I just exchanged my digital cable box for one that actually has a digital audio output! Comcast told me that these boxes didnt' exist, even though all the cases say "DD". They do exist and i just got it today. It doesn't have optical outputs, just coax, which is fine b/c both of my optical inputs on my reciever are being used. So i gotta buy a dig. coax cable now.

A decent amount of movies on the movie channels have 5.1, and the rest of the programining is just DD, its worth it for the movies. I hooked up a standard monster rca cable to and fro and when the reciever is on "auto surround" it picks up the digital signal, however my question is on the quality. i'm using this while i watch pulp fiction (right now), but i'm most likely going to buy a digital one tommorow. Any suggestions on how much to spend on a digital coax cable? All my wiring is monster except for the component cables from the ps2, so i'm probably going to buy monster, but is there a significant difference between the monster lines? They have the thx certified (cheapest) about 20 bucks, then they have the standard line which is idl100, 200, etc. (about 50 bucks), and then they have the M series (80 bucks)... So the most expensive one has less loss than the cheaper one, how significant is the diff. between them tho. I know i can probably spend a whole lot more, but between these what do you think my best bet is?

I'm using a Pioneer elite this one

thanks,
mike

 

It's digital. As long as the bits get there you won't have a problem.
I use a cheap RCA cable that came with the dvd player as a video cable. It works great. Didn't cost me a dime. It's 3' long which is perfect for interconnects.
Heck I used to have my PC's digital out hooked up to the receiver with a cable I made with cheap cable and some connectors from radio shack.

If you spend more than $5 of a "digital audio" coax cable you've been ripped.

 

What the hell does this have to do with cars and the Acura TSX?

 

Hey, they told us we're off topic! : )


We occasionallly talk about home...

 

A digital cable cannot affect the quality. it either works or it doesn't, there is no difference between a $20 cable and a $100 cable.

Check Amazon for cables. Best buy wanted $20 each for digitical optical cables, I got 3 of them on Amazon for around $15 shipped.

 

While I'm not willing to completely agree with this, I will say (again : ) that IMO your system has to be VERY high quality before cables will make a diff - especially digital cables. Most of what gets offered to you in that category is fluff to prop up the store's bottom line.

For my cable box I use a cheap RCA coax. For my DVD output to my receiver I use a nice optical cable I had lying around.

 

go with the $20 one. Or better yet, go with a non-monster cable. The Monster name on it, almost doubles the price.

 

its been almost a week since we discussed this....

 

my fault, i know this is a topic thats been discussed before

i just havent had any experience w/ a digital coax cable

seems like i'm gettin' one in the 20 dollar range--


so i understand that for a mid-fi receiver a "normal" one is fine?

 

...two pieces of 20-gauge spun together with a makita is fine, man... : )

 

A friend of mine got a new home theater system that's not the best, but relatively high end. He spent just under $1000 on Monster Cable for EVERY thing, all speakers, each device... and then another $300 on a surge protector/power cleaner (which I will admit does look really cool with lots of chrome and LEDs).

And why did he do this?

"The guy at Myer-Emco said I needed them."

I wonder if the Brooklyn Bridge was included...

Joe

 

Coax digital is almost identical to composite video cable - unless you go high end.

I'm all digital at home - the cable box, dvd, cd-rw.... unless you have ultra high end equipment, a regular coax digital cable is ok. Where you notice the difference with digital cables is for HDMI or DVI (video), where it makes a discernable difference.

 

It's been a while since I looked into it, but I want to say that the digital cable should have the same ohm rating as a video coax cable. So, spend less for a "video" cable with the connectors you need, which probably will be a composite video cable mentioned above. Maybe someone else can correct me if I'm wrong.

I definitely think that even if cables made a difference for analog, for digital, it matters far less -- don't worry about it.

When it comes to analog, sometimes the length between components makes a difference. Keep cables short, and the differences matter a lot less, yet again.