I heard a sound difference between different optical Toslink cables!
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- #vintage #audiophile #streaming
Comparing four optical cables:
1. Generic with Toshiba plugs (5eur)
2. QED Reference optical (150eur 0,6m)
3. AudioQuest Vodka (260eur 0,75m)
4. Wireworld Supernova 7 (~300eur 0,5m)
My personal order of preference: AQ Vodka, Wireworld Supernova 7, QED Reference, Generic.
Update: I am now using Lifatec Silflex.
Phillips cables sounds ok
Monster cables THX certified sounds bassy but lacks details
Pearl AQ sounds crispy, clean and the dialogues perfect and very detailed, even some 3d details but lacks some bass.
Thats all folks!
Fair enough!
If got ag.on sale cheap 😅
Chord and vd Hul (both under £ 100 are my favorite toslnks.
Thank you for being brave and making this video even that everybody's going to say we are cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs
I suspect any difference you think you might have heard is actually just a placebo effect. Unless a cable is faulty, there shouldn't be any difference in sound between those optical cables. That's because the signal is transferred digitally, not analog. The conversion from sound (digital) to light and back also happens outside of the cable. If you would do a null test, you'd see that there is actually no difference in the received audio from the different cables.
The only way in which these cables will really differ is in build quality, so I definitely wouldn't waste any money on super expensive optical cables.
Thank you, you saved me from unnecessary expenses!
@SirFreak All these people I would pay the doctor to have their 'hearing checked. So much for placebos!
I did null tests and there are differences. No placebo
@@Pete.across.the.streetDefective cables or no quality control Pete Do U have any ability to test? I actually own $50k in various types of test equipment and 40 years of experience.
@@thinkIndependent2024 your mother must be very proud of you. I have a Neumann KU 100 and pro tools. Play the same track with different cables. Line up the tracks in pro tools and flip the phase on one of the tracks. Then you hear only the differences, which are many if you have a good, properly setup system. If your system isn't resolving, isn't throwing a proper sound stage, or your hearing isn't that great, then cables won't make a difference.
You're wrong but hey, if you think you hear better with specific cables then keep using them. It's all about your satisfaction that matters.
Absolutely were difference. Coaxial also.
Some years ago i purchased a qed carbon optical toslink, it made the audio worse compared to my regular existing optical cable, i sent the qed back. I was amazed there would be any different. Since that time i have also discovered coax digital cables can also sound different.
Absolutely, coax are even easier to justify that they can be different.
the mental gymnastics never ends 😅
It will only end with life :)
@@Justas-M 💯 😭
Nice review! My comparison between QED Quartz Reference and AQ Vodka is slightly different. Vodka indeed sounds more natural and stage is bigger but QED has more details and therefore makes listening experience in a way more interesting compared to Vodka. Also in my setup Vodka is darker cable. So which in better...hard to say. I like them both.
Very interesting! So your experience is similar in some aspects but different in a way. I ended up buying Lifatec Silflex after reading so many positive reviews on the web. It is very detailed and at first I thought it was defect as it revealed grain in high frequencies which I later fixed working on improving power supplies. I had an idea to compare it to Vodka but the plan did not materealise.
@@Justas-M I put Lifatec Silflex on the list. I have DH Labs Glass Master coming soon. I let you know how it plays.
@@a-j6798 And how did the dh labs sound for you? do you also have the Lifatec - a comparison between glass master and lifatec would be very interesting
@@AG-zw1ce To my surprise, Vodka has a bit more holographic soundstage and little bit darker tone than DH LABS glass master. In other words Vodka is smoother. So in my current setup Vodka was "better". That is not to say DH Labs is bad, not at all. DH Labs is more brighter in some way. It is more natural than QED though. I have not ordered Lifatec yet.
Uh oh,here we go....
Good morning, hello!
The only way to know if there is any difference is to measure the output and compare. With optical there should be no difference at all if you overlay the waveforms. I
I have no way to measure. But the difference was obvious.
