SPDIF, Optical or Coaxial?

[cpacini]

Also, if I was going to connect the audio output of a cable box to an X-FI, would it be better to use SPDIF or the standard red/white RCA connectors?

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: cpacini
Also, if I was going to connect the audio output of a cable box to an X-FI, would it be better to use SPDIF or the standard red/white RCA connectors?

i prefer the optical on all digital audio outs(makes sense as it is just passing pulses of light so no interference), but that is me. to be honest, i don't think you could hear the difference unless you had some really bad cables, but i could be wrong.

 

[InlineFour]

Either one is good. I prefer optical because it won't have interference with other cables.

 

[PurdueRy]

You won't notice a difference.

SPDIF is either coax or optical or minijack..its just a digital connection

Coax = More sturdy connection, won't have to worry about kinking the cable

Optical = Less sturdy, no possibility of ground loops.

Notice I didn't say interference because anyone who claims they are going to induce a 1 or 0 into a quad shielded digital cable is paranoid and buys into advertising.

It would be best to use a digital connection out of the cable box.

 

[cpacini]

Thanks for the help guys, optical it is 🙂

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy
You won't notice a difference.

SPDIF is either coax or optical or minijack..its just a digital connection

Coax = More sturdy connection, won't have to worry about kinking the cable

Optical = Less sturdy, no possibility of ground loops.

Notice I didn't say interference because anyone who claims they are going to induce a 1 or 0 into a quad shielded digital cable is paranoid and buys into advertising.

It would be best to use a digital connection out of the cable box.

doesn't really sound like the op would be using a high quality "digital cable" from his original post

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: PurdueRy
You won't notice a difference.

SPDIF is either coax or optical or minijack..its just a digital connection

Coax = More sturdy connection, won't have to worry about kinking the cable

Optical = Less sturdy, no possibility of ground loops.

Notice I didn't say interference because anyone who claims they are going to induce a 1 or 0 into a quad shielded digital cable is paranoid and buys into advertising.

It would be best to use a digital connection out of the cable box.

doesn't really sound like the op would be using a high quality "digital cable" from his original post

Nevertheless, find me a cable that is not shielded at all and then try to induce 1's and 0's into that cable. This is the whole point of digital and why those $130 HDMI cables are laughable. The cost of cables should go DOWN with the switch to digital...not up

 

[Howard]

Quad shield is too compromised. Give me good foil+braid shield any day.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: PurdueRy
You won't notice a difference.

SPDIF is either coax or optical or minijack..its just a digital connection

Coax = More sturdy connection, won't have to worry about kinking the cable

Optical = Less sturdy, no possibility of ground loops.

Notice I didn't say interference because anyone who claims they are going to induce a 1 or 0 into a quad shielded digital cable is paranoid and buys into advertising.

It would be best to use a digital connection out of the cable box.

doesn't really sound like the op would be using a high quality "digital cable" from his original post

Nevertheless, find me a cable that is not shielded at all and then try to induce 1's and 0's into that cable. This is the whole point of digital and why those $130 HDMI cables are laughable. The cost of cables should go DOWN with the switch to digital...not up

i was assuming the worst wiring possible. personally i have run "digital" cables i got from a buddy who does professional home theatre install (his customer insisted on it and he had extra) and compared it to some regular, non-shielded stuff i got with a dvd player (the ultra thin ones that are black cables with red/white rcas). couldn't tell a difference but i am in the sub $5000 ht setup, so others may notice a difference. i agree that cables should go down but monster and all those other manf put a lot of $$$ into advertising, somebody has to pay....same thing as a $10 optical cable or a $50 monster optical cable - probably the same cable with a monster sticker....

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: Howard
Quad shield is too compromised. Give me good foil+braid shield any day.

couldn't you just use some copper rg6 from home depot and crimp on some rca connectors, and maybe a little heat shrink tubing to make it look nice and neat? for my video surveillance stuff i have that runs a copper inner core, then the plastic, then a copper braid along side 2 power connector to power the cameras - all analog and never get any interference..

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: Howard
Quad shield is too compromised. Give me good foil+braid shield any day.

couldn't you just use some copper rg6 from home depot and crimp on some rca connectors, and maybe a little heat shrink tubing to make it look nice and neat?

Yes people do that all the time...that's why I said it 😉

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: Howard
Quad shield is too compromised. Give me good foil+braid shield any day.

couldn't you just use some copper rg6 from home depot and crimp on some rca connectors, and maybe a little heat shrink tubing to make it look nice and neat?

Yes people do that all the time...that's why I said it 😉

since i have access to the tools, or just need to pick up another die set for my crimper and could probably get a couple hundred feet of the copper rg6 that is how i will do it in the future, when my old 480i rptv dies (i just can't bring myself to throw it away since its video quality is ok and the hd-dvd wars have not yet come to a end, so i may have this thing until either blu-ray or hd-dvd come to a standardization, hopefully there won't be 2 standards like -r and +r....., and probably get better quality than the $50-$70 best buy bought ones 🙂

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: Howard
Quad shield is too compromised. Give me good foil+braid shield any day.

couldn't you just use some copper rg6 from home depot and crimp on some rca connectors, and maybe a little heat shrink tubing to make it look nice and neat?

Yes people do that all the time...that's why I said it 😉

since i have access to the tools, or just need to pick up another die set for my crimper and could probably get a couple hundred feet of the copper rg6 that is how i will do it in the future, when my old 480i rptv dies (i just can't bring myself to throw it away since its video quality is ok and the hd-dvd wars have not yet come to a end, so i may have this thing until either blu-ray or hd-dvd come to a standardization, hopefully there won't be 2 standards like -r and +r....., and probably get better quality than the $50-$70 best buy bought ones 🙂

And the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself 😉

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: Howard
Quad shield is too compromised. Give me good foil+braid shield any day.

couldn't you just use some copper rg6 from home depot and crimp on some rca connectors, and maybe a little heat shrink tubing to make it look nice and neat?

Yes people do that all the time...that's why I said it 😉

since i have access to the tools, or just need to pick up another die set for my crimper and could probably get a couple hundred feet of the copper rg6 that is how i will do it in the future, when my old 480i rptv dies (i just can't bring myself to throw it away since its video quality is ok and the hd-dvd wars have not yet come to a end, so i may have this thing until either blu-ray or hd-dvd come to a standardization, hopefully there won't be 2 standards like -r and +r....., and probably get better quality than the $50-$70 best buy bought ones 🙂

And the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself 😉

exactly

 

[Howard]

Yes, you can make your own. Belden 1694a is a great cable.

 

[bob4432]

i will have to put in an order with a friend and see if he has any. all he gets is belden and i have ~800' of cat5e and ~300' of the cable with the power cables attached.....maybe i can get some when i re-wire my setup. any benefit to using that to go to the speakers? or is that overkill? unfortuantely the back run about 50' and go buy a lot of other electrical components, or am i being to anal about that? i could possibly get a spool of it that is what they are using atm....i can use this stuff for all the interconnects true - audio and video?