Can i use rca cable for digital coax

They look similar and can work, but an analogue interconnect has different impedance values from a digital one 50 ohm versus 75 ohm , so won't work as well. If the distance is sufficiently less than 50', within the length of available optical cables, use optical.

If not, you'll have to use the RCA cables. If it sounds good, fine. If you get hum or RF rubbish, look for a better system. The electrical signal pulses through the copper wire at the heart of the coaxial cable. Because of the cost, you might be tempted to use a standard analog RCA audio cable to make a digital connection.

Not a good idea. A traditional RCA cable isn't shielded, nor does it have the bandwidth that coaxial cable provides. The digital output from your digital source device goes to the digital input on your digital to audio converter adapter.

Plug one end of your RCA audio cables the red and white cords into the outputs on your adapter ; plug the other end of your RCA audio cables into your analog receiving device. So if you're getting a Dolby Digital signal, and it's not cutting out, your optical cable is fine.

If you're transmitting PCM, the audiophile answer is that different optical cables can cause different amounts of jitter. The reality is, the digital-to-analog converter in your gear has vastly more effect on the sound. An RCA cable can be used to connect a variety of audio and video devices, such as camcorders to TVs or stereos to speakers. In either case, RCA cables transmit analog , or non- digital , signals.

Because of this, they cannot be plugged directly into a computer or other digital device. An optical digital audio connection is used to send digital audio signals between devices. You can use the Coax digital cable for a subwoofer connection without problem. However, things may not be entirely interchangeable. Digital coax cables and all video cables have a standard impedance of 75 ohms. They are often color-coded, yellow for composite video, red for the right audio channel, and white or black for the left channel of stereo audio.

Joe Nino-Hernes , Sep 12, Location: Montreal, Canada. Stefan , Sep 12, Location: The OC. Doug Sclar , Sep 12, Location: Milwaukee, WI. Location: Nashville. I've used expensive coax cables in my home system and in a pinch have used those cheap RCA cables that come with crap stereo gear. Both got the data where it needed to go and neither glitched or had any audio side effect. But, I bought a new cable for my computer keyboard and the fonts look sharper and I think my spelling has improved.

It's because of the cable, no doubt. Jamie Tate , Sep 12, Location: America's Biggest Small Town a. Any decent video cable as opposed to audio cable should work. Jitter errors attributable to cable effcts include "overshoot" and "reflection.

PM for a very cheap price. Billy Budapest , Sep 12, Location: Albany, NY. With analog, especially phono stages, and especially with analog video, impedance is critical if you demand a flat transfer of the frequency response available at the input. This is simply not a critical factor with digital data. A properly functioning coax cable will transfer all of the data without any data loss and without the introduction of jitter.

It is recommended to use a ohm coaxial cable to transmit digital transmissions. This will help to avoid errors in the signal.

Like a composite video cable. I think a proper coaxial cable is best in this situation. Of course, you may be relocating your equipment and the cable that you were using is now too short. Of course, you will also need another coaxial cable!

The manufacturer says the ones pictured above are suitable for a digital audio RCA cable. I have used similar connectors in the past without problems. If you are going to buy a different brand, then it might be worth checking that they are suitable for a digital audio RCA cable before you buy. The one pictured below takes a coaxial digital audio output e. Other converters will do this conversion the other way around, so check carefully before you buy to make sure you get the right one that you need.

These receive the digital audio output from your device that is generating the sound. As I explained previously, there are two main types of digital audio output — coaxial and optical. If your output device has a coaxial RCA audio connection, then it is easy to connect this to the RCA input on your amplifier. Job done. Give yourself a bit of slack for re-routing the cable in the future — or if you move your equipment. But try and get roughly the right length for the job in hand.

Avoid buying a 10m cable for a 2m distance. Go to this article for some more home theater wiring tips. However, if your amplifier only has a coaxial RCA input, then you will need to convert the connection from optical to coaxial. What if you wanted to send a single coaxial digital audio output to two different playback devices?

All you need to do is connect the single male RCA to your coaxial audio output. You then have two female RCA connections to send audio into the inputs of your two devices. So you will need an extra male to male RCA digital audio coaxial cable to complete each of the connections.

A Y-cable, like the one above, can also be used for connecting two subwoofers to an AV receiver with a single subwoofer output. You have a digital coaxial output on your playback device.