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When I began looking for a decent Digital Coaxial cable on Ebay and other sites, I found that there was very little information on the web about the the cable design and the products themselves. I had to search several websites, write to several people to gather this information. I was lucky to have a friend in Dr Arup Goswami, who has a PhD in Audio Engineering from MIT and who worked with Professor Amar Bose (MIT), the founder and CEO of Bose Corporation. Much of the information that follows are from email and conversations with Dr Goswami.
This guide is written with a view to help persons make an informed choice about a good digital coaxial cable. I will NOT be writing about Toslink Fiber Optic cables.
BASICS : A digital coaxial (DC) interconnect looks like an RCA connector, but it transmits digital data instead of analog signals. The digital coaxial cable is thicker than your typical audio cable, however, because it uses the same type of shielded coaxial cable you use to connect your television to your cable box. In appearance, a digital coaxial cable looks like a coaxial cable with RCA connectors on each end.
The Coaxial cable transmits signals electrically. The electrical signal pulses through the copper or silver wire at the heart of the coaxial cable. It's shielded from interference by an aluminum foil wrap.
It is usually more expensive than the analog RCA cable. Since this is a thicker, shielded cable, digital coax costs quite a bit more than what you're used to paying for a standard RCA cable.
The Difference: You cannot use a a Radioshack analog RCA cable for the simple reason that this isn't shielded, nor does it have the bandwidth that coaxial cable provides. A digital coaxial cable offers 75-ohm impedance and a wider frequency bandwidth than the thinner, unshielded RCA cable. If you do connect a standard RCA audio cable, you'll find that you start to lose the signal over long distances, due to the lack of shielding. That lack of signal typically manifests itself in the form of stuttering audio—you're not getting all the digital bits on a consistent basis. You may also notice interference from other electrical devices, including electric lights. The longer the cable run, the worse the signal loss; you may not notice it with short cables (three foot or so).
A single digital coaxial cable carries all available audio channels. You only need a single cable to carry right and left stereo signals, or the 5.1-channel surround sound signals.
There are 2 standards in Digital Coaxial cables. 1. The RCA/ BNC connector based SPDIF 2. the XLR based AES/EBU.
S/PDIF: (Sony/Philips Digital InterFace) A serial interface for transferring digital audio from CD and DVD players to amplifiers and TVs. S/PDIF is typically used to transmit PCM and Dolby Digital 5.1, but is not tied to any sampling rate or audio standard.
AES-EBU: This stands for Audio Engineering Society (AES) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). This group did work on standards for digitizing analogue audio, as used to interconnect both professional and domestic equipment. The AES/EBU digital interface is usually implemented using 3-PIN XLR connectors, the same type connector used in a professional microphone. One cable carries both left- and right-channel audio data to the receiving device. AES/EBU is an alternative to the S/PDIF standard. AES/EBU is typically used to transmit PCM and Dolby Digital 5.1, but is not tied to any sampling rate or audio standard.
The source for this information is : The Computer Desktop Encyclopedia (2006)
AES EBU cables are better over shorter distances ( 1M - 100 M).
How to decide what is good for you: First you need to decide if want a DC cable for home theatre or an audio system. For HT, you don't need a very advanced cable and any 75 ohm cable would serve your purpose.
NOTE: When buying a cable, you need to look for the 75 ohm impedence on the cable. This is the minimum requirement for a good coaxial cable with RCA/ BNC connections. The balanced AES/ EBU uses a 110 ohm impedance.
The following cables are low end. They are so defined since the materials they used for their construction are inexpensive and thus cost less. However, for the purposes of HT, these cables are ample.
I have rated them with stars. I star (*) being the lowest and 5 stars being the highest. They are rated on sound reproduction, neutrality, imaging, smoothness, detail and soundstaging.
Low End: Cost New : ($35 - 150.00) (Ebay : $15 - 75)
1. The Monster cables ( * )
2. Tara Labs Prism series ( * * )
3. Canare SPDIF cables ( * * )
4. Tributaries Digital ( * * )
5. Acoustic Research. ( * )
6. Kimber DV 75, DV 30 ( * * )
Medium High End: Cost New : ($225 - 350.00) (Ebay : $100 - 175)
When using a coaxial connection between a CD player or transport and a pre-amp or an external DAC (Digital analog converter), it is important to use a good digital cable. What makes these better cables is the fact that they use better materials in their construction. There is very little loss when sound in digits is transmitted over the cables.
When listening to a very recorded CD by DECCA, playing for example, Beethoven's 5th symphony, a huge amount of audio information is carried along in these cables. Great cable such as the Nordost Moonglo, Kimber D 60 and Cardas lightning create exceptional soundstaging, great imaging, clarity, detail and smoothness. A listener can almost visualize the placement of the intsruments within the orchestra.
1. Nordost Moonglo : ( * * * )
2. Kimber D series : D 60 (illuminati) ( * * * )
3. MIT Digital series (terminator series, AVT ) ( * * )
4. Cardas Lightning ( * * * )
High END: (Cost New : $500- 650.00) (Ebay : $200 - 275)
The following cables may be defined as hi-end since they have been constructed with extreme care and use Silver and Oxygen free copper in their construction. Audiophiles who have systems that are over 10K in value use such advanced cables. These cables are outstanding in their imaging and soundstaging abilities and are known for their neutrality. They also expose system deficiencies. Mated with the right equipment - amps, speakers etc these cables will best out of music CDs and make listening a whole new experience.
While all these cables are exceptionally constructed and sound incredible, the MIT digital reference and the Acoustic Zen Mc2 were in a league of their own. If you spot these on Ebay, seize them!
1. Nordost Silver Shadow ( * * * * )
2. Kimber Orchid ( * * * *)
3. MIT Digital Reference ( * * * * * )
4. Harmonic Technology Copper Digital ( * * * * )
5. Cardas Neutral reference digital ( * * * * )
6. Acoustic Zen : Digital MC2 ( * * * * * )
If you're system is over 10K in value, then one of these cables may be of interest to you. I have not used these cables so I cannot evaluate them. However, there are several reviews on the internet that would be helpful. There are others besides the ones listed, but I have not used them.
Expensive HI END: (above $1000.00)
1. Nordost Valhalla, Valkyria Digital
2. Transparent Reference 75 Ohm Digital
Take home message:
- HT does not require very advanced cables, so save yourself money if this is your goal.
- Research the cable you need before buying it especially for your audio system
- Ebay is an excellent place to sample cables. Buy them from auctions and if not satisfied, sell them to someone else.
- Never mate a very expensive cable with a relatively inferior system, you cannot win.
- Shorter Digital cables are better since they have less problems with interference. Recommended lengths are 0.5M and I Meter.
All the best with your Cable search.