@@Justas-M this article, with measured results, may be of interest. I can't link to it directly, but punch this into Google: archimago Measurements: TosLink digital optical audio cables
ruclips.net/video/AzJEvGWWtqg/видео.htmlsi=aKHQ7iLYaLwHZkLo
wow, for the first time I see such a short pinkie
LMAO. i didnt knew that theres a diference between 0s and 1s . this is a cult
This is not a cult, rather an #AudioLifestyle
ruclips.net/video/AzJEvGWWtqg/видео.htmlsi=aKHQ7iLYaLwHZkLo
@@vincentolaw paps tell USE UR F eARS
Lifatec rules them all!
IMHO
And I've tried most of the high dollar Toslink cables
Thats what i am currently using. Lifatec silflex.
I use Lifatec also, I read reviews and I really like them.
@rogersmith1203 I moved on to lifatec since this review
Only a nutcase would pay those crazy prices for the so called high end cables, any well made optical cable around £7 to £15 is all you need.
Thanks, that is a huge savings potential!
@@Justas-M Sarcasm suits you.
ruclips.net/video/AzJEvGWWtqg/видео.htmlsi=aKHQ7iLYaLwHZkLo
But indeed, if you cannot hear any differences in cables, lucky you. You'll save so much money! It's important to let others know of course.
Surprise surprise the most expensive is the best and they actually go in order , I tried vodka and the QED and Amazon basics the best sounding to my ears on my system was the QED cable .. proving nothing probably other than the ears and room as well as kit of the listener make a difference
Vodka is the most expensive. Try Lifatec Silflex.
thanks for an interesting and rare review of optical cables, very little information, very good result AudioQuest Diamond glass but it's expensive, спасибо 🙏
If you understand fibre optic transmission you know this is nonsense. I worked in telecommunications with fibre, fibre is impervious to any issues related to copper cables. The only issue would be if damaged or connection is poor either end. It either works or does not work. Considering the ridiculously short fibre for a interconnect issues such as vibration are again nonsense.
I understand your position and agree these points should not be an issue. I did not believe myself there could be a difference before starting this comparison. But you know what, I stopped looking for explanations in Audio a year or so ago. Everything is important to sound signature and seemingly impossible to explain at the same time.
@@Justas-M I would say your first cable was faulty, as for the rest unless you didn't know what was in place and you said to someone that now sounds different and they changed the fibre just before the test then I might believe you. Sadly how fibre tech works it will simply decode the light received. Analogue copper cables yes, these cables face induction, close proximity or radio waves etc.. If it works for you good 👍
@@a0r0a7 faulty or not, my ultimate goal is to achieve satisfaction. The cable I have selected, provides me with that and I do not care for the physical underlying reasons. As mentioned previously, I stopped looking for explanations.
Like I said, good for you, enjoy👍
ruclips.net/video/AzJEvGWWtqg/видео.htmlsi=aKHQ7iLYaLwHZkLo
$400 and you said its natural , good sound stage , detail and whatever,
Its garbage bro, imho
You need at least a $20000 cable to translate the file into and acurate signal
I think every comment counts for RUclips algorithm, so I will leave yours here, I do not have anything to reply... :D
❤ my optical vs coaxial 😊
Same here, I am now using Lifatec Silflex, the best!
placebo only,... you just cant.. its the same data signal... and light dont distort.. (maybe on a damaged fiber you can get some clipping)
ruclips.net/video/AzJEvGWWtqg/видео.htmlsi=aKHQ7iLYaLwHZkLo
I've experienced this too! Cables 100% change the sound. I prefer mid range over the most expensive.
And that is the other myth, that more expensive and supposedly better cables will always be the ones you prefer. Not so as you say you prefer mid cables. Thats the big problem wirh asking salesmaen or influencers which is the best product. They are not you with your preferences and ears because some peoples hearing is vastly different even freuence response wise to others.
Audiophile detected
Well done!
