteristics:
• The conductor must be the highest quality available solid core, with a very smooth surface for minimum skin effect distortion
• The cable must have as little capacitance and inductance as possible.
• The characteristic impedance of the cable must be as close as possible to the impedance of the digital operating system.
• The dielectric (insulating) materials must store and release energy uniformly.
• The cable must be extremely well shielded to prevent noise pollution from sources outside of the digital system.
• Ground references must avoid infiltration of analog noise
In meeting all of these goals, Transparent has created a range of digital cables that set the standard in low noise and accurate signal transmission. Our digital cables are available in three performance levels — High Performance, Premium, and Reference

Ozzy88GTA

New to this forum so take it easy on me.
I do believe that Transparent Cable is refering to coaxial cables and not fiber optic. Fiber optic cables are not subceptible to interference like wire stranded cables, even the well insulated ones (specially around power cords). Light is light and there is no measurable diference between the digital signal being carried by one strand of glass fiber and another. Just my opinion.

CHRIS

I missed the part where it said regular fiberoptic does not carry the full bandwidth and can't find it now.

High Performance 75 Ohm Digital Link.
High Performance 75 Ohm Digital Link
Replacing your original digital interconnect with this high quality link will significantly enhance the purity of all your digital signals. Our carefully manufactured air foam dielectric results in low noise, for cleaner transmission of your source information. A heavy solid core center conductor provides low noise, increased surface area for delicate digital signals. Two braided shields separated by insulation and a foil shield prevent noise pollution. Gold plated coaxial RCAs (360° shield contact) or instrument grade, gold contact BNCs create a superior impedance match at the termination to reduce jitter.

High Performance TosLink
High Performance TosLink is designed for high resolution Toslink optical digital applications. With its precision polished termination, Transparent TosLink accurately transfers high speed optical signals to provide a more richly detailed and textured musical experience. The metal casing around the Toslink connector protects the termination by providing proper strain relief and support. The soft jacket material that encases the delicate optical fiber prevents damage from bending, flexing or pinching.
BTW-WELCOME TO THE FRUM!

PETERNG

I think the rule of thumb for digital connect cable is: less than or = 3 ft, use coaxial, more than 3 ft, use optical. Just make sure you use a decent one, not the one that supplied by the equipment mfg.