MP3Car.com - View Single Post - Is all coax/optical spdif output created equal?

henkbliek · 02-03-2004, 07:10 PM

First of all the logic signal on coax or optical connections is exactly the same. I think that the [audiophile] superiority of the average coax (75ohms) connection over the average toslink connection is caused by the insertion of two more active devices in the link (the transmitter and the receiver). In a car setup however, I think that an optical connection will be far more superior because it is not influenced by electronic and magnetic fields.
Imagine your coax connection running alongside some switching signal. Then it is quite possible that the inductive or whatever kind of coupling between the cables causes enough level shift to be mistaken as a logic transition... It also avoids ground loops, which may introduce noise in your analog signals, even if they are introduced by the digital link.

02-03-2004, 07:10 PM	#7
henkbliek Constant Bitrate Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Netherlands Posts: 172	First of all the logic signal on coax or optical connections is exactly the same. I think that the [audiophile] superiority of the average coax (75ohms) connection over the average toslink connection is caused by the insertion of two more active devices in the link (the transmitter and the receiver). In a car setup however, I think that an optical connection will be far more superior because it is not influenced by electronic and magnetic fields. Imagine your coax connection running alongside some switching signal. Then it is quite possible that the inductive or whatever kind of coupling between the cables causes enough level shift to be mistaken as a logic transition... It also avoids ground loops, which may introduce noise in your analog signals, even if they are introduced by the digital link. __________________ white bream working on a trilogy: CARGO - UNIGO - MERGO CARGO = the Car Computer Intel Celeron M, [P]SDC, uBlox GPS, GPRS, WLAN, Silabs FM, RDS, TMC, Dual-audio, Onecable TFT, Microsize: 45 x 108 x 168mm (1.8 x 4.3 x 6.6")