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What Ever Happened to ST Optical?

Based on the hype several years ago, I opted for the AT&T "ST" optical connection between my CD transport and processor. I've generally been satisfied with it over the years, but damage to the cable (oops) is forcing me to do a replacement. Is ST optical still a viable choice, or is coax better? Seems to be far fewer suppliers of the ST thes days-- my previous was XLO and they don't list it on their website anymore.
bama214
mrderrick
291 posts
 
I have always found AT&T ST to perform the best. There is not a lot of money to be made in selling glass cables. Glass was perfected years ago. If you can not find a cable. Call your local electronics supplier. Tell him what you want (multi or single mode fiber) with ST connectors. Request a hot fusion and the best polish that they can do. It will cost a lot less than you might expect.
jcbtubes
400 posts
 
Bama- I too have preferred ST optical with my digital equipment. You might give Precision A/V (in CA) a call about an ST cable if you have difficulty locating a source. Theirs' has performed perfectly now for several years, and the polish job was very good. Just a suggestion.
Good luck.
garfish
1,840 posts
 
Like format wars, I think RCA and XLR have won the connector wars, while some other good ones have languished.
sfstereo
193 posts
 
ST receiver and transmitter are pretty expensive, costing up to $25 each for the parts alone. So by the time it gets to consumers, it would have added a couple of hundreds. Coax and AES cost almost nothing. I still use ST in my system and I think it sounds better than coax and AES.
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