Digital Man Posted November 16, 2020 Posted November 16, 2020 Hi All, I was wondering if anyone here could direct me to a optical cable ? Is glass better over plastic ? does J.B Hi-Fi sell a good one ? I intend to run it from my Apple desktop computer to my Schiit Modi 3. Thanks
xlr8or Posted November 16, 2020 Posted November 16, 2020 If you're after an optical toslink cable there are only 2 I would recommend. Either a Lifatec Silflex or Wireworld Supernova 7 borosilicate type. I've tried countless plastic ones and they don't sound the same. 2
chirockr Posted November 16, 2020 Posted November 16, 2020 I’ve been researching the same topic for a little while now. I agree with the post above, both of those are excellent and are on the shortlist. If budget isn’t an option consider the DH Labs Glass Master Toslink Optical.
david j Posted November 19, 2020 Posted November 19, 2020 I have a dh labs and a wireworld supernova Both excellent performers
kroozzy Posted December 5, 2020 Posted December 5, 2020 On 19/11/2020 at 7:06 PM, david j said: I have a dh labs and a wireworld supernova Both excellent performers Howdy David would you have a preference between the DH Labs Glass Master and the Wireworld Supanova 7 if not a preference , a sonic difference of opinion christopher
david j Posted December 5, 2020 Posted December 5, 2020 There on different systems havent really compared both very good wireworld probably sell better on the second hand market if you need to move on
mikey d Posted March 3, 2021 Posted March 3, 2021 I'm having trouble finding an Australian source of a decent glass Toslink cable. Any suggestions?
Guest Posted March 3, 2021 Posted March 3, 2021 5 minutes ago, mikey d said: I'm having trouble finding an Australian source of a decent glass Toslink cable. Any suggestions? Cannot remember seeing Australian made Toslink cables from this list?
Ittaku Posted March 3, 2021 Posted March 3, 2021 They all sound the same to me. I would buy one based on the quality of the connector instead of worrying about the potential sound quality of the transfer medium. I doubt there's any Australian company that makes one though.
mikey d Posted March 3, 2021 Posted March 3, 2021 Just now, Ittaku said: They all sound the same to me. I would buy one based on the quality of the connector instead of worrying about the potential sound quality of the transfer medium. I doubt there's any Australian company that makes one though. 33 minutes ago, Snoopy8 said: Cannot remember seeing Australian made Toslink cables from this list? Sorry, I don't mean Aussie made, just a retailer / distributor of quality Toslink cables.
Ittaku Posted March 3, 2021 Posted March 3, 2021 CAV have some decent cables, The Chord Company cheapest optical cable is respectable and not too expensive. https://www.carltonaudiovisual.com.au/hi-fi/accessories/cables/chord-c-lite-optical-cable-1m.html 1
mikey d Posted March 3, 2021 Posted March 3, 2021 7 minutes ago, Ittaku said: CAV have some decent cables, The Chord Company cheapest optical cable is respectable and not too expensive. https://www.carltonaudiovisual.com.au/hi-fi/accessories/cables/chord-c-lite-optical-cable-1m.html Cheers, a bit of googling & I have found some good retailers.
