You only need to buy an optical cable once, so you shouldn’t try to save money on it. That’s because it can transport uncompressed audio signals from solitary components to an A/V receiver, soundbar, and other home theatre equipment. In conclusion, the EMK Digital Optical Audio Cable Toslink Cable is an excellent audio cable that boasts varying lengths for people to choose between. While it does not come with gold-plated connectors, it does its job brilliantly. Overall, this is one of the best optical audio cables and ranked 2nd on our list for a reason.

In 1980, Philips and Sony jointly proposed the compact disc standard. Part of the standard, now referred to as the "red book" standard, included the ability to transport data in the digital domain between components. In fact, the acronym S/PDIF stands for Sony/Philips Digital Interface. By 1983, when the very first compact disc players started selling in the United States, Toshiba had entered the foray with an optical transmission protocol based on the use of the collimated light. PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) is cheap to produce and, as such, is the most commonly used insulation in AV cables. However, PVC is the worst quality insulation a Hi-Fi or AV signal can encounter as its high loss causes a significant reduction in signal velocity. PVC is better suited to power cables and should be avoided in Hi-Fi and AV signal cables.

Audio Cables

ADAT Lightpipe or simply ADAT Optical uses an optical transmission system similar to TOSLINK, and is used in the professional music/audio industry. While the ADAT Lightpipe format uses the same JIS F05 connectors as TOSLINK, the ADAT Lightpipe data format is not compatible with S/PDIF. [ citation needed] Properties and issues [ edit ]

EMK is a popular cable brand since it makes the most cost-effective products available. Therefore, this makes most of its products ideal for those with a limited budget and contributes to the company’s widespread popularity. Joseph D. Cornwall (31 December 2004). "Understanding Digital Interconnects". Audioholics.com . Retrieved 12 July 2007.

Borosilicate Glass

a b "Toshiba TOTX1701 TOSLINK Transmitter Module specifications". Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. But don’t be tempted to try and use a standard RCA phono cable in place of a dedicated coaxial digital cable. They look similar and can work, but an analogue interconnect has different impedance values from a digital one (50 ohm versus 75 ohm), so won’t work as well. An entry-level cable like the QED Performance Coaxial will do a fine job for most. Atlas' ‘state of the art’ optical cable, engineered around a core of 280 strands of ultra-pure borosilicate glass and precision metal Toslink connectors. Designed to minimise ‘jitter’ (digital noise) the Mavros Optical is intended for ‘high-end’ audio systems where absolute sound quality is the primary consideration, for example between a hi-res media player and a DAC or digital-enabled amplifier.