What is a Digital Audio Cable? You may have heard the terms, Coaxial, Optical and HDMI. Which one does what, and what one should you use?
The most common digital audio cables are coaxial & optical. Coaxial digital audio cables allow signals to be transmitted in pulses of electricity through copper wires that are contained inside of the housing of the cable. The coaxial cable contains aluminium wraps that are engineered to block outside signal interference.
Another type is optical digital cables. These cables are completely different from any kind of cable most people know since they do not make use of a conductive metal such as copper. Instead, these cables use pulses of light to transmit signals. The primary advantage to this mode of information is the elimination of radio and electromagnetic interference. As a result, the cables do not require the shielding to be as thick as the coaxial type. Another advantage is that there is no degradation of signal over distance resulting in the same quality of signal exiting the cable as entering it.
As a result, many audiophiles prefer the use of optical cables over coaxial. One significant shortcoming of the cable type is that if the optical cable gets bent, it can become damaged if installed in a high traffic area.
The majority of audio components are now built for both optical and coaxial cable inputs and outputs.
How to Choose Between Coaxial and Optical Cables?
If your components support both coaxial and optical digital audio cables, you should think about:
1 – The amount of electromagnetic interference in the environment. If your cables will be run near other power cords or a personal computer that transmit radio frequency noise, then an optical cable will have better performance than coaxial.
2 – How far do your audio cables need to go? Optical cables provide better sound quality over distance when compared to coaxial. If you need to run cable for distances exceeding 3 metres, then optical cables will provider higher sound quality.
3 – Will you need to bend your cables? If your specific entertainment set-up requires the cables be bent, coaxial cables will be the preferred choice.
4 – Will you be moving your system regularly? If the sound system will be moved frequently, the possibility of optical cables being damaged significantly increases. As a result, coaxial cables will be the preferred choice.
What is HDMI and does it replace optical and coaxial?
Capable of transmitting both audio and video, HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. HDMI ports are typically found on TVs, DVD players, Blu Ray Players, Home Theatre devices and more.
The advantage of the current HDMI cable is the facility of “Audio Return Channel” (ARC). This means that where previously an Optical or Coaxial cable had to be used to return the audio signal back to your receiver, this function is now encapsulated within a single HDMI cable. The benefit of using HDMI, is that there really is no need for separate video and audio cables, and this may see it as the preferred cable in the future.
So despite all this information, the cable you use may be determined by your devices. Check the specifications for your system, to decide which cable is best for you.
If you are still unsure, you can speak to a Selby Tech, by calling 1800 69 2225
