Coax vs Toslink for digital data

Posted by Nigel Pond [SysOp] [IP: 206.241.18.4] on October 14, 1999 at 14:05:32
Using Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; MSN 2.5; Windows 95):

In Reply to: Coax vs Toslink for digital data posted by Martin Conley on October 14, 1999 at 13:46:33:

Martin

In my experience, over relatively short cable runs and in the absence of external interference, there is little to choose between optical and coax. Over longer runs each has its pros and cons - optical is not subject to outside interference like coax can be but conversely, over longer runs internal reflections and tight bends can be a problem for optical but not for coax.

As for the 75ohm spec, well that is what the spec for the SPDIF interface specifies for optimum signal transmission, so I guess we should stick to it. I make my own coax cables using Belden cable and Canare connectors. In fact there is plenty of cable around which is 75ohm impedance, but very few connectors which meet the spec - the Canare ones (see image) are some of the few that do. I have not tried the Canare cable but I cannot imagine it is any different in terms of performance from the Belden I use.

I have bought several other type of cable from Markertek, and their workmanship and service are second to none.

BTW if need be, converters are available to convert coax to optical and vice versa

• Digital Format Converters

Follow Ups:

Return to the new SMR Forums Menu

Design & HTML © SMR Home Theatre, Images © SMR Home Theatre cannot be reproduced without permission.  The images on this page are digitally watermarked.  New forum messages should be posted into SMR Forums v2 - http://www.smr-forums.com/

	The Web   SMR Archive