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Optical vs coax vs spdif

The local classical radio station 101.1 FM DALLAS. Is giving away their entire CD collection at MY restaurant!!! Awesome 😎, but I haven’t used a CD player in my setup in years. I got on eBay and scored a Marantz PMD321 for like $50 bucks including shipping. 

i want to use my dac (simaudio Moon 280d) but I don’t know what kind of digital connection would work best. 

Should i I use optical, coax, or spdif... 

thanks 
andrewkelley
reubent
7,005 posts
 
Andrew, I think the consensus opinion is to use coax over optical. There is also an opinion that 1.5 meters is the optimal length for a digital coax cable. Don't recall the reason for this opinion, but it did seem to have some technical merit if I recall correctly. Unless you hear otherwise, look for a quality 1.5 meter 75 ohm digital coax cable.
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
Best way to go is with S/PDIF coax. You'll need to get a cable with RCA connectors to mate with your DAC. And the quality and design of the cable makes a difference to sonics.
You should use the archives to research the different cables since this has been discussed many times. 


lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
Most experts agree that 1.5 meters is the optimal length for digital coax. It has to do with having minimal reflections of the data stream as it passes from CD transport to DAC.

You’re going to hear the term jitter used frequently. This "jitter" needs to be controlled and minimized in digital playback. A well designed cable is a key element in preserving the quality of the signal.


andrewkelley OP
275 posts
 
Wow thanks guys! I have some  Old audio quest YIQ – 3 75ohm composite video cables, I bet they would work in a pinch. Oh I should mention that the Marantz also has digital coax out. 
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