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Toslink Survey / Please Participate

Digital interconnection, IMHO, has always held many myths.

When I first began delving into outboard D/As, jitterbugs, and transport combinations, very few component manufacturers (for some stupid reason) were actually providing coax RCAs (75ohm SPDIF). Interconnection, in many cases, was acheived through the use of Toslink.

Now most of here already know that I am quite an extreme advocator of balanced interconnection including, digital signal. I personally use AES/EBU on XLRs for my 2 channel system.

Out of necessity, I have had to hook up my home theater DVD player to HT receiver using the Toslink (Denon DVD 5000/Denon 3300). And after listening for an extended period of time, I have to ask, (because I obviously must be forgetting),....... Why was Toslink so bad? Why do many people say it sounds like crap?

The system sounds fine. Very natural and "undigital". I won't mention the Toslink cable manufacturer, but it is glass, and the cable costs $39.95. No "Break-in". No "cryo" no crap, just hook it up and go.

When you think about it, many issues associated with interconnection are negated. Balanced????? No Need. RFI, EMI ????? Trivial. Impedance mismatch????? None. Adverse environmental conditions????? Irrelevant. Overall, a very easy, inexpensive, and sonically acceptable interconnection. I don't know about 2 channel usage, but if this any indication, I'm sure it would yield acceptable results?

Can anyone comment? Is anyone still using it for 2 channel? Even if just out of necessity, or otherwise. Does anyone find Toslink unacceptable?

128x128buscis2
buscis2's avatar
buscis2 OP
468 posts
 
Prpixel. I agree. That's why I had mentioned a compression issue somewhere. Although some years back I was using (for my 2 channel system) A Sony CDP-555ES as a transport into all kinds of crazy digital processing. This Sony was a flagship CD player in the same league as the Denon. Separate power supplies, chassis dampening, 35 pounds, composite feet, I mean, it was a brute. BUT, Toslink out ONLY! Go figure. Ultimately, for it's time, it was considered reference quality and it sounded great, again, for it's time. But no RCA.

I think you might be surprised at how great this combination actually sounds. I would have to assume that using the Toslink out of the Denon DVD into the HT receiver might be a more accurate indication of it's sonic potential? I'll let you know.

Sorry to hear about your bad experiences with the Denon. I know of several of us using them without issue. Obviously, your unit was built on Friday, 10 minutes before closing the plant for the weekend. :>(
prpixel
826 posts
 
Buscis2,

Either the Denon was built on Friday or at 9:02 AM on a Monday. I also purchased a DVD9000 that died within about a week of purchase. I took it back to the dealer and demanded my money back. I also had problems with a DVD2800, DVD2800MII and a DVD2900. I think maybe I'm cursed when it comes to Denon DVD players. However, I've owned quite a few Denon CD players and they were all realiable (1500MII, 1520, 1560, 3500, 3520, 3560).

I'm using a Kimber or Cardas (can't remember off the top of my head - getting old) toslink between my Motorola HD cable box and my Anthem AVM20. The problem I have is that every once in awhile it just falls out of the back of the unit. I tried a cheapo glass cable with the same problems. It could be that the poor connectors on Toslink is contributing to higher levels of jitter. Manufacturers tend to favor Toslink over coax and analog outputs because it's cheap and easy. It's a lot easier to explain to Joe Public how to hook up one cable than multiple cables.
dmitrydr
221 posts
 
As far as I remember, LED that used to transmit the light impulses into the line wears out in a year or so, and then quality fails if not replaced...

I don't get why this flawed SPDIF is still in use that much. Using Firewire, spdif-related part of jitter might be eliminated, and due to high bit-rate several channels information may be transferred by one cable.
kana813
956 posts
 
Toslinks are very cost effective and have gotten better. There are different grades of Toslink transmit/receive modules and fiber with different data rate. Most manufacturers don't use the best parts. Everything you'd want to know about Toslinks and great prices can be found at:

http://www.lifatec.com/Lifusa_patchcords.htm

I recently A/B'd Toslinks against my AES/EBU cables in my TacT system, which has multiple digital inputs and level controls for each. I normally run the link between my control unit and amps at 192K, but Toslink will not support
this level, so I ran the test at 96K.

When I switched in the Toslink, details were softened, and the soundstage collapsed in all directions. With a live recording like Mulgrew Miller's Live at Yoshi's 1,the
excitement of the live recording was greatly diminished.

IMO, Toslink are very smooth, but if you want to hear everything that's on the recording, AES/EBU still does a better job. I've also tried ST(AT&T) glass cables and their
performance equals or betters AES/EBU. Unforunately, most
manufacturers don't provide these connections on their equipment.

In the future we'll see a new interface called the SMI, which will be done via duplex plastic optical fiber and will interconnect video, audio, sensors, computers, etc in our homes. The first model home, using this technology, is being displayed in Germany, at the World Plastic Optical Trade Conference this month.
slappy
903 posts
 
The way i look at it, why convert it from electrons to photons, then photons back to electrons then to analog, when you could go Digital to Analog and kip it simple?
No matter what, with any conversion there will be some degree of loss. I think it makes more sence to use Coax and keep the conversions to a minimum
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