question about optical input for DVD/CD players on receiver

[Thorn]

Crap... I hate the way that site does it's pages...

Go to MCM Electronics (just log in as a guest) and look for part # 24-4455. You search by part number by typing it in on the upper right hand side of the page.

 

[skywhr]

Nice, thanks..

 

[divinemartyr]

I just shopped with MCM Electronics for the first time this past week, great people to deal with although they will ask you where you heard of them if you call your order in. Be prepared to let them know you just found a catalog or something so they can sell to you, they mostly cater to businesses.

As far as which sounds better, optical vs. coaxial I wondered this myself and recently consulted a local audiophile. The reason i asked him in particular, is he makes his own cables (Speaker wire, rca's, coaxial digital etc) and he said from his personal experience, the coaxial digital is the BEST of the two, so he doesn't make an optical cable. I personally have always used optical cables, but Z24 has you on the right track. If your receiver is fairly new, and of fairly high quality, then use the RCA's for your CD player (buy a nice CD player so its DAC is of high quality) and use the optical for your DVD's.

Alternatively, buy a DVD/CD changer (Sony makes a 200-Disc which is fairly nice) and just load up all your CD's and DVD's and sell your old DVD player. This would eliminate the need for 2 units.

dm

 

[hclarkjr]

i want to thank everybody for their input on this and have decided i am going to buy a JVC carasoul CD player with optical output and use the coaxial input for the DVD player. i just got off phone with JVC and was told JVC doesn't make CD player with coaxial digital output. off to best buy i go, hopefully they have JVC CD players in stock

 

[Z24]

thorn,

nice... haven't seen one of those before. what happens if you run both inputs at the same time?

divinemartyr,


<< If your receiver is fairly new, and of fairly high quality, then use the RCA's for your CD player (buy a nice CD player so its DAC is of high quality) and use the optical for your DVD's. >>


I find that to be a confusing statement. Are you telling him to use a digital connection, or an analog connection for this CD player? He has two digital connections on the receiver (one coaxial, and one optical). So, he could connect both via a digital cable.

as for the difference between optical and coaxial digital cables... i offer one possible explanation for a cable-maker's reasoning: optical cables are a different beast than electrical cables, so they may be outside this person's area of expertise (as far as making them goes).

regardless, it is a digital signal. 0's and 1's. there has to be something seriously wrong with your cable (of either type) if it mixes those up.

I challenge ANYONE to identify the type of digital cable being used in an A-B test by listening alone.

edit: spelling

 

[Z24]

hclarkjr,

that is probably the simplest way to go. you won't hear a difference between the coaxial and optical connections.

when you buy the coaxial digital cable, don't get suckered into buying the expensive digital-approved cable.

just get a 75 ohm RCA cable -- which is normally used for a video signal (yellow connectors sometimes, and it is generally thicker than the audio cables). it will be a lot less money, and do the same job.

 

[Thorn]

Z-24, this is how it works...

1.) It will automatically send the same signal to two seperate devices from one source.

or

2.) It will send the signal from two different sources to one device.

This should be fine for most applications... the only problem I can see is that if you try and simultaneously send signals from two sources into one device using this adapter you'll get a jumbled mess (ie. a DVD player and a CD player sharing one toslink port on the receiver). The fix for this is to make sure you're only using one device at a time.


<< I find that to be a confusing statement. Are you telling him to use a digital connection, or an analog connection for this CD player? He has two digital connections on the receiver (one coaxial, and one optical). So, he could connect both via a digital cable. >>


I think what he's trying to say is that most high end CD Players have superior DACs compared to the ones in mainstream A/V receivers, and this is usually correct. If you have a really nice CDP then it's best to use quality RCA jacks... Whereas, you're probably only going to use your DVD player for HT (which doesn't need to be as full and rich, just accurate).

I, on the other hand, am very cheap and prefer to buy a nice A/V receiver and use it's DACs exclusively (via toslink or coax) and purchase cheap peripherals. Some would rather do the opposite... but it's really all about preference.


