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Digital Optical Cables - how important is brand?

I am presently using an Acoustic Research optical cable from my Pioneer Elite DVD/CD player into a Denon DTS receiver serving as a preamp with a Parasound 1000 HCA amp.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but are their truly significant differences in optical cables?
I do use DH lab Siversonic speaker wire with my RBH Sound speakers, and also a Tekline RCA connector from my receiver preamp outputs to my amp so I do think that decent cables are desirable, but the optical thing kind of throws me.

Any opinions are welcome and suggestions of a low cost (sub 50-75$) optical. That is if better ones than my 20$ Acoustic Reserach really do seem to make a difference.

Thanks.
lkdog
sean
6,231 posts
 
Quite honestly, I was VERY surprised at how good an optical connection could sound. Then again, i think that most of this has to do with the individual optical converters within the devices sending and receiving the data. Changing one component on the receiving or sending end would probably make a world of a difference.

Having said that, I've had very good luck using a DH Labs optical cable. Don't know the specific model or if they make more than one, but it works very nicely as far as i'm concerned. I don't think that it was too much money either, as most of their products are pretty reasonably priced. Sean
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amandarae
512 posts
 
Sound Professional Glass Optical Cable. For $59.00 (1.5m), you can never go wrong.
aroc
760 posts
 
Agreed. would go with glass, regardless of brand. either glass AT&T ST optical or glass toslink (never plastic).
lkdog OP
417 posts
 
Thanks for the responses.
Did a lot of reading last night and glass sounds like it gives people better performance, and the Sound Professional glass Toslink came up on several forums as a good choice for reasonable cost. I will give that a try.

Ok, one more question - what is a decent reasonably priced RCA coaxial to try so I can compare them?
My Pioneer Elite has RCA Coax out, and the Denon has both toslink and RCA coax in. I read the debates and many believe that coax is better, but there are pluses and minuses to each. I have also read where RCA connectors on the coax is fine, but not the ideal.

I know this is a modest system, but just trying to make it sound the best I can. Adding the Parasound amp made a huge difference and I am trying to optimize the other links.

Thanks again.
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