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home audio speaker system wiring help

L

lesch2k

Golden Member
i purchased a new speaker system / receiver

Onkyo HT-S680 6.1 channel system

i have 2 questions about setting this up.

what is the difference between a coax digital audio cable and an optical digital audio cable. i am pretty sure i need one of them between the dvd player and the receiver to get true surround sound on DVD's. do i need one over the other though

also, what gague wire should i use? i'm pretty sure the speaker wire that comes with these systems is crappy.

thanks
 
you need to run optical cable from DVD player to reciever to have 5.1/6.1 surround sound. As far as gauge you should be safe with 14gauge, I run 12gauge just because i have a little more power consumption. The lower the gauge, the more power to your speakers. If you have nice speakers, use nice speaker. If you have crappy speaker wire, go online and get some monster cable. They are the best for home theatre acc. Make sure you use a nice optical cable as well so you dont get any lag/distortion on your optical cable.
 
Fiber optics is a true digital signal, Digital coax is analog but will work the same( digital to analog - to digital.) .....I'd go with fiber optics but a good coax cable will give you the same outcome.
 
Originally posted by: DaTT
Fiber optics is a true digital signal, Digital coax is analog but will work the same( digital to analog - to digital.) .....I'd go with fiber optics but a good coax cable will give you the same outcome.
Click to expand...


Digital coax is not analog...
 
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: DaTT
Fiber optics is a true digital signal, Digital coax is analog but will work the same( digital to analog - to digital.) .....I'd go with fiber optics but a good coax cable will give you the same outcome.
Click to expand...


Digital coax is not analog...
Click to expand...

Digital coax is an analog cable.....
 
Originally posted by: Mrfrog840
you need to run optical cable from DVD player to reciever to have 5.1/6.1 surround sound. As far as gauge you should be safe with 14gauge, I run 12gauge just because i have a little more power consumption. The lower the gauge, the more power to your speakers. If you have nice speakers, use nice speaker. If you have crappy speaker wire, go online and get some monster cable. They are the best for home theatre acc. Make sure you use a nice optical cable as well so you dont get any lag/distortion on your optical cable.
Click to expand...


#1 you don't have to use an optical cable. Any video cable will work fine to be used as digital coax.

#2. Monster cable is good, but by no means worth the cost. Go to cablesforless.com or ac4l.com for accesories.

#3. You won't get lag or distortion by using a cheap optical cable unless its broken
 
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: Mrfrog840
you need to run optical cable from DVD player to reciever to have 5.1/6.1 surround sound. As far as gauge you should be safe with 14gauge, I run 12gauge just because i have a little more power consumption. The lower the gauge, the more power to your speakers. If you have nice speakers, use nice speaker. If you have crappy speaker wire, go online and get some monster cable. They are the best for home theatre acc. Make sure you use a nice optical cable as well so you dont get any lag/distortion on your optical cable.
Click to expand...


#1 you don't have to use an optical cable. Any video cable will work fine to be used as digital coax.

#2. Monster cable is good, but by no means worth the cost. Go to cablesforless.com or ac4l.com for accesories.

#3. You won't get lag or distortion by using a cheap optical cable unless its broken
Click to expand...

Not always true.....but sometimes.
 
Originally posted by: DaTT
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: DaTT
Fiber optics is a true digital signal, Digital coax is analog but will work the same( digital to analog - to digital.) .....I'd go with fiber optics but a good coax cable will give you the same outcome.
Click to expand...


Digital coax is not analog...
Click to expand...

Digital coax is an analog cable.....
Click to expand...


Cable cannot be analog or digital. It is capable of transmitting both but it is what is transferred accross it that determines what the signal is. Therefore it is a digital signal and does not undergo the conversion that you describe. Actually the fiber optic cable HAS to undergo a conversion to light, while digital coax has no conversion.
 
Originally posted by: DaTT
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: Mrfrog840
you need to run optical cable from DVD player to reciever to have 5.1/6.1 surround sound. As far as gauge you should be safe with 14gauge, I run 12gauge just because i have a little more power consumption. The lower the gauge, the more power to your speakers. If you have nice speakers, use nice speaker. If you have crappy speaker wire, go online and get some monster cable. They are the best for home theatre acc. Make sure you use a nice optical cable as well so you dont get any lag/distortion on your optical cable.
Click to expand...


