Digital audio cables

Digital audio cables are used primarily to send audio information in digital format. They come in two forms- digital co-axial and  digital optical.

A digital co-axial cable is similar in make up to an aerial cable with a stranded outer wound around a central core surrounded with an insulator. A digital co-axial cable should be a consisent 75 ohm impedance to work effiectively. Lesser digital co-axial cables do not accurately conform to 75 ohm.

Optical cables transmit a beam of light within a thin tube of plastic or glass. Because the signal is based upon light it is immune to interference. This is beneficial for longer lengths or where the cable runs close to power.

However, digital optical places two additional steps into the signal path: electrical to optical conversion and then back again. Since any manipulation of the signal is is liable to lose information these manipulations are considered better avoided. So general consensus is that digital co-axial is prefereable where the user has a choice.

Co-axial Qed Signature Digital Audio RRP:  £85.00 Save: 10% Only £76.50 Qed Reference Digital Audio Cable RRP:  £70.00 Save: 10% From £63.00 » See all 23 Co-axial products Optical Qed Reference Optical Digital Cable RRP:  £55.00 Save: 10% From £49.50 Atlas Equator Fibre Optics RRP:  £40.00 Save: 10% From £36.00 » See all 20 Optical products