xlr8or Posted March 3, 2021 Posted March 3, 2021 (edited) As @Ittaku states the connectors are key on all cables regardless of price range. As of last week my Wireworld Supernova 7 toslink cable mentioned above stopped functioning. The red light is still there so there is definitely something wrong with the connectors. In addition to the Silflex Lifatec and Wireworld Supernova 7 cables, the QED Reference borosilicate optical cable also looks interesting. Edited March 3, 2021 by xlr8or
jason101 Posted March 10, 2021 Posted March 10, 2021 Adding to the general conversation, I can’t vouch for this option as haven’t purchased, but when I went hunting for toslink options these were rated highly at sensible prices: http://www.sysconcept.ca/product_info.php?products_id=365
agisthos Posted March 13, 2021 Posted March 13, 2021 (edited) 10 years ago when I tried some different optical cables the glass based ones did sounder better than plastic. I ended up with the original metal jacketed Lifatec back then (its a soft 'optisilk' jacket now). If you are interested in the numbers game here is how many strands..... QED Reference Optical Quartz Toslink (210 strands borosilicate fiber optic) DH LABS Glass Master Toslink (300 strands of proprietary glass fibers) WIREWORLD Supernova 7 Toslink (338 strands borosilicate fiber optic) LIFATEC Premium Silflex Toslink (470 strands glass fiber optic) From this it looks like Lifatec is still king of the price v performance ratio like it was back then (but sometimes these numbers-of-strands games don't always result in better sound). I am not sure if there is there any difference between glass fiber strands and borosilicate fibers. Maybe its the same thing, or maybe boro-silicate is its own thing and different to normal glass strands. And finally DH LABS claims to be using proprietary glass fibers. Could be true, but we all know the marketing pages of cables companies love to pretend they have proprietary wire/shields/composites when they don't. The Sys Concepts page claims to have a cable with 1300 strands but its a Toslink-Mini only, no Toslink-Toslink. Edited March 13, 2021 by agisthos 1
pwstereo Posted March 13, 2021 Posted March 13, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, agisthos said: I am not sure if there is there any difference between glass fiber strands and borosilicate fibers. Maybe its the same thing, or maybe boro-silicate is its own thing and different to normal glass strands. Borosilicate is a type of glass. It has a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than normal glass. Test tubes, high end glassware, etc, resistant to cracking with sudden temperature changes. It's also harder than standard soda-lime glass. So possibly no difference when used as the fibre in a fibre optic cable. Edited March 13, 2021 by pwstereo 2
Hung02 Posted July 29, 2021 Posted July 29, 2021 (edited) I am a big fan of QED reference optical. for 140 aud on amazon , it is the best value for money digital cable. I just thought wow when i first listen to it. it make a BIG improvement in audio. it beats chords opticord or c-lite significately, which i also own. haven't compared it to supernova or other highend ones, though Edited July 29, 2021 by Hung02 1
audiofeline Posted July 29, 2021 Posted July 29, 2021 (edited) On 14/03/2021 at 3:41 AM, agisthos said: ...And finally DH LABS claims to be using proprietary glass fibers. Could be true, but we all know the marketing pages of cables companies love to pretend they have proprietary wire/shields/composites when they don't... Yes, but the name they give the cable certainly is proprietary! Edited July 29, 2021 by audiofeline
agisthos Posted June 4, 2024 Posted June 4, 2024 I listed those optical cable options here 3 years ago. I ended up getting another Lifatec Silflex, as that’s what I had before. This was for an LG OLED TV > DAC connection. It’s not my audiophile streamer, but the TV is still an important connection for me, considering all my tv/netflix/movie/xbox listening is done via this optical cable. I just now tried a QED Reference optical. Better better better in every way possible over the Lifatec. @Hung02 was spot on. So to answer my own question, does fibre strand count matter? Obviously no, as the QED has less than half the strands of the Lifatec. Maybe it’s the borosilicate that makes the difference? Only question now is how the DH Labs and Wireworld compare to this QED Reference!
Hung02 Posted June 4, 2024 Posted June 4, 2024 Since my last post, I have own the Wirewold supernova and the Chord Vodka optical cables. I still prefer the QED Reference.
audiofeline Posted June 5, 2024 Posted June 5, 2024 There have been several posts commenting on the different audio quality with these connectors (eg. plastic vs glass). Out of curiosity, what are the noticiable improvements with a better quality optical connector? Note - I'm not doubting a there is a difference, I've not had any experience with optical cables.
agisthos Posted June 5, 2024 Posted June 5, 2024 5 hours ago, Hung02 said: Since my last post, I have own the Wirewold supernova and the Chord Vodka optical cables. I still prefer the QED Reference. That’s good to know. Both of those cables are a bit more expensive than the QED Reference.
agisthos Posted June 5, 2024 Posted June 5, 2024 43 minutes ago, audiofeline said: There have been several posts commenting on the different audio quality with these connectors (eg. plastic vs glass). Out of curiosity, what are the noticiable improvements with a better quality optical connector? Note - I'm not doubting a there is a difference, I've not had any experience with optical cables. Well for non music media (visual content) I found this: Background detail and ambience improved, clarity of voices, tonality and bass increased. Subtle music cues in the soundtracks more separated and easily noticeable. I presume for music the improvement will be similar, but as stated that’s not my use case for this. 1
SonicArt Posted June 8, 2024 Posted June 8, 2024 I used to get a Japan made optical years ago, was very plain basic looking but performed really well. Mine does TV to $40 dac duty but I'm waiting on a yammy ES800 which has inbuilt dac, (I like vintage, even surround gear ) and it prolly deserves a better cable, might have to try the QED one!
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