And YES, optical and coax are identical in sound quality. Don't get snookered into buying expensive toslink and DA cables, $20 for a good quality cable is sufficient.

MCM has some nice toslink cables for cheap, check out part # 24-4420. If you want to spruce up your HT a bit (Colors!) you can also try 24-4390, 24-4360, and 24-4375.

 

[Z24]

thorn,

The part that threw me was the &quot;If your receiver is fairly new, and of fairly high quality, then use the RCA's for your CD player&quot;.

The receiver being new and high quality would be reason to use the digital connections, not the RCA's.

I wish I could afford a receiver with enough digital connections. I've got a Yamaha RX-V496 and right now, I run my SB Live into one digital connection, and my DVD player into the other. I guess I'll have to get a high-end CD player (or outboard DAC) when I get around to it. Or upgrade the receiver to the RX-V800... or--argh! It's worse than computers!!

 

[Z24]

...and digital cable just arrived. What am I to do????

*holds head and sobs*

 

[hclarkjr]

ugghhh, best buy doesn't have JVC CD players!!!!! i hate ordering through the mail!!!!

 

[Z24]

do you *need* a JVC player?

What does best buy carry? I'm sure they have something good in your pricerange.

 

[hclarkjr]

well my whole system is JVC which uses something call compu-link technology so i would like to keep everything the same. there are few other stores localy to check yet.

 

[Thorn]

hclarkjr, Circuit City has JVC, just go there.

 

[bcterps]

Actually, in one of my recent issues of Home Theater Magazine, they did say that in theory, a coaxial cable would provide less signal loss than an optical cable, however, the loss would be so negligable that it wouldnt matter.

--Ben

 

[Z24]

any updates?

 

[hclarkjr]

yes, i have decided since i was able to sell some things today in the for sale forum that i am getting a JVC 200 disk CD player. plus i did some calling around to crutchfield and other audio merchants asking about the 2 digital inputs and which is better. you were right, out of the 5 merchants called only 1 disagreed with you slightly about being no difference between the 2. the one said the optical might be little clearer sounding due to it being tranfered by light instead of wire but said it wouldn't be nothing you would really notice. i did order the tos link splitter today too being it only cost $7 or so plus shipping. i am going to experiment myself and see if there is difference.

 

[nightowl]

Radio Shack also has a multiple-in single-out Toslink switch. I am not sure how much it costs but I think that it has 4 inputs. The only thing is that I believe that it is a manual switch (you have to get up and change the input yourself).

 

[hclarkjr]

thanx nightowl, never thought to look there. there are 2 stores within 10 miles of me too, duhhhh

 

[Z24]

hclarkjr,

I guess the cable-making guy who likes coax., and the guy who likes optical balance each other out

When it comes right down to it, we're really splitting hairs. Even the difference between a digital and analog connection on the equipment you're talking about would be minute. Depending on how critically you listen, you might not even be able to tell. The average person couldn't.

I visited a friend the other day, who got a new setup. He turned it on, and played something for me. I cringed. He thought it sounded great. He had the bass and treble adjustments cranked way up, and the loudness on. It sounded horrible to me immediately, but he had no complaints.

After I turned everything down, and had him listen to it, he was like &quot;well, I don't think it sounds better, just different&quot; [being stubborn]

Then I switched back and forth a few times so he could do a comparison. He now agrees that it sounds better with everything turned down (bass, treble at 0, loudness off).

That is the biggest problem (read: addiction) with audio stuff. Your stuff sounds great until you hear something better. And there is always something noticeably better (well, noticeably until you start getting into the $10,000's of dollars... then I think it's more about bragging rights).

 

[hclarkjr]

well i bought the JVC model XL-MC334BK CD player along with a radio shack 4 way digital optical selector along with the optical cables to hook everything up. the selector was $29.99 at radio shack. i paid $159.99 for CD player at Rex discount store which isn't bad price for it. thank you everybody for your input in this thread, i didn't expect the response i got over this subject. oh, and the optical cables were $19.99 for 12 foot section at rex, another good deal there. radio shack wanted $34.99 for same thing.