Is digital coaxial cable the same as standard video RCA cable? [Archive]

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Paul L

January 8th 06, 06:34 PM

Just for curiosity, I used a standard RCA video cable and plugged it
into the digial coaxial jacks of my DVD player and Yamaha reciever. I
get very good audio from the connection. Is digital coaxial just another
fancy name for RCA? Does using a more expensive digital audio coaxial
cable really improve the sound over and RCA cable?

Richard Crowley

January 9th 06, 05:27 AM

"Paul L" wrote ...
> Just for curiosity, I used a standard RCA video cable and plugged it
> into the digial coaxial jacks of my DVD player and Yamaha reciever. I
> get very good audio from the connection. Is digital coaxial just
> another fancy name for RCA?

For all practical purposes, Yes.

> Does using a more expensive digital audio coaxial cable really improve
> the sound over and RCA cable?

Only if you are a true believer and have money to burn.

January 9th 06, 05:51 AM

"Paul L" > wrote in message
. net...
> Just for curiosity, I used a standard RCA video cable and plugged it into
> the digial coaxial jacks of my DVD player and Yamaha reciever. I get very
> good audio from the connection. Is digital coaxial just another fancy name
> for RCA? Does using a more expensive digital audio coaxial cable really
> improve the sound over and RCA cable?

They may differ when a really long cable is needed, but if it seems to be
working correctly, I think you can assume that it *is* working correctly.

If anything, the video cable may have more bandwidth than the cable
recommended for digital; I don't know.

Pooh Bear

January 9th 06, 06:12 AM

Paul L wrote:

> Just for curiosity, I used a standard RCA video cable and plugged it
> into