- Oct 7, 2000
- 11,554
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Is there a difference between RCA cable and S/PDIF cable?
- Thread starter MustangSVT
- Start date
I think Monster sells a cable that is specially made to transmit digital data, something to keep in mind
- Oct 7, 2000
- 11,554
- 12
- 81
Originally posted by: MustangSVT
ah thanx
thought they looked the same
what does ayup stand for?
stands for....ayup....yeah...yes...affirmative.
RCA is a type of connection, not a type of cable. What's inside can be anything. You cannot use an RCA jack audio cable to transmit a SPDIF stream.
S/PDIF
S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) is a standard audio transfer file format. It is usually found on digital audio equipment such as a DAT machine or audio processing device. It allows the transfer of audio from one file to another without the conversion to and from an analog format, which could degrade the signal quality.
The most common connector used with an S/PDIF interface is the RCA connector, the same one used for consumer audio products. An optical connector is also sometimes used.
Argh, the connector has nothing to do with it. You need a coaxial cable, which audio cables are NOT. It may or may not be fitted with an RCA termination. An RCA tipped video cable will probably work as long as it's not completely cheapo.
uh...well...the one I'm using is about a $5 cable from WalMart. Works fine. Run into the coaxial digital in on my Yamaha RX-V795. Granted, it's a video cable (75ohm).
Well, there you go. The cheapest bargain basement cables are usually coax and they just put lots of labels on them. But to be sure I'd just get the cheapest video cable that actually has a name brand. I think AR has one for like $10. Of course if you're into signal purity for a higher-end setup you should get something a little better.
Well, imo, digital is digital. Either the bits get there or they don't. I have had 0 problems with the audio with my setup.
That's not true. Poor or overly long cabling can introduce jitter, which is a bad thing. To put it as simply as I can-it's not a matter of if they get there, but when.
well, it's about a 6' cable and it's not one I made myself so I trust it
And, like I said, never had one problem. Well, some MP3s I have are of crappy quality but most sound great thru the system.
They should have specified BNC connectors in the standard. Yes there is a difference between a regular audio interconnect cable with RCA connectors and an S/PDIF cable. An S/PDIF cable will always work always in either application, but standard Audio Interconnects might not work with S/PDIF. Most of the time they will though. The signal on the S/PDIF line is NOT in the audio band, its a few orders of magnitude faster, so RF techniques should be applied or bad reflections, interference, etc are possible and can cause jitter, or just plain prevent the stuff from working. Unfortunately, in their infinite wisdom both they and the AES thumbed their noses at proper engineering practices.
wow guys you know what. the actual audible difference in cable choice is practically non-existant so long as you are using media fitted to the right signal bandwidth which pretty much all audio and or video cables are. monster cable are the cleanest sounding but not worth the price except when you have other high quality equipment. if you are using onboard audio with some 30 buck speakers via spdif then you might as well go with a 5 dollar cable but it you are running a 3000 dollar amplifier and $700 7.1 surround speakers then you prolly want monster cables
I just got my AV Receiver yesterday. This is the first time I've ever touched a DTS receiver. Obviously, someone forgot to tell the DVD player and the receiver that I needed a "digital" cable, because I used a CD player cord to hook up the DVD (for the record, I used white for video, and red for coaxial digital). I watched a movie last night, and the 5 channel audio sounded excellent.
I think the bits are get there just fine with a standard audio RCA cord.
I think the bits are get there just fine with a standard audio RCA cord.
Originally posted by: thomsbrain
yeah, those 1's and 0's sound way better through a better cable.
You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Digital circuitry is obviously WAY beyond your comprehension.
A little light reading for the experts. If you don't understand it, you have no business making claims about "just 1's and 0's".
http://www.dcsltd.co.uk/papers/jitter.pdf
http://www.dcsltd.co.uk/papers/jitter.pdf
Personally, I think any short modern cable will cut it as long as you're not watching a DVD inside Chernyobl.
Sure signal jitter is a problem, as is reflection. That being said, 6ft of copper wrapped in rubber/plastic is not going to pick up that much interference, and reflection should be a non-issue.
If your reciever is really that picky, I think there's something wrong with your reciever.
Sure signal jitter is a problem, as is reflection. That being said, 6ft of copper wrapped in rubber/plastic is not going to pick up that much interference, and reflection should be a non-issue.
If your reciever is really that picky, I think there's something wrong with your reciever.
Actually, although they are many times praised for their anti-jitter properties, optical cables are usually MORe suceptible to jitter
That's true, and these days the optical connections are usually reserved for the low-end. Plus the cables are a pain in the ass.
Originally posted by: Goosemaster
75 0hm is all you need...even for HDTV
That statement really doesn't mean anything on it's own. Whether you spend $5 or $500, a coaxial/digital/video cable is supposed to be 75 Ohms. Whether it actually is is another matter.
assuming that: the connection type is RCA and the cable type is coax. there is no inherent difference. however, 75ohm impedance is recommended on the cable. if you get an rg56 cable, slap on RCA plugs and do a decent job, you have yourself a cable capable of the digital transmission.
there is no such thing as a cable made "only for digital" applications. the only thing that changes in cables is the gauge and shielding. the gauge allows for higher voltages\currents and a cleaner signal (lower attenuation, etc). any good quality cable can be used for digital or analog transmissions.
i would recommend against a "simple RCA" cable since they are usually not good. typically you can tell the quality of a cable by their thickness. that is, thicker cables are usually better. usually. this is not always true. but obviously a cable that is .375" in diameter is going to be better than a cable that is .125" in diameter (most of the time). also, "simple rca" can also mean that there is no actual shielding. the ground and signal are 2 separate cables with no shielding. THIS IS BAD FOR MANY APPLICATIONS, including analog audio for which they are intended.
i would recommend an oxygen-free copper conductor since the cable has a higher quality and good shielding is a plus as well. I have some not-that-expensive coax cables with RCA ends that are oxygen free. I can interchange the video and audio cuz the cabling is the same. i can use them for component video, i can use them for spdif applications.
there is no such thing as a cable made "only for digital" applications. the only thing that changes in cables is the gauge and shielding. the gauge allows for higher voltages\currents and a cleaner signal (lower attenuation, etc). any good quality cable can be used for digital or analog transmissions.
i would recommend against a "simple RCA" cable since they are usually not good. typically you can tell the quality of a cable by their thickness. that is, thicker cables are usually better. usually. this is not always true. but obviously a cable that is .375" in diameter is going to be better than a cable that is .125" in diameter (most of the time). also, "simple rca" can also mean that there is no actual shielding. the ground and signal are 2 separate cables with no shielding. THIS IS BAD FOR MANY APPLICATIONS, including analog audio for which they are intended.
i would recommend an oxygen-free copper conductor since the cable has a higher quality and good shielding is a plus as well. I have some not-that-expensive coax cables with RCA ends that are oxygen free. I can interchange the video and audio cuz the cabling is the same. i can use them for component video, i can use them for spdif applications.
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