Is Coaxial (RCA) S/PDIF still worthwhile?

[Dylan Walters]

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[amplayer]

If you have specific gear that only has the optical interface, and you need to connect to that gear, then the choice for optical is obvious.

 

However, if you don't NEED to interface optically, then unless your new choice in gear has an optical interface that supports 8-channel ADAT (in addition to 2-channel TOSLINK), I see no benefit in it being optical versus RCA.

In fact, if it only supports S/PDIF, I would MUCH prefer the RCA versus the optical interface because finding reliable optical cable is expensive, rare, and generally fragile. RCA S/PDIF cables are much cheaper, and in my experience, much more reliable as well.

 

If you do intend to get the optical interface, have a look at these sonicwave TOSLINK cables from cablestogo. These are the only TOSLINK cables I have that have not caused problems. They are not cheap, but IMHO, they are worth every penny.

[MikeRivers]

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