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Confusion on Toslink

I've been reading up a bit on Toslink. There seems to be the inherant advantage of ground isolation, but some possible sonic drawbacks. Most of the articles I've read are a bit dated. So, here are my questions:
1) has the quality of Toslink cables and the sending and receiving circuits improved for audio?
2) Is glass still considered generally better than the synthetic cables? I see reputable manufacturers using synthetics but glass cables that are cheaper. Are some manufacturers perfering synthetics for sonic reasons?
3) Any recommendations for Toslink cables in the up to $200 range?

Of course, listening is everything. I'm just tryig to see if I'm in the right ballpark. Thanks
pgambon
hellofidelity
77 posts
 
I haven't used or tested a lot of LONG toslink cables, but I have used and tested several toslink cables in the 3-6 foot range. I have found that most toslink cables sound very similar with only a subtle difference (if any). With that said, I do consistently prefer the sound of glass and really like the VanDenHul glass toslink cable.

When it comes to using a computer as a music source, I have found that glass toslink is extremely good, and usually prefer it over USB and coaxial. I have used different DACs, cables and connections for several years, and the toslink just seems to consistently sound good.

I use a MacBook Pro and iMac as my source, and have a few different DACs (not all accept toslink). I have found that the Mac/Naim DAC to be a wonderful solution and use the VanDenHul glass toslink.

Hope this helps....
mt10425
1,138 posts
 
I am also a Van Den Hul Optocoupler user. One for my Blu-ray player and one for my HDSat receiver. I've gone back and forth between the VdH and numerous SPDIF cables, and by a small margin always seem to prefer the toslink.
danlib1
819 posts
 
I tried multiple Toslink plastics before I bought both a Optocoupler MKII and a Wireworld- both glass. The difference was like switching components for me. Both the VanDenHul and the Wireworld sound great. The plastic- even the good ones, are closed in and unrevealing to my ears.
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