Which is the better connection for audio, optical or coaxial?
Senior Member
Location: Portugal
Posts: 265
I'm Nuno.
Optical vs coaxial
Which is the better connection for audio, optical or coaxial?
Senior Member
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 6,811
I'm James.
Coaxial
Main system : VPI Scout 1.1 / JMW 9T / 2M Black / Croft 25R+ / Croft 7 / Heco Celan GT 702
Second System : Goldring Lenco GL75 / AT95EX / Pioneer SX590 / Spendor SP2
Moderator & Terminator!
Location: N E Kent
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I'm Geoff.
After a lot of experimentation I came to the same conclusion. Some prefer optical though.Originally Posted by Jimbo
It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!
Senior Member
Location: Portugal
Posts: 265
I'm Nuno.
And how much do you need to spend on a coaxial cable to get better resulta?
Senior Member
Location: London/Durham
Posts: 6,883
I'm Lawrence.
Better than what, optical? I've found you can chuck in a single good quality screened analogue RCA and get good results if you've got a spare one.
Some will say it's the wrong impedance and you'll get reflections or something but apparently RCA itself is the wrong impedance and you need a BNC socket I've no idea why that is.
If you've got BNC rather than RCA on your dac ignore the above and get a MarK Grant G1000HD I think it is, the copper coloured one, very good value.
Fount Master & Moderator
Location: Essex
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I'm openingabottleofwine.
RCA phono connectors were chosen by Sony and Philips for the digital interface, not because they have a 75 Ohm impedance (they don't; in fact they cannot have an impedance greater than ~ 57 Ohm, and usually the impedance will be 30 - 40 Ohm), but because they are electrically short, which means that any impednce mismatches which would give rise to reflections, tend to be self cancelling.
Barry
Super Moderator
Location: W Lothian
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I'm Grant.
if its well made, connection wise you'll be fine imo... same goes with optical. the ends are more important, especially with optical
Regards,
Grant.... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse
I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work.... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
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“You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”
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Senior Member
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 6,811
I'm James.
Optical has limited bandwidth.
Coaxial has greater bandwidth so supports high resolution 24bit if that's your thing.
Main system : VPI Scout 1.1 / JMW 9T / 2M Black / Croft 25R+ / Croft 7 / Heco Celan GT 702
Second System : Goldring Lenco GL75 / AT95EX / Pioneer SX590 / Spendor SP2
Super Moderator
Location: W Lothian
Posts: 99,005
I'm Grant.
think optical can now do 24/192 max.. depends on the dac tbh too.. coax can go higher but it is grounded and hence if you have hum issues you might be better with optical. usb again is different and can be better as its timing is not done til it hits dac; again its all about implementation... best choice is dependent on your needs and system. generally unless your golden eared or need a particular rate, or your system requires a type your likely not to notice
Regards,
Grant
I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work.... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -
Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?
“Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".
“You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”
"You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”
“There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”
***SMILE, BE HAPPY***
Senior Member
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 6,811
I'm James.
One thing I did notice recently was choice of cable quality certainly does make a difference. I have had USB and Coax and optical cables that caused issues in my system with drop outs and poor connection so a decent quality cable is certainly a good investment.
As to cables actually sounding different in digital systems I am not so sure? From my experience there are marginal gains here.
Main system : VPI Scout 1.1 / JMW 9T / 2M Black / Croft 25R+ / Croft 7 / Heco Celan GT 702
Second System : Goldring Lenco GL75 / AT95EX / Pioneer SX590 / Spendor SP2
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