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Digital Vs. Toslink, your opinion?

Hey folks

Was just readin some BestBuy junkmail that came in the mail and it said that something long the lines of .....

"Toslink, the ultimate for discerning audiophiles who demand the highest level of performance"

Now, i used to install/splice/polish single node fiber while i was in the military and know quite a bit about it, and other than capacity and speed there is not much else that you could consider an advantage. The speed advantage over a few meters is not even something worth noting because yer talking less than nanoseconds in difference, and a 75ohm cable has more than enough bandwidth for AV purposes.

My own personal belief is that with home audio gear it is better to use a high grade digital coax than Toslink just because that eliminates the possibility of any loss when converting an electical signal to a light signal then back to digital signal. Not to demean the Optical cables and optical input/outputs in AV equipment, but it is a far cry from the equipment quality used by telecommunications companys for thier fiber rings and network backbones.

I also realize there is the fact that the Toslink cables are not subject to electromagnetic interference, but with proper shielding a good digital coax cable shouldnt have a problem with this either.

So what do you use and why?
slappy
mt10425
1,138 posts
 
Hi Slappy-
I've used various brands of both types. I will say that I have found a very good Toslink (re: Van den hul, Wireworld glass) is better dynamically than many of the coax's around (re: Signal cable, Stereovox, Vampire wire, some others). But, a very good coax will provide a bit more bottom and a bit fuller sound, depending on electronics of course. I no longer use an "official" coax. I use BEL-the wire, the same interconnect I use for 2-channel stereo connections between CD/DVD and receiver and Satellite/receiver (system 1) and preamp/amp (system 2).
distortion
571 posts
 
I agree Slappy. (nt)
slappy OP
903 posts
 
Dont worry audiobugged, i am in no way seduced by the power of best buy's vast technical expertise. ;)
However, when yer on the pot, sometimes things go better while yer readin. hehehe
audiobugged
528 posts
 
Well stop reading into things too much while there, otherwise your gonna get ring around the heinie:)

P.S. When are you Updating your Radio Speakers???
slappy OP
903 posts
 
Hopefully soon.

Im trying to finish off my HT rig right now, will do the 2 channel later. Ive been jonsin to watch "Matrix revolutions" and "return of the king" on a decent setup. Right now what i have doesent cut it.

Im looking at using MMG-W's for the l/r/sl/sr with MMGc for the center. Ill be driving the fronts with my Denon-Poa2800 amp, and the cneter/surrounds off the reciever. Denon states my AVR3805 can run a 4 ohm load and magnepans website says these are 4 ohm on one page and 5 ohm on another. I figure it might not tax the power supply so much if it is only powering 3 5ohm speakers instead of 7, especially if 2 of those are only surrounds, and then im gonna start working on getting a good multichannel amp. maybe a Marantz MM9000.

So hopefully i will be able to get the Maggies for the l/r channel in the next few weeks. :)

I may put them off for a little while tho, there is a brick&mortar up here selling brand new pairs of Velodyne DLS3750(ithink) for about 1/2 price. If they still have this offer going when i have the money im jumping on that. A pair of velo's will be fine for my HT needs. Plus the radioshack speakers sound WAY BETTER than the sub im currently runnin.

I'm gonna do the maggie on-walls just to keep the number of "Speakers" down in the living room cause that's where the 2 channel is gonna go as well, but in a different spot. Those things look more like acccoustical treatments than speakers. ;)

Gotta do something about the speakers tho, i have about 4k in the front end, with a speaker setup that is worth about 50 bucks.
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