Digital Optical Wire

[TigaSefi]

At the moment the DVD player is connected to my AMP using the digital optical cable to allow DTS and superior Dolby Digital 6.1 sound but my new soundcard has this feature too. Is there such a cable that stretchs for 5 meters or so ?

[Tricky]

http://www.hificables.co.uk/acatalog/Cable_catalogue_Optical_cables_19.html

Try these - £50 a pop though!

[obvious]

try Keene Electronics (http://www.keene.co.uk/system/keene.htm). They have various lengths of TOSLINK cables with 5metres being £19.99. (Type TOSLINK in the search box)

[darkangel]

Originally posted by TigaSefi
At the moment the DVD player is connected to my AMP using the digital optical cable to allow DTS and superior Dolby Digital 6.1 sound but my new soundcard has this feature too. Is there such a cable that stretchs for 5 meters or so ? whats makes u think optical is better?

[Pritch]

Originally posted by darkangel
whats makes u think optical is better?

I think they mean "better than just connected with a pair of analogue phono cables".

ISTR many, many dull debates on home cinema boards about whether the best way to connect your digital stuff was optical or coax. I think coax won on some incredibly boring technicality every time.

[TigaSefi]

Thanks for your replies. Coax would be better but since the best way is to have the optical this is what I'll go for. I don't have 5 seperate speakers for the 5 sockets there is for it. It is easier to just connect to my amp thru digital optical wire.

[Bifta]

I thought coax was more open to interference, but then I know bugger all about this sort of thing, I only ended up using coax because my audigy 2 didn't have an optical out.

[darkangel]

Originally posted by Bifta
I thought coax was more open to interference, but then I know bugger all about this sort of thing, I only ended up using coax because my audigy 2 didn't have an optical out. depends of the equipment top stuff tend have better dacs so the quality is pretty much the same but with lower range stuff ur better off with coax + it's cheaper unless ur getting the £80 1.5m coax i spotted today:eek:

[kronas]

Originally posted by darkangel
but with lower range stuff ur better off with coax + it's cheaper unless ur getting the £80 1.5m coax i spotted today:eek:

wtf must have been some special coax :eek: :eek: :eek:

[Dupre]

Is your soundcard an internal Soundblaster?
if so it uses SP/DIF and/or Digital which is crap basically, hardly any external devices support it, if its an M-Audio or Hercules you should be OK, most of the ones ive seen have real optical out :)

[Bifta]

Internal soundblasters use Digital Minijack cables, you can however take a normal stereo minijack to coax cable (and plug just one of the coax channels into your receiver) out from the SB digital out, it'll give you normal stereo in anything that isn't 5.1+ encoded and full Dolby Digital/DTS (depending on your receiver) if it is. </uselessinfo>

[Dupre]

I prefer the direct outputs from all speakers and use the audigys own capabilities

[altis]

Try here (http://custom1.farnell.com/cpc/search.asp?keyword=toslink).

There's some 5m leads for £3.42 on the second page - but add VAT and delivery (for orders under £30).

[Bifta]

Originally posted by Dupre
I prefer the direct outputs from all speakers and use the audigys own capabilities

I used to use a DTS receiver via spdif but EAX effects were crap in stereo so I bought a set of Creative 6.1 (analog) speakers, I don't notice any change in sound quality so I've stuck the DTS kit back on the DVD player in the living room where it belongs.

[TigaSefi]

It an internal soundcard on an NF7 Mobo. it SP/DIF thing that identical to the one on the dvd player and the Stereo Amp. It impossible to have 5 seperate speakers and they already hooked to the amp for the dts and DD.

[Dupre]

as far as i know, having tried using a 3.5mm jack adapter for my optical cables, isnt optical in the same way the Xbox, Minidisk players etc. are optical. so you need to buy special cables and adapters for it. if its a square connector with a black blocker over it, then its standard optical, if it looks like you could plug a pair of headphones in, your buggered. im yet to find anything that runs with SPDIF.

If you could provide a link to your motherboard makers site we could take a look for you, or give us the make and model number of the mother board?

[Escapee]

Kronas saidwtf must have been some special coax

Some coax leads are not cheap, you get what you pay for.

We just had some patch cables arrive in work for a project bought from Gore electronics and Suhner.
I think the dearest were around £150 for 1 meter of coax with an SMA plug on either end:eek:

The specification is upto 26GHz though!

I wouldn't like to pay for any of the 60GHz ones they manufacture.:D

You wouldn't believe how much good quality cables and connectors cost for high frequency RF work.

[kronas]

:eek: :eek: :eek:

it depends what your doing with the coax anything special escapee ? :D :)

[TigaSefi]

It an NF7 Abit motherboard. It can be found at www.abit.com.tw. At the moment I cannot get into the site but I'll post as soon as I can.

[Escapee]

kronas saidit depends what your doing with the coax anything special escapee ?

No, that's the sort of price you pay for good quality coax with good screening and low loss for frequencies upto 26GHz.

I was shocked myself, they are only short test leads, and we bought half a dozen alonh with some other slightly cheaper 18Ghz spec ones.

I am in the wrong business.

They do come with calibration data though!

[Darrenjones]

At the moment the DVD player is connected to my AMP using the digital optical cable to allow DTS and superior Dolby Digital 6.1 sound but my new soundcard has this feature too. Is there such a cable that stretchs for 5 meters or so ?

Ive bought 6m Supra Digital Optical Cable (http://www.gottohav.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=SupraZAC6m). Works well for me.

Supra also do an 8 metre version Digital optical cable (http://www.gottohav.co.uk/Digital_Optical_cable.asp)

Hope that helps ;)