#1 you don't have to use an optical cable. Any video cable will work fine to be used as digital coax.

#2. Monster cable is good, but by no means worth the cost. Go to cablesforless.com or ac4l.com for accesories.

#3. You won't get lag or distortion by using a cheap optical cable unless its broken
Click to expand...

Not always true.....but sometimes.
Click to expand...


Most all the time. As long as the ones and zeros make it without getting so much noise introduced that they get lost, its a perfectly suitable cable. Search for the guy that used a coat hanger as a digital coax cable and it worked perfectly.
 
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: DaTT
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: Mrfrog840
you need to run optical cable from DVD player to reciever to have 5.1/6.1 surround sound. As far as gauge you should be safe with 14gauge, I run 12gauge just because i have a little more power consumption. The lower the gauge, the more power to your speakers. If you have nice speakers, use nice speaker. If you have crappy speaker wire, go online and get some monster cable. They are the best for home theatre acc. Make sure you use a nice optical cable as well so you dont get any lag/distortion on your optical cable.
Click to expand...


#1 you don't have to use an optical cable. Any video cable will work fine to be used as digital coax.

#2. Monster cable is good, but by no means worth the cost. Go to cablesforless.com or ac4l.com for accesories.

#3. You won't get lag or distortion by using a cheap optical cable unless its broken
Click to expand...

Not always true.....but sometimes.
Click to expand...


Most all the time. As long as the ones and zeros make it without getting so much noise introduced that they get lost, its a perfectly suitable cable. Search for the guy that used a coat hanger as a digital coax cable and it worked perfectly.
Click to expand...


Most cheap cables aren't shieled well enough, yes, a high quality cable will work fine. Most DVD players come with a digi coax cable anyways.
 
Originally posted by: DaTT
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: DaTT
Fiber optics is a true digital signal, Digital coax is analog but will work the same( digital to analog - to digital.) .....I'd go with fiber optics but a good coax cable will give you the same outcome.
Click to expand...


Digital coax is not analog...
Click to expand...

Digital coax is an analog cable.....
Click to expand...

yeah try running 5.1 from a coax cable, tell me what happens
 
I'll chime in and say go for the optical (toslink) cable, but don't spend money on a monster. You should be able to find a decent 6' for about $12-$14. As far as speaker wire goes, you shouldn't need anything bigger than 12 gauge. In think 14 gauge should work for your puny speakers.
 
Originally posted by: Mrfrog840
Originally posted by: DaTT
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: DaTT
Fiber optics is a true digital signal, Digital coax is analog but will work the same( digital to analog - to digital.) .....I'd go with fiber optics but a good coax cable will give you the same outcome.
Click to expand...


Digital coax is not analog...
Click to expand...

Digital coax is an analog cable.....
Click to expand...

yeah try running 5.1 from a coax cable, tell me what happens
Click to expand...


It will work fine.... Digital coax is nothing more than 75 ohm coax cable. Don't call me crazy until you research beyond monster cable's website.
 
What PurdueRy said is true, you do not have to use optical cable. Digital Coax works equally well and some people even prefer it to optical.

14 gauge is also pefectly fine, with 16 being my minimum and 12 being my max. Go to your local Home Depot and pick up some 14.

Also, the main difference between nice optical digital cables and cheap ones, is the connectors. They will work the same, but some have sh!tty connectors.

 
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: Mrfrog840
Originally posted by: DaTT
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: DaTT
Fiber optics is a true digital signal, Digital coax is analog but will work the same( digital to analog - to digital.) .....I'd go with fiber optics but a good coax cable will give you the same outcome.
Click to expand...


Digital coax is not analog...
Click to expand...

Digital coax is an analog cable.....
Click to expand...

yeah try running 5.1 from a coax cable, tell me what happens
Click to expand...


It will work fine....
Click to expand...

Indeed it will. I ran Digi coax for the longest time......and still am from my digital cable box. Fiber from the DVD though
 
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: Mrfrog840
Originally posted by: DaTT
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: DaTT
Fiber optics is a true digital signal, Digital coax is analog but will work the same( digital to analog - to digital.) .....I'd go with fiber optics but a good coax cable will give you the same outcome.
Click to expand...


Digital coax is not analog...
Click to expand...

