Optical VS Coaxial sound cables

Buying a home theater system can be tricky. But what can be even more trickier is deciding which types of cable to use. In this post ill discuss two different sound cables Coaxial and Optical and discuss which is better.


                                   Coaxial

 

Coaxial cables use single prong connectors that look alot like your standard RCA cables. These cables use a copper wire that is insulated inside the wire. This is an analog wire which I personally use. Its simple and is not as fragile as Optical. The only problem with this cable is if your transferring sound over a long distance the cable begins to weaken the sound. There also alot easier to connect in tight spaces because it has a round connector and can be plugged in any way. The sound quality is EXACTLY the same as optical.

Optical

 

Now optical audio cables really arent my personal favorite. They are very fragile and cant be bent much or they will simply lose alot of sound quality. The connector on the end can be tricky to plug in when your in a tight space. This cable unlike the coaxial cable can travel much further with sound. Once again it has the same sound quality dont be fooled by the "Digital" label.

So how do I decide?

Well its pretty simple. 

Will you be travelling a long distance with your cable?  

Yes? Than go with the optical.

No? Than go with the coaxial.

Do you have a large space to work with? 

Yes? Than you can go either way.

No? Than choose the coaxial.

Do you want excellent sound quality?

Yes? Than choose either one because they have the same sound quality!

Summary: Well I think ive covered this topic plain and simple. They both have the same exact sound quality it just depends on your situation. If you have ANY questions PLEASE post them as a comment below and id be more than happy to help you out.