Coaxal or Optical.

Phil Owens · 12-05-2004, 17:41

What is the best connection? Coaxal or Optical.
And how much do these cables cost?

billystevo · 13-05-2004, 00:18

Ive got both on two Dvd players i own, i think the coaxial is slightly better than the optical , but its a gnats cod. Prices are variable , better off looking on the net ,you will always get it cheaper than Dixons.

jcx · 13-05-2004, 00:20

Coax will probably give you a slightly nicer sound but they both cost about the same. I think Richer Sounds charge £20 for either so you might want to check eBay unless your equipment is very expensive, maybe around £5.

damndirtyape · 13-05-2004, 03:00

The difference is totally nominal to be honest. You can pick them up from around a fiver, or splash out on a gold plated 5 metre one for £50 - again, the difference depends on your setup. If you've paid £100 for an all-in-one system, then a cheapy one will do. If you've just spent over £20,000 then who cares about a £50 cable anyway

comicsansserif · 13-05-2004, 09:12

The thinking goes that since the since started as electrical then they should stay that way to avaid any problems during conversion to light - so coax should be the best. However since the singnals are digital it shouldn't make any difference and if it did create problems with the signals then your equipment would probably have a lot of trouble.

pmcmillan · 13-05-2004, 11:16

Unless you have a really top-end system, you are unlikely to notice any difference.

If using optical, use the shortest cable possible, avoid sharp bends in the cable and keep the connectors clean.

If using cable, then choose good quality cable with good connectors, and also avoid any sharp bends or squeezing the cable.

Phil

Phil Owens · 13-05-2004, 13:15

Cheers chaps..
What I want to do is, connect my dvd via coaxial or optical to my Toshiba widescreen RPTV. It has dolby digital.. My TV's Spcs.

Jim Rae · 17-05-2004, 23:30

Optical is currently giving me Dolby Digital and DTS sound which are both outstanding.

Doubt if you would notice the difference between optical and coax on a day to day basis.

damndirtyape · 18-05-2004, 02:31

I own both an Optical and Coax (currently set with optical on PS2 and coax on DVD player) and each sounds identical - it's really only something home-cinema extremists worry about with their £50,000 setups.

Can't think of a great analogy at the moment, but it's best to think of it as the difference between Heinz Tomato Sauce coming in a glass bottle or a squeezy bottle - both have different delivery methods, but offer a similar quality end product.

The only thing that I can think that may be a deciding factor is the thickness of the cable; coax is very chunky and can be difficult to 'hide away', whereas Optical cable tends to be a lot thinner.

12-05-2004, 17:41	#1
Phil Owens Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Wrexham Posts: 6,782	Coaxal or Optical. What is the best connection? Coaxal or Optical. And how much do these cables cost?

13-05-2004, 00:18	#2
billystevo Banned User Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 287	Ive got both on two Dvd players i own, i think the coaxial is slightly better than the optical , but its a gnats cod. Prices are variable , better off looking on the net ,you will always get it cheaper than Dixons.

13-05-2004, 00:20	#3
jcx Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: UK Posts: 321	Coax will probably give you a slightly nicer sound but they both cost about the same. I think Richer Sounds charge £20 for either so you might want to check eBay unless your equipment is very expensive, maybe around £5.

13-05-2004, 03:00	#4
damndirtyape Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: UK Posts: 2,279	The difference is totally nominal to be honest. You can pick them up from around a fiver, or splash out on a gold plated 5 metre one for £50 - again, the difference depends on your setup. If you've paid £100 for an all-in-one system, then a cheapy one will do. If you've just spent over £20,000 then who cares about a £50 cable anyway

13-05-2004, 09:12	#5
comicsansserif Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: In front of my computer! Posts: 2,865	The thinking goes that since the since started as electrical then they should stay that way to avaid any problems during conversion to light - so coax should be the best. However since the singnals are digital it shouldn't make any difference and if it did create problems with the signals then your equipment would probably have a lot of trouble.

13-05-2004, 11:16	#6
pmcmillan Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Wimbledon, SW London, UK Posts: 3,734	Unless you have a really top-end system, you are unlikely to notice any difference. If using optical, use the shortest cable possible, avoid sharp bends in the cable and keep the connectors clean. If using cable, then choose good quality cable with good connectors, and also avoid any sharp bends or squeezing the cable. Phil

13-05-2004, 13:15	#7
Phil Owens Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Wrexham Posts: 6,782	Cheers chaps.. What I want to do is, connect my dvd via coaxial or optical to my Toshiba widescreen RPTV. It has dolby digital.. My TV's Spcs.

17-05-2004, 23:30	#8
Jim Rae Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Ayrshire Posts: 4,125	Optical is currently giving me Dolby Digital and DTS sound which are both outstanding. Doubt if you would notice the difference between optical and coax on a day to day basis.

18-05-2004, 02:31	#9
damndirtyape Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: UK Posts: 2,279	I own both an Optical and Coax (currently set with optical on PS2 and coax on DVD player) and each sounds identical - it's really only something home-cinema extremists worry about with their £50,000 setups. Can't think of a great analogy at the moment, but it's best to think of it as the difference between Heinz Tomato Sauce coming in a glass bottle or a squeezy bottle - both have different delivery methods, but offer a similar quality end product. The only thing that I can think that may be a deciding factor is the thickness of the cable; coax is very chunky and can be difficult to 'hide away', whereas Optical cable tends to be a lot thinner.

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Coaxal or Optical.