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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

Showing 1 response by sean

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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