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Audio cables in home theaters take the form of either analog or digital interconnects. Typical analog cables consists of RCA or BNC coaxial stereo connectors and are characterized by a separate two-channel cable connection - one for the left and the other for the right signal; color coding is normally used to facility identification. Digital audio interconnections may use either a single coaxial connection or a single optical connection - also known as TOSLINK. Optical connections use fiber-optic cables to transfer audio signals via pulses of light from a digital source. Audio Interconnection Basics:Good quality audio cables use an oxygen-free pure copper (OFC) conductor, designed to pass signals accurately with minimal loss. Some may also feature the use of thick silver coating of the copper conductors to improve connectivity - in particular to help improve the connection between the conductor and the end connector. Many audio cables also include two separate shields — a braided copper shield to guard against RFI, and one made of foil to guard against EMI. In some cables, the shield is grounded only on the end that connects to the source, so that interference will drain away from the destination end of the cable.
These audio cables would incorporate directional
arrows printed on their outer jackets, and should be hooked up with the arrow
pointing away from the source (i.e. the arrow should be pointing
in the same direction as the signal flow from source to load). End Connectors in Audio Applications
Note: The above applies both to analog audio interconnects as well as digital audio coaxial cable interconnects. "Coaxial" is a type of cable whereby the signal carrier (inner conductor) and its shield are aligned along the same axis (generally a signal wire runs down the middle of a cylindrical shield). These same connectors are also used on video cables - this however does not imply that it's possible to interchange video with audio cables.
Optical Digital Audio Interconnects Optical audio cables are a special subset of audio interconnects that make use of pulses of light to transmit signal information between system components.
The most common type of optical connector found on home theater cables is the Toslink connector - shown on the right. Originally developed by Toshiba (hence Tos), this connector is usually plastic. Some portable players make use of the mini-optical jack - an optical connector similar in appearance to the standard audio mini jack plug. The main advantage of a digital interconnect is that these are practically not susceptible to electromagnetic and radio frequency interference. Theoretically, these can come very cheap in comparison to regular metal interconnects, however, if you were to click on the image to the right for the Lightspeed 200, you will soon realize that when it comes to a quality interconnect, there is a lot of high tech involved and obviously, a price to pay. This optical interconnect from Monster Cable feature graded index optical fiber to reduce jitter for enhanced definition, a spring loaded connector to keep fiber in correct optical alignment for maximum data transfer, and a metal-shell connector for long life durability.
Last updated on 13th Jan. 2005 return from Audio Cables & Interconnects to Home Page |
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