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Digital Interconnects - Which one is the BEST ??!!

Hello,

i am not initially wanting to hear a brand name but more a TYPE of connection.

is Optical better than Coaxial ?  Is USB better than BNC ?   What IS BNC anyways?!     I read somewhere that a COAX input that utilizes any old RCA cable is much worse than a dedicated COAX cable - that was news to me!

After i learn these things, i will look for a good brand, but if there is a TYPE that outperforms other TYPEs i want to begin with that...

thank you for your comments

rop45
rop45 OP
68 posts
 

@sns 

do the Toslink and Optical Fiber both use the same port ?

rop45 OP
68 posts
 

if there is no general consensus, that is good, i keep doing whatever i am doing now.

What i was afraid of - IF I WAS TRYING TO A_B test two components, using coax on one and optical on the other - i didn't want one of the components to have an advantage that i wasn't aware of - so that it would win a close competition unfairly...

sns
3,003 posts
 

@rop45 Nope. Toslink generally used between cd transports, players, optical fiber is network cable, does same job as ethernet cable.

chrisr's avatar
chrisr
541 posts
 

toslink is a connector terminating an optical fiber.  Optical fiber is the number one technology in the world to transfer data.

rbstehno
1,401 posts
 

USB sucks. Of course you will have dealers recommending usb because they want to sell you a number of tweaks/gimmicks to try to improve usb. 
Ethernet/fiber/network or i2s aware best if your dac supports them but only the better dacs supports these interfaces.

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