Digital Coax or Fiber Optic cable?

ben62670

coax is digital to digital
optical is dig to light - light to dig
2 extra conversions
K.I.S.S.
In my system Coax was definietly better.
I bought coax on a whim thinking there would be no difference, but I prefer coax over optical.

steveinaz

I think Toslink would be best suited for an already warm system, such as a tube system. Coax or XLR for solid state, generally speaking.

jfeinman

According to several Monster Cable product reps, Digital Coax has more bandwidth than Fiber Optic. With my experiences, in being a Supervisor and Home Theater Installer for Circuit City, and with my own setups, I've found that the cables, provided they are constructed of half-way decent materials (Non-chinsey connectors, Nitrogen Injected Dialectric, and a good amount of shielding, or fiber optic lenses that are polished and decent sized), it comes down to the devices being connected. In theory, I'd say Fiber Optic works better for cheaper components, because you are much less likely to get a solid 75 ohm connector on a CyberLink 40 dollar dvd player as you are on a Denon DVD player, which would be the biggest factor of data loss. Its easier to maintain a 75 ohm signal at the circuit board level, where you'd be converting the data into light pulses, than it would be in transfering that signal to a cheap RCA-type jack.

In my opinion, I'd say the best way to go would be to have components that use BNC connectors for a Digital Coax connection.

Now, what about the differences between Fiber, Digital Coax, and HDMI or Firewire?

janmike

More bandwidth than Fiber Optic?

steveinaz

janmike wrote: »

More bandwidth than Fiber Optic?

Depends on the material used (glass or plastic fiber), the length of the cable, and how well polished/well fitting the terminations are. A good glass fiber cable will easily pass 96kHz bandwidth. More than adequate.

Here's an example of a good Toslink cable (quartz-glass):
http://www.impactacoustics.com/product.asp?cat%5Fid=901&sku=40231

ka7niq

There is no difference in cables you are likely to hear.

steveinaz

Did you try my test mentioned earlier in this thread concerning bass-heavy material and Toslink? Give it a try....tell me what you think.

Ricardo

ka7niq wrote: »

There is no difference in cables you are likely to hear.

Coming from the "know it all and everyone", must be true.

heiney9

steveinaz wrote: »

Depends on the material used (glass or plastic fiber), the length of the cable, and how well polished/well fitting the terminations are. A good glass fiber cable will easily pass 96kHz bandwidth. More than adequate.

Here's an example of a good Toslink cable (quartz-glass):
http://www.impactacoustics.com/product.asp?cat%5Fid=901&sku=40231

This is the same optical cable I use in my computer rig. I don't have the ability to compare 75 ohm coax to optical, but this is a very sturdy, glass optical that won't break the bank.

I believe www.cablestogo.com has them slightly cheaper.

I can hear very distinct differences in cables, both speaker and interconnects on my main rig. The only way to know for sure is to try it yourself.

H9

engtaz

Thanks for the linky.

engtaz

heiney9

engtaz wrote: »

Thanks for the linky.

engtaz

No problem, looks like they are the same price, perhaps it was the shipping that was cheaper . Anywhoo, I bought my Impact Acoustics cable from Cables to Go and was very satisfied with the price and service I recieved.

H9

heiney9

I remember now, I linked to Cables to Go through Amazon and since the price was more than $25 I got free shipping at the time (2 years ago or so)

H9

mmcculloch

ben62670 wrote: »

coax is digital to digital
optical is dig to light - light to dig
2 extra conversions
K.I.S.S.
In my system Coax was definietly better.
I bought coax on a whim thinking there would be no difference, but I prefer coax over optical.

You're grouping transmission methods (electricity, light) and an encoding method (digital) together; that doesn't make sense.

It's all digital; coax just conveys the data with electricity while fiber conveys the data with light.

If you replace "dig" with "electricity" then what you say makes more sense. However it isn't necessarily reasonable to assume that a conversion from electrical impulses to light impulses and back again will introduce any signal degradation.

MM

ben62670

mmcculloch wrote: »

You're grouping transmission methods (electricity, light) and an encoding method (digital) together; that doesn't make sense.

It's all digital; coax just conveys the data with electricity while fiber conveys the data with light.

If you replace "dig" with "electricity" then what you say makes more sense. However it isn't necessarily reasonable to assume that a conversion from electrical impulses to light impulses and back again will introduce any signal degradation.

MM

Yes you got me. But why do 2 extra conversions (to optical) when you can go straight electrical to electrical impulses. I have tried both, and coax won hands down, and I was a 1 is a 1, and a 0 is a 0 kinda guy.

mmcculloch

jfeinman wrote: »

According to several Monster Cable product reps, Digital Coax has more bandwidth than Fiber Optic.

When we're talking about carrying digital audio under the S/PDIF protocol, they both have adequate bandwidth. Even if one has more available bandwidth than the other, it won't make any difference.

MM

dorokusai

Digital coaxial, all day, every day.

louthewiz

They are both equally the same optical and Coaxial digital, I have done a side by side test and its all the same.

mjhughes

Coax is a solid connection, fiber can be a bit flakey and loose. Anyone who says there is and audible difference is fooling themselves, a common phenomenon.

ben62670

louthewiz wrote: »

They are both equally the same optical and Coaxial digital, I have done a side by side test and its all the same.

Absolutely on some players. On my Sony Coax hands down.

dorokusai

mjhughes wrote: »

Coax is a solid connection, fiber can be a bit flakey and loose. Anyone who says there is and audible difference is fooling themselves, a common phenomenon.

Fiber is no more "flakey and loose" than copper but I prefer a copper connection in all things audio. Audibly, I agree 100%, as I've heard nothing different.