Coax vs RCA

Ethancf

Hey guys,

First of all, is there any harm in using an RCA cable in place of a Coax cable for a digital connection? Reason I ask, is because I have a low end coax cable currently connected for my digital audio on my HDTV, but I have an extra upper end RCA cable that I would rather use, granted it would yield better performance. What would you guys do? Low end coax, or a single higher end RCA for the digital sound? Yeah yeah, let your ears be the judge, but I'm just curious what you all would do or recommend.

Thanks!

Dennis Gardner

A good coax designed for the digital connection should have better shielding than low end RCAs as they may not be shielded at all. Your better RCA cables may have adequate shielding.

On the other hand, you may not be able to tell the difference unless the rest of your system is able to reproduce the details of those differences. A good mid grade cable is usually adequate for all but the most revealing of systems.

labrat

I have tried most of the mid to lower end of the spectrum and haven't noticed any difference with a digital signal. (I have noticed a difference with the analog interconnects.) The most telling experiment is to use a peice of bare 12 or 14 gauge copper wire. When I tried it I couldn't tell any difference between the bare wire and a mid grade coax. That was with a solid 75 watt rms from a Denon AVR going to monitor 5 Jr's. If that system didn't yeild any difference I really doubt you would hear any on a TV.

Just my two cents.

Scott

PolkThug

Originally posted by Ethancf
Hey guys,

First of all, is there any harm in using an RCA cable in place of a Coax cable for a digital connection? Reason I ask, is because I have a low end coax cable currently connected for my digital audio on my HDTV, but I have an extra upper end RCA cable that I would rather use, granted it would yield better performance. What would you guys do? Low end coax, or a single higher end RCA for the digital sound? Yeah yeah, let your ears be the judge, but I'm just curious what you all would do or recommend.

Thanks!

Damn near anything will work for this type of "digital" connection.

mantis

True that a audio interconnect will work for digital and video, a 75 ohm connection is what your suppost to use. I don't suggest using audio interconnects as they are not 75 ohm.

Buy the correct cable for the job.

Dan

Ethancf

So what would be the effects of not using a 75ohm cable?

sniepre

I can't imagine a digital cable affecting the actual audio much at all - if it doesnt work, its obvious - and if it works (transfers all 1s and 0s) then the A/DC on the other end will still create the same output wether the cable is shielded or not. Analog setups like using dual RCA ins/outs the cables could color the signal that actually gets amplified. Is that a wrong assumption?

labrat

Sniepre,

That is pretty much what I have experienced. If you haven't already, it is really revealing to try a piece of bare wire to replace a digital cable. You get a high quality signal if the connection is there or you get nothing at all.

Just my two cents, others may have different opinions,

Labrat

dorokusai

NM.

sniepre

Originally posted by labrat
That is pretty much what I have experienced. If you haven't already, it is really revealing to try a piece of bare wire to replace a digital cable. You get a high quality signal if the connection is there or you get nothing at all.

Yeah.. That's what I thought about it as well. I just dont see how a binary, serial data stream, when transmitted and received, could be interpreted any differently based on the interconnect used unless it actually did not allow the connection to be made.

Now, analog audio cables --- ooooh boy

danger boy

this has been discussed in here several times. how some (digital) cables can sound better than others.

Use whatever you want dude.

Cables are made for a specific reason. they transmit the signal the way it was intended to be used. Using that signal in a different way.. might degrade the signal from source to your receiver.