optical vs coaxial digital audio cables - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

golfinggino · 2006-10-21, 09:37 PM

i searched but could find an answer, i just bought a cheap dolby digital sony surround system from fs, it actually sounds pretty good, it came with a coaxial cable and the manual say the coaxial will be better at louder volumes, the problem is that when the volume is at half i can't really hear anything - you have to crank it up to hear it, it states it is 900 watts, i would have thought it would be louder. the receiver has optical as does my dvd, on tuesday i will receive my hd receiver from bell which i think also has optical, is optical better then coaxial ?
thanks for your help, chris

timbo · 2006-10-21, 10:14 PM

Optical is not better than coaxial. They are pretty much the same.
Coaxial is usually less expensive than optical.

Check out the Home Theatre FAQs (under help) for info on cables & connections, if you haven't already.

dinkeye · 2006-10-22, 11:25 AM

Check this out:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums...hlight=optical

diogen · 2006-10-22, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by golfinggino

...is optical better then coaxial ?

People with very expensive equipment prefer not to have a metal based connection
between the player (that they often can't chose, e.g. BEV STD) and such equipment.
This is why they opt for the optical connection if available.

Diogen.

Jake · 2006-10-22, 02:10 PM

Quote:

i searched but could find an answer

You mean you could NOT find an answer?

Quote:

i just bought a cheap dolby digital sony surround system ... it states it is 900 watts

I have a 7.1 channel pioneer receiver (1015TX) and it does not have that much power. The question is how much is it pushing to each speaker and what quality are your speakers? Cheap satellite speakers will not have a lot of punch nor can they handle a lot of power (30-60w typically). Most of your power is going to your subwoofer. You have a subwoofer right?

I_Want_My_HDTV · 2006-10-22, 02:25 PM

It's possible that something is misconfigured and you are just hearing some residual audio or crosstalk. Make sure the digital out is enabled on the source device. Then make sure that the the receiver is correctly configured for digital input on the source (some receivers allow assignment of digital inputs to different sources.) It is possible that either the source or the A/V receiver are not working correctly. It would help if you provided more details (devices, makes, models, etc.) Also, how is the volume with analog RCA cables? Does the source have a volume level control for the output?

I have very good equipment and prefer coax. I find it to be more reliable due to the more secure RCA connector. There are also fewer devices in the circuit (no electrical to/from optical converters.) Not that it makes much difference with good equipment. The main reasons to use optical are for electrical isolation (to prevent ground loops) and for lower noise and less loss with long cables.

2006-10-21, 09:37 PM	#1
golfinggino Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 85	optical vs coaxial digital audio cables i searched but could find an answer, i just bought a cheap dolby digital sony surround system from fs, it actually sounds pretty good, it came with a coaxial cable and the manual say the coaxial will be better at louder volumes, the problem is that when the volume is at half i can't really hear anything - you have to crank it up to hear it, it states it is 900 watts, i would have thought it would be louder. the receiver has optical as does my dvd, on tuesday i will receive my hd receiver from bell which i think also has optical, is optical better then coaxial ? thanks for your help, chris

2006-10-22, 11:25 AM	#3
dinkeye Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: London, ON Posts: 160	Read this Check this out: http://forums.audioholics.com/forums...hlight=optical

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2006-10-21, 10:14 PM	#2
timbo Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brampton, Ontario Posts: 845	Optical is not better than coaxial. They are pretty much the same. Coaxial is usually less expensive than optical. Check out the Home Theatre FAQs (under help) for info on cables & connections, if you haven't already.

2006-10-22, 02:25 PM	#6
I_Want_My_HDTV . Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: London, ON Posts: 6,297	It's possible that something is misconfigured and you are just hearing some residual audio or crosstalk. Make sure the digital out is enabled on the source device. Then make sure that the the receiver is correctly configured for digital input on the source (some receivers allow assignment of digital inputs to different sources.) It is possible that either the source or the A/V receiver are not working correctly. It would help if you provided more details (devices, makes, models, etc.) Also, how is the volume with analog RCA cables? Does the source have a volume level control for the output? I have very good equipment and prefer coax. I find it to be more reliable due to the more secure RCA connector. There are also fewer devices in the circuit (no electrical to/from optical converters.) Not that it makes much difference with good equipment. The main reasons to use optical are for electrical isolation (to prevent ground loops) and for lower noise and less loss with long cables.