Digital coax is an analog cable.....
Click to expand...

yeah try running 5.1 from a coax cable, tell me what happens
Click to expand...


It will work fine.... Digital coax is nothing more than 75 ohm coax cable. Don't call me crazy until you research beyond monster cable's website.
Click to expand...

:roll: riiiight.
 
Bottom Line: Using optical cables for your digital connections may help minimize susceptibility of coupling RF noise into the line and reduce loss for long runs (10 feet or more)

However, using optical cables can minimize the potential of the above mentioned problems and thus may help to reduce common mode noise. The only negative about using optical cables is the connection is not always as secure as a coax one, and can sometimes be compromised easily by moving components frequently. In addition, optical cables are usually more expensive than coax ones.
 
Originally posted by: DaTT
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: DaTT
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: Mrfrog840
you need to run optical cable from DVD player to reciever to have 5.1/6.1 surround sound. As far as gauge you should be safe with 14gauge, I run 12gauge just because i have a little more power consumption. The lower the gauge, the more power to your speakers. If you have nice speakers, use nice speaker. If you have crappy speaker wire, go online and get some monster cable. They are the best for home theatre acc. Make sure you use a nice optical cable as well so you dont get any lag/distortion on your optical cable.
Click to expand...


#1 you don't have to use an optical cable. Any video cable will work fine to be used as digital coax.

#2. Monster cable is good, but by no means worth the cost. Go to cablesforless.com or ac4l.com for accesories.

#3. You won't get lag or distortion by using a cheap optical cable unless its broken
Click to expand...

Not always true.....but sometimes.
Click to expand...


Most all the time. As long as the ones and zeros make it without getting so much noise introduced that they get lost, its a perfectly suitable cable. Search for the guy that used a coat hanger as a digital coax cable and it worked perfectly.
Click to expand...


Most cheap cables aren't shieled well enough, yes, a high quality cable will work fine. Most DVD players come with a digi coax cable anyways.
Click to expand...


The point of digital is you do not need much shielding. Distortion happens in analog signals easily because it is not a 1 and 0 format. It would be very difficult to induce a 1 into a digital cable via noise
 
Originally posted by: Excelsior
What PurdueRy said is true, you do not have to use optical cable. Digital Coax works equally well and some people even prefer it to optical.

14 gauge is also pefectly fine, with 16 being my minimum and 12 being my max. Go to your local Home Depot and pick up some 14.

Also, the main difference between nice optical digital cables and cheap ones, is the connectors. They will work the same, but some have sh!tty connectors.
Click to expand...

I find the bolded part hard to believe unless you mean from a price point of view. They are virtually the same, they both transmit surround. I certainly can't tell a difference between the sound, and many I have talked to say the same.
 
For long use, I use a TV Coax cable and the screw on two adapters at each end. Works well. I ordered a part for this company and it never came (so I could use opical) those bastards.
 
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: DaTT
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: DaTT
Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Originally posted by: Mrfrog840
you need to run optical cable from DVD player to reciever to have 5.1/6.1 surround sound. As far as gauge you should be safe with 14gauge, I run 12gauge just because i have a little more power consumption. The lower the gauge, the more power to your speakers. If you have nice speakers, use nice speaker. If you have crappy speaker wire, go online and get some monster cable. They are the best for home theatre acc. Make sure you use a nice optical cable as well so you dont get any lag/distortion on your optical cable.
Click to expand...


#1 you don't have to use an optical cable. Any video cable will work fine to be used as digital coax.

#2. Monster cable is good, but by no means worth the cost. Go to cablesforless.com or ac4l.com for accesories.

#3. You won't get lag or distortion by using a cheap optical cable unless its broken
Click to expand...

Not always true.....but sometimes.
Click to expand...


Most all the time. As long as the ones and zeros make it without getting so much noise introduced that they get lost, its a perfectly suitable cable. Search for the guy that used a coat hanger as a digital coax cable and it worked perfectly.
Click to expand...


Most cheap cables aren't shieled well enough, yes, a high quality cable will work fine. Most DVD players come with a digi coax cable anyways.
Click to expand...


The point of digital is you do not need much shielding. Distortion happens in analog signals easily because it is not a 1 and 0 format. It would be very difficult to induce a 1 into a digital cable via noise
Click to expand...

I understand this, OK, but I have tried some crappy cables and it simply didn't work.
 
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