Nicolas

You guys pointed out in another thread that the quality of the HDMI cable
is irrelevant since it is a signal composed of 1 and 0 so it either work or dont work, no signal loss is possible.
Is it the same with the Optical Audio cables?
Is it also working on a work/dont work settings?
So that a no name cable would do the exact same job as a Monster THX 1000 priced at 250.00$CND (230.00$USD) for a foot?

Thanks!

Trippin315

The only difference that I can think of would be in the connectors of the cable. There is no shielding that one has to worry about. My only other comparison would be the amount of flexibility in said cable.

hdtv00

More or less digital is digital, the coax digital could have issue with hum/grounding depending on what you're hooking them up to but in the end they're all digital.

What he said, now I think about it I did have one optical cable and the end was generic plastic crap. So actual connectors on the end will vary.

Nicolas

So crappy Optical Audio cable are as efficient as the Monsters?

DVD Josh

Isn't it amazing what marketing can do?

hdtv00

Now that I dug out the cord, the crappy plastic cord was a monster cord, which figures. Like he said above ...marketing can do wonders for sales.

OldDude

I sure someone could make crappy cable that doesn't work, but low price isn't necessarily crappy.

I am using all Monoprice.com cables, optical for the audio, component for the video. All work fine, and frankly I am impressed with the construction quality, and the price is EXTREMELY reasonable.

Monster is badly overpriced. Nothing wrong with their cables, except price, but the construction really is no better than cables costong 1/10 to 1/50 the amount.

Digital is simpler than analog; either it is "good enough" or it isn't. If the signal is so degraded the electronics can't tell the 1's from the 0's then it fails, otherwise it works.

X

There can be audible issues with inferior optical cable due to effects like jitter if you're transmitting PCM (such as CD audio) to a receiver that doesn't have good enough error/time-base correction circuitry. But there shouldn't be any issues with DD or DTS since they're encoded. If that gets mangled badly by the cable it won't be subtle and you'll sure know it!

Sdallnct

I'm also going with all Monoprice (well not all, but most). I'm very happy with them and great prices. I wish mine were a little more flexible, but they are fine.

Nicolas

Again, big thanks to all of you...
I will call you the Anti-Marketing gang out there to save poor consumers's money from the hand of the greedy Monsters of the hi-fi... ouuuuuuuaaaaaaa!!

Thanks again!

Spiky

This is 100% wrong. As I pointed out in other threads.

It is less of a problem for optical audio than for HDMI. Unless it is damaged, any optical cable should be just fine.