A Guide to Optical, Digital Coaxial (Interconnect & Sub), and Speaker Cables

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by SlaughterX

Good read... regarding banana plugs, are they supposed to be connected how they are in the pic? Looks like it could cause problems... I put my wire through the bottom and then screw in the bottom piece, made things much easier for me.

As you can see in the pictures, there are different types of banana plugs. Some have screws at the end and you can insert the wires from the end of the plug and tighten the screws. For that particular type with the big opening at the end, that is the proper way of attaching the speaker wires. You should cut the excess bare wires when you are finished.

[SlaughterX]

Actually now that I think about it,putting them in through the bottom is what I tried at first... and it worked, but since the wire was so thick, every time I moved the receiver I risked something popping out, so I put the wire in through the side and up the top and screwed it down and that worked much better.

[kopkiwi]

Are there any online stores that aren't goin to bend me over without lube on international shipping?

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by kopkiwi

Are there any online stores that aren't goin to bend me over without lube on international shipping?

http://www.monoprice.com/home/home.asp?pn=support
Parts

http://www.parts-express.com/?utm_so...arts%20express

http://www.amazon.com/s?url=search-a...eywords=cables

http://www.amazon.co.uk/amazon-austr...s%2Ck%3Acables

Try Ebay. They have branches in many countries. You can buy different cables from Hong Kong and China through Ebay at very low prices. In many cases, the shipping is free.

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trk...All-Categories
http://pages.ebay.com/nz/

[HT + 2CH MAN]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Jeff, thank you for your comments. Although I understand your points, I believe you are getting a bit picky. The whole point of FAQ section was to give very short and non-technical answers to common questions in order to get the point across without confusing the reader.


As I mentioned in Item #6 in the original post, I agree that coaxial cable can carry the hum that is already there, but it does not create and pick up new noises and problems. Perhaps, I should modify the original statement to “Who needs additional noises and hums created by the cable?”




Again, you are getting excessively technical in the FAQ section. I did not want to make the answer very technical or long. I just wanted to warn readers from bending their optical cables. I will modify the answer by adding the following:

"Optical cables work by sending light signals through a plastic or glass tube rather than electrical pulses down a wire. Digital signals are converted to light and then back to digital. As light travels through different mediums, it can bend. In optical material (plastic or glass), there is an angle of refraction, which when increased to a certain amount, the light instead of going through the material, gets reflected back. Some light still escapes, but most gets reflected internally. By bending an optical cable, two things may occur:

1. The internal plastic (or glass) may snap and break.
2. Even if the cable does not snap, it has a limit of how much you can bend it. The limit is when you bend the cable enough so that the angle of refraction is no longer sufficient for the light to go through."

I thank you again for trying to make the thread better.

Hi Big Daddy...

Just want to add my thanks for your post.it was Very informative and interesting....

...Just last night I had, for only the 1st time...had I REALLY looked at all the in and outputs on the back of my DVD player and receiver, in anticipation of up coming added stuff to plug in, ...and had began to wonder about the 'optical' and 'digital' in/outputs offered...
...since both the bigscreen and receiver, DVD all had HDMI in/outs..I plugged everything together with those...
..and all work 'fine'...as far as i know....

...but wondered if I was missing out on some better possibilities in sound/video quality...by going with optical or coax..

...and until only yesterday...I thought "coaxial''...Only existed in the form of the type that, (for 1 example) come down from a satellite dish .
..that has that longish, straightish, non woven center wire ...an insulator around that, then conductive outer wire...(but then, and most particularly)... terminated at each end, with a 'screw-together' type connection...

...I did not realize until yesterday that an RCA connector can also be used at the ends of a 'coax' cable...and that this is the way it is done for home audio/video 'digital coax' interconnects.

...thanks for your having posted the info..

...I will need to read it several more times I'm sure, to have it become more 'ingrained' in my head...to have real understandiing, of 'the best' way to hook everything up.... (between optical, coax, or RCA interconnects)

...may I offer though, that I also appreciated jeff92kys' comments, for example..because as I read your original post about the problems that can occur from 'bending' an optical cable..I was wondering what 'bend' meant?...a sharp 90degree turn?...something less than that?...the 'opticals need to be COMPLETELY STRAIGHT?...NO bends AT ALL???...and wondered why you had not been more 'specific' in how much tolerance an optical cable had for bending...

...so jeffs' comment to keep bend radius greater than 2", was helpful for me...

...the words "exessively picky' ...seemed a bit harsh, and defensive to me...

...we're all just trying to help by offering what we know...right?.

But again, thank you Very Much for having taken the time to make the post.

I'm sure what you posted...will help me down the road to end up with a better looking and sounding system.

HT + 2CH MAN

[mtbkr]

if anybody can find rca to RG-11 compression fiittings let me know! I have access to very good quality RG-11 and RG-6, and I would love nothing more than to go way overkill. i have been looking around the webernet and have come up empty handed. my other option was to go with silver clad quadsheild RG-59(used in cable headends).

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by mtbkr

if anybody can find rca to RG-11 compression fiittings let me know! I have access to very good quality RG-11 and RG-6, and I would love nothing more than to go way overkill. i have been looking around the webernet and have come up empty handed. my other option was to go with silver clad quadsheild RG-59(used in cable headends).

Your best bet is to use an F compression connector for RG11 and then use a high quality F to RCA adapter.

http://compressionconnector.com/line...onnectors/rg11
http://www.mjsales.net/items.asp?Fam...D=38&Cat3ID=48
http://sadoun.com/Sat/Order/Install/Connectors.htm

This RCA compression connector for RG6 quad shield may fit.

http://www.alliedelec.com/search/pro...px?SKU=6470490

[Benchman]

So I can use a coaxial cable to connect my sub?

[BIslander]

Yes.

[Benchman]

Thanks

[Nando Lopes]

Found cheap on cables and adapters WholesaleCables.com

thanks you for this guide. it really usefull

[oddbox83]

I once tried using a bog standard coaxial that had been once used for digital audio bitstream from a DVD player, and the sound was awful, bass was hardly there. Bought an inexpensive dedicated sub cable which was noticeably thicker and the bass was infinitely better.

Just pointing out that not all coaxial cables are created equal, but neither do they need to cost a lot.

I've noticed some connections are misleading as well, and can look the part when they really aren't. I had a gold plated coax male connector snap on me inside my AVR female plug and it was a brittle plastic core with the tiniest layer of gold plated metal. On the plus side, because it was plastic it was easy to insert a heated paperclip, let it cool and remove the broken piece from the female plug.

[Louderme]

Great post, really appreciate it.
Could you please answer , Is coaxial cable good for audio?

[gavin5]

Found so many useful cable websites here. Thanks for sharing！