Should I run optical or RCA "fixed" audio from a new Toshiba 37HL67 HDTV to an old Sony STR-K740P receiver?

Question

Please note that I'd like to have the option of listening to sound directly from the TV and/or surround sound, so I don't want to limit that.

Also, on a similar front, is an orange digital connection from my DVD player to the same receiver better than RCAs?

Scott, I'll give the optical a shot for the TV to receiver, but I'd hate to have a delay when trying to get surround sound during sports, movies, etc. I have had delay issues w/ an older TV on this receiver (RCA connection) in the past also.

If I do run the optical cable and set the TV's "optical output format" to dolby digital, will I have to play sound from my receiver or will I also be able to have the receiver off and still play from just the TV speakers?

Thanks for the quick response..

Answer 1

A digital connection is going to give you the best sound possible. Now The orange digital connection your talking about is a coax digital yes that will give you better sound. Optical and coax will give you the same quality of sound but i have seen optical sometimes cause a little bit of a delay between the sound and the picture.

Answer 2

The single orange coax cable is different from the red and white pair of cables in that the orange cable carries a digital signal - which is needed for surround sound. The red/white cables simply carry good old analog stereo. Many devices and receivers can also use an optical audio cable (sometimes called TOSLink) which is also digital.

For my DVD player and game consoles, I run the red/white stereo cables to my TV, and a digital audio cable to my receiver. This way I can choose to use my TV's stereo speakers or the full surround system.

Answer 3

i have never had a delay on optical (TOSLINK).

TOSLINK has advantages and drawbacks, the up side is there is NO interference what so ever weather it be EMI or RFI and no ground loop witch will ensure maximum performance out of your system by removing signal to noise ratio for quite backgrounds, and low-level detail .
on the down side, there is a electrical to optical transfer problem witch will increase noise and distortion within the system it self also has a maximum bend point, and if bent it mys cause a loss of signal.

Digital coaxial S/PDIF (the orange one :) it is immune to tight bends and has no real maximum run length like optical also it has a more secure connection than optical but it does get interference.

contrary to popular belief there is no AUDIBLE difference in the two under perfect conditions. there is no perfect cable but there is a right cable for every task. take the up and down sides of both into consideration and then make a choice.

for more info go to: http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/the-truth-about-interconnects-and-cables

http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/toslink-interconnect-history-basics

http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/understanding-digital-interconnects

Answer 4

Hi.When it comes to audio cables it is not possible to predict whether digital will give you a better signal than analogue.There are significant differences in the way digital and analogue signals are handled that are heavily dependant upon the characteristics of the source device.