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75.18.132.30
Can anyone tell me if there is any difference, significant or otherwise, between coaxial and optical audio outputs on a DVD player? As to final sound quality that is. Thanks
"Ron B"
Follow Ups:
The SPDIF protocol is media independent. Just as long Ethernet runs are converted to optical and work just fine, so does toslink. As with all electronic components, better construction usually results in better outcomes, however, so you would want to use well constructed cables in either case. Some people claim to hear a difference, but some people also claim the the power cord on a preamp also makes a difference. My ears have never been THAT good.
GPBobby
Dolby Digital sound is delivered in packets much like internet protocol so it pretty much is there or it isn't there. When it comes to transmission of sound in the form of PCM from CDs, that's a whole other issue. The below post on the differences between toslink and coax is excellent on explaining how they each work. I've personally never been able to hear differences on Dolby Digital but with 5.1 channels playing it is certainly harder than comparing 2-channel.
Optical output relies on transducers to convert electrical energy into light and vice versa at the receiving end. Great in theory but the quality of the transducers used in our audio/video gear leaves a lot to be desired at both the send and receive side of the equation. Implementing high quality optical transducers is simply cost prohibitive whether we're talking an $89 DVD player, $30K Esoteric player or a $10K processor.
The only situation where we use optical connections is when a client has a cable box as part of their AV system and ground loop issues are present. Using a toslink cable from cable box to AVR/processor will usually eliminate the ground loop issue.
A well designed, shielded coax/digital cable via SPDIF will sonically outperform any optical connection via Toslink despite the fact RCA connectors are essentially not true 75ohm impedance.
I've run both coax and toslink from my dvd player to my home theatre receiver. I have never been able to discern any differences in sound quality between the two.
- http://www.audioholics.com/education/frequently-asked-questions/optical-vs-coaxial-digital-connections (Open in New Window)
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