Optical and HDMI cables

[admin_exported]

Whilst it's a well know fact both are digital and everyone says pretty much any old HDMI Cable will work just the same without spending a fortune, what about optical cable, is it the same story?

Should I be spending a bit more money on an optical cable or not?

 

[professorhat]

HDMI cables.

Optical cables.

I say there is a difference. Next!

 

[Anonymous]

professorhat:

HDMI cables.

Optical cables.

I say there is a difference. Next!

I like what you did there prof, right to the point!!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks... I found a thread with the following statement: There is no reason for digital cables to sound different

The reply was: Actually there is, digital cables don't actually carry digital information
as such, in the case of USB for example, they merely carry a representation of
it known as Non-return-to-zero, inverted (NRZI)
encoding. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-return-to-zero

Also, concerning electrical digital cables specifically - they don't carry
ones and zeros as people tend to think, but increases and decreases in voltage
only. The cable has to be fast enough so that a proper representation of the
digital data can be then re-constructed. So I learn't something there. Whilst it should sound the same, a well made HDMI or optical cable would be worth the little extra expense?

 

[professorhat]

To be honest, I don't know. I can't give you expert advice on why there is / should be a difference, how it works or anything like that. All I can say is, I've actually tried it (unlike some others here who will insist it's impossible without even actually trying) and I could see and hear a difference.

My advice is to try it for yourself. Find a retailer willing to let you have a couple of cables on a no quibble refund so you can test it for yourself - if you see / hear a difference, and it seems like that difference is worth the extra money, then go for it. If you can't, go for the cheaper cable. Either way, you're a winner.

And always remember the 10% rule - it's silly to put a cable worth £100 into a system worth not much more - clearly the money could be better spent on better components within the system. But £100 worth of cables in a system worth £1,000 - well that makes more sense and ensures you're getting the most of your £1,000 investment (assuming you can actually see / hear the difference of course!).

That's my opinion, and I'll say nothing more on the matter

 

[scene]

Not all optical cables are created equal. They rely on a fibre-optic cable, or bundle of cables, passing laser light accurately without degradation so that the signal at the end point is readable and equal to the source signal. Again, to quote from Wikipedia:

Wikipedia Toslink article:
TOSLINK may use inexpensive 1 mm plastic optical fiber, or it can use
higher quality multistrand plastic optical fibers or even quartz glass
optical fibers, depending on the desired bandwidth and application.
TOSLINK cables are usually limited to 5 meters in length, with a
technical maximumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOSLINK#cite_note-length-0 of 10 meters, for reliable transmission without the use of a signal booster.

So there you are, quality of the fiber will impact reliability of transmission. Also, a given construction of cable will have a given bandwidth, cheaper cables may have sufficient sound for "CD" quality - 192-320 KHz, but not higher bandwidth formats.

 

[Anonymous]

i personally use mostly cheap and nasty digital cables and decent analogue cables. On a 50inch pio and 82 projector i hear nor see any difference between my Qed cable and my ÿ1 pound nickel ebay cable. Obviously peoples opinions will vary. All my budget goes on good analogue cables and equipment.

best way is to try yourself but i find short expensive digitial cables a waste of money, maybe over longer lengths but a few meters of digital cable you should be fine with just about anything, if it doesn't work then spend a lil more and pick up something slightly better.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmmm 'TheLawns'....now why does that name sound familiar ?

I have an old Hitachi one that performs just as well as my QED's if that helps to put it into perspective ?

 

[Anonymous]

Hmmm "THE_FORCE" now where have I seen that name before? COUGH Another AV site forum COUGH. Still enjoying your amazing apartment??

 

[Anonymous]

Yep still here young blud ! 🙂

 

[Anonymous]

I do not like optical as it is susceptible to dust at the connectors and problems if the cable is bent at too sharp an angle, or internally damaged. Much prefer digital coaxial or hdmi.