My boss system came with the cable you call cheap worked fine
Is Pete across the Street Ronnie from NRD?
@@thinkIndependent2024 every comment counts, thank you!
Amplifier with Optical output to CD player with optical input = better sounding than RCA TO RCA connection?
It depends, cannot really know until you test both scenarios.
Optical cable gives you galvanic isolation which could help as you get less electrical noise into your DAC
If you have a lousy DAC then spdif cables can make a difference
Back then I had Chord Qutest, now I have Chord Hugo TT. Both are lousy as I clearly hear a difference with different optical cables.
So cables make a lousy digital signal better?
Lmfao, this is a new level of crazy, there’s literally no possible way for there to be a difference. That’s not opinion either, 1s and 0s are 1s and 0s. There’s literally no way for the laser to be affected, that’s the whole point of using fiber link connections. Also toslink (the one your talking about) can’t handle a bit rate faster then like a cd. Which means you’re not even playing the music at a rate you’d hear the difference of A DIGITAL CABLE. This isn’t my “opinion” these are hard facts and if you deny that, you’re in denial of reality.
@@joeycarlson5934 I deny that.
@Justas-M right, well there’s a term from somebody who can’t tell the difference between reality and fiction. We say “they’re in a state of psychosis”.
Now when you compare two speaker cables, for an example, you can see that one might have a lower resistance and less RF interference then the other. Even a usb can be affected by this, but you’re talking about a laser signal in a light tight cable. If you want to be stubborn in believing you didn’t waste your money then fine. But the science isn’t there. If you give someone who’s sick a sugar pill and someone else with the same illness no pill, the person who took the sugar pill will have a much higher chance of fast recovery. Your mind is a powerful thing, but your cable is a cable.
This isn’t even a thing people are talking about, this is just a few of you guys who think you’ve found something special. The only thing special about it is you’ve actually managed to fool yourself into thinking that there’s a real sonic difference. You might as well say you like the sound of wifi more than Bluetooth.
@@joeycarlson5934 thank you for the diagnosis! :)
@@Justas-M you have a very good argument, I understand now why I should change my beliefs. Of course you and the few others who believe this have better ears than the rest of us, and it could not possibly be that you were wrong and hearing the placebo effect.
finally, thanks! I have an even cheaper QED, but it solved my midrange. With the default, out of the box cable that my speakers came with, the sound was scooped. I struggled
a while, then a friend brought the QED and yay, I could hear the instruments and voices at equal par with the bass and highs. For me, I won't go higher up in price, but I believe you that they sound even better.
Excellent!
It's about light my brother, and the dac.
The digital to analog conversion is not produced by a cable. External diameter is only coating that offers you some extra strenght, to not ruin with 90 degrees path.
I think a lot can be explained by material qualities and vibration control.
@@Justas-Mjust how is a beam of light going to be affected by vibrations? It's like saying that radio waves get blown by the wind.
@@simonzinc-trumpetharris852 try to move a flashlight in the dark, you will see how "vibrations" impact the light.
Excellent, subscribed.
Optical cables add nasty jitter and degrade music. A horrible interconnect. Use coax
In my personal situation I find them more pleasing to the ear than Coax.
That's why you need to use a toslink/optical cable that is made of glass and not plastic. The glass made cables reduce jitter tremendously and offer better music quality.
Total placebo effects it's impossible to heard in audio differrence with any Toshlink cables
Thank you for your opinion!
why do you think so? Are you deep into math and physics to think so? Did you do millions of tests to be so sure? Toslink (not Tosh) is a realtime high speed digital data conductor, so the accuracy of the data would depend on the quality of the connectors and fiber. Cheap optical cables would transmit better if the wire is laid straight. All digital cables vary the realtime signal.
@@CyrilleBoucanogh Exactly, very good answer!
🤣@@CyrilleBoucanogh
You are incorrect. I am currently demoing we’d reference quartz and wireworld supernova 7 with a Accuphase dp450 . There are clear differences