Best Audio Optical Fibre Cable (TOSLINK)?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by BrilliantBob, May 16, 2019.

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  1. A coaxial S/PDIF cable is an analogue connection.
    An S/PDIF cable does not carry ones and zeros, it carries an analogue voltage switched rapidly between two states.
    The thread isn't even about a cable.
     
    jfeldt likes this.
  2. SandAndGlass

    SandAndGlass Twilight Forum Resident

    Most people are well aware that there are not 0's and 1's streaming down the cable.

    Anything that is digital and is represented by electricity has an electrical signal that is switched between two states as a representation of binary information.

    Analog is generally taken to mean voltages that vary continuously in amplitude, vs. digital voltage pulses.

    The thread is very much about a cable. The discussion was concerning digital optical cables.

    I'm not sure whey you are quoting me with reference to your statements about a S/PDIF cable?

    Taken into the context of this thread, I believe that everyone was addressing optical digital cables.

    At any rate, a S/PDIF cable is referred to as a digital cable connection, not an analog connection, because it is used to convey digital information.
     
    bever70 likes this.
  3. BrilliantBob

    BrilliantBob Select, process, CTRL+c, CTRL+z, ALT+v Thread Starter

    Location:
    Romania
    I didn't see any coaxial wires on my S/PDIF connection with fibre optic cable with TOSLINK connectors.

    And this thread is about different optical cables and their higher or lower quality.
     
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  4. I always understood a cable to be either a thick rope, or an insulated wire or bundle of wires.
    Optical fibre is neither.

    I'm a grumpy old telecoms engineer, and in telecoms we call it fibre optic or optical fibre.
    The term cable is reserved for stuff comprised of insulated copper wires.
     
    Swann36 likes this.
  5. SandAndGlass

    SandAndGlass Twilight Forum Resident

    This is an audio forum. As such, common audio terminology applies here.

    In audio, a "cable" is a piece of physical anything that connects one component to another component. The description is to an Amazon optical cable, $7.59.

    CableCreation 12 Feet Digital Optical Audio Cable, Optical Digital Cable (Toslink Cable) with Gold Plated for Home Theater, Sound Bar, TV, PS4, Xbox,Blu-ray Players,Game Console& More

    [​IMG]

    S/PDIF is a technical specification invented by Sony/Philips. The DIF part refers to a Digital Audio Interface, as defined by the standard IEC 61937, it can be either a coaxial cable or optical.

    In audio, S/PDIF is generally referred to be coax, while TOSLINK refers to optical fiber.
     
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  6. Pfftttt!!!!!!
    Civilians :rolleyes:

    What purpose does the gold plate serve?
     
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  7. Agitater

    Agitater Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    That's not quite accurate. The "Sony/Philips Digital InterFace" (S/PDIF for short) is just what it says it is. It is not an analog connection, which is why source signals carried by a S/PDIF cable need a Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) at the destination. Read about it here:

    S/PDIF - Wikipedia
     
  8. Agitater

    Agitater Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    Just because a signal is digitized does not mean it isn't also electrical. As usual, gold plate prevents oxidation even if it's not the absolute best conductor.
     
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  9. All digital comms require an analogue carrier in order to function.
    The carrier can be over wire, over radio frequencies, or over light, They're all analogue carriers.
     
    ScottRiqui likes this.
  10. The gold plate in the Toslink pictured serves no purpose whatsoever, apart from massaging some weird part of the audiophile brain.
    The gold plate is completely irrelevant with the Toslink.
     
  11. SandAndGlass

    SandAndGlass Twilight Forum Resident

    Funny, I seem to have already said that.

    We do understand that you are a "New Member" but the rest of us on this side of the pond aren't quite all that dim.
     
  12. We're reading from more or less the same hymn sheet.
    I did say I was old and grumpy, but I did miss the bit about me being a pedant.
     
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  13. BrilliantBob

    BrilliantBob Select, process, CTRL+c, CTRL+z, ALT+v Thread Starter

    Location:
    Romania
    I hope you finally understood this thread is about optical cables.
     
    SandAndGlass likes this.
  14. SandAndGlass

    SandAndGlass Twilight Forum Resident

    I think he is getting the connection between "optical" and "cables", if so, it should be clear sailing the rest of the way. :)
     
  15. Hama premium? You gotta be kidding. Hama is a German brand that "selects" its products in China and most of them are pasable to say the least with some products being pure trash.
    I bough a Hama CD/DVD/BD wet lens cleaner, I followed the instructions and the next thing is that my BD player stopped working, the Hama cleaner messed the BD drive and it had to be changed for a new one.
    Same for cables. They charge you 15 Euros for an RCA analogue cable that is of so so quality and that put side to side to a 6 Euros Amazon Basics analogue RCA cable this puts it to shame as the Amazon Basics is better built.
    Try an Amazon Basics optical cable, it will most likely do what you want reliably and will be cheaper than any Hama cable.
    If you don't mind spending more and want a good German (or was it Swiss?) cable try Oehlbach, they're not expensive and they're really well made.
    But I'd avoid Hama like the plague.
     
    SandAndGlass likes this.
  16. Nope it carries the digital data as a FM signal.
     
  17. I understood what it's about all along.
    It's about optical fibre connected audio equipment.

    Cable has nothing to do with it whatsoever :p
     
  18. Ivand

    Ivand Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX
  19. Don't bother, a friend of mine has a Panasonic UB820 connected to a Topping D50 via an Amazon Basics Digital Coaxial cable and he says, and I've heard to the combination, 192/24 from the Panasonic to the Topping without a single glitch.
     
    Ivand likes this.
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