Coaxial vs. Optical audio connections... which is best for DVD?? help please...?

Question

My Sony instruction book that came with my new 5.1 800 watt system claims that Coaxial is the best connection for DVD because it is "louder". I have read articles that claim there is NO real difference b/w the two connections. Sony did include a very flimsy/thin 3ft. coaxial cable which I have on my new Panasonic upconverting DVD player now. Anyway I have my Phillips gold plated optical cable hooked up to my PS2 since it only offers optical and my dvd player offers both outputs. I chose to give in and use Sony's advice and their free coaxial cable for now, but my opinion may change with yalls answers! lol..

One more thing... Would a "better" coaxial cable make a difference instead of the flimsy non 24Kgold connection that Sony provided??

THANKS!!

Answer 1

From my professional experience, the durability of coax vs the cost of fiber optic is the only reason to recommend coax. The expensive part about fiber optics is the terminations, the ends, but why do you think fiber is offered on your equipment? Because it's better! There is no question that fiber optic is superior in transmission quality. It also is completely unaffected by high frequency "noise". As far as Sony's advise, I can't comment.
Gold is the the top of the scale in conductivity because it does not corrode in normal environments (breathable air)

Answer 2

Louder, No definitly not.
Digital coax is a good solid cable that in my opinion is better than optical. Only because of construction.
Optical cables pull out easily, the damn doors on the equipment breaks easy, The use doors to keep the dust out. The one thing I do like about optical is that they are not succeptable to interferance like other cables. But if you use good wuality cables then that should not be a problem.

PS upgrade the speaker wire to 16 gauge or maybe 12guage for long runs and replace the cables that the sony came with. If you have a powered sub replace the sub cable. You won'y be disappointed.
Good cables do make a world of difference. And i don't mean monster. Those are expensive good cables. the expensive serves no benefit. Try Monoprice.com if you want some good stuff but don't want to break the bank. I actually think they are cheap. Good cables though.
You system is only as good as its weakest link. That is usuallly the cables.

Answer 3

well in reality digital is digital - either optical or coa - as long as the signal is connecting then you are good to go .
there is no actual audio or video signal sent down the line - therefore no interference.
A simple audio rca cable cabe used for coax and i have personally picked up optical cables for less than $5 that work great.

not to say that digital audio cant be messed with - quality of the connection affects how the units interact - the more intereference or weak signal - the more the units spend error correcting.
kinda like having to get up and adjust the antenna on your radio everytime the signal gets weak.
better quality cables mean better quality signal of course.

what comes with your unit or what is available at the average big box store shoudl be fine. even walmart sells them and the quality is sifficient for anyone out there

Answer 4

I prefer optical, but only if you use a GLASS optical cable. Good glass optical cables have more bandwidth and better optical properties than the cheap plastic optical cables. With top notch gear, you can hear the difference. My second preference is for AES/EBU 110ohm balanced digital, followed by Coax. With good connectors, optical cables should remain securely in the jacks and the freedom from noise is a plus in my book. Also, it is one more break in the ground path from one unit to another, particularly important in some systems where video ground loops can be transmitted from video source to audio source.

Answer 5

I've heard some pretty phenominal cables before and so far the best I've heard was a digital coax. But, it was a beefed up silver Digi-coax, that outpriced even the most expensive opti-link. Optical will eliminate high-frequency noise and give you a better sound quality over a longer length. But it is true that in shorter distances, you won't hear a difference.

Answer 6

optical cables are better, but the coax is also very good probably you will not notice the difference, if you do just turn the colume on the reciever up, also when it ocmes to buying cables with gold ends and all the other crap//think of it this way what good does a gold end do on a copper wire..unless the whole wire is gold...after all a chain is only as strong as its weakest link

Answer 7

optical is better than coaxial. my brother has that same system with that coaxial cable and i had him upgrade to optical and there was a noticible sound difference much better than coaxial. but dont go and buy a $100 optical cable just buy a $30 monster cable one. but optical cables are very delicate.

Answer 8

I've tried both and I cannot hear any difference. Almost everyone I talk to says the same thing.

The optical does have that "cool factor" but after 5 minutes you won't give a crap.

Go with whatever is cheaper.

Answer 9

It really does not matter for short distances. Both cables transmit DIGITAL data, which need to be decoded by your AV Receiver.

The cable is a very small part in the whole audio chain.

Answer 10

Use what you have, with the surround you describe you will not see any difference in quality. Maybe in the very upper end audio surround systems you would see a very little difference but in the middle to lower end stuff just save your money and enjoy.