Optical (Toslink) or Digital Coax

[Rickman]

This may start a fued, but which is better...



(Not responsible for violence caused by thread)

[axel]

With only two exceptions on all the gear I used, the coax was always quite obviously better.
The two exceptions are:
- my Cambridge DAC Magic3 d/a unit which optical input is equivalent to its BNC inputs,
- my DTC-2000ES DAT recorder whic TOS inputs "sound" the same as the coaxial.

Everything else I've used and owned, even on pro gear, the TOS sounded obviously veiled and sluggish, whatever the TOS cable - new, old, expensive, cheap, short, long, whatever. I don't know if this is due to implementation rather than the TOS standard itself but TOS is long since banished over here...

[theodoric]

Toslink sounds better since they quit the plastic and started using glass fibers, but I still think a proper 75 Ohm coax sounds faster and cleaner.

Still, ST beats them both, IMHO.

[RichPA]

Coax is better in my experience, but AES/EBU (XLR balanced connections) is better still.

[Rickman]

i am really confused, i thought digital coax and toslink optical were the only two digital connections. ???

[axel]

AES/EBU is the professional version of S/P DIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface), the latter of which can take the shape of coaxial 75Ohm or TOSlink (optical fiber).
S/DIF (and S/DIFII) is a professional Sony version of the S/P DIF.
Then there is ST (optical but using glass fiber instead of plastic) and BNC which can be abything you want but within this subject is just an SPDIF using a BNC plug.

...and there are many more in the strictly pro world - a real jungle :)

[the-real-mandak]

Yes like SIF, also a Sony standard. Used for combining every thing that has to go in or out of a digital video, multi track sound, picture, time code etc...

One thing to remember is that AES can run S/P DIF, you just have to convert the signal from 75Ohm to 110Ohm and balance it.

All most forgot, I second axel the TOS link is gone.

Now and then I meet the ADAT standard (8 tracks, 48 KHz, 16bit, optical), but seldom. It is most on home studio multi track soundcards for computers,
else every thing is S/PDIF or AES/EBU. Sorry if that was a little of to the side.

[goldear]

Toslink sounds better since they quit the plastic and started using glass fibers, but I still think a proper 75 Ohm coax sounds faster and cleaner.

Still, ST beats them both, IMHO.
I agree with most of you. Toslink has always sounded veiled to me, but I've never heard a glass cable.

What exactly is ST?

[theodoric]

ST is an AT&T hardware spec for a fiber optic connector.

http://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/images/st.jpg

[Rickman]

sry, but i am really confused, could somebody give me a really simple run down of the options?

[theodoric]

99% of the time there will be a TOSlink connection. 50% of the time there will be a coax connection. Almost never will there be any other digital connection.

It is generally accepted that digital coax (75 Ohm digital transmission cable - same as video cable) sounds better than TOSlink, which is an optical cable. So go with coax if possible, TOSlink if necessary.

[Rickman]

ok, that makes more sense, but what about those other connections, like BNC?

[BeerCan]

ok, that makes more sense, but what about those other connections, like BNC?
BNC is a type of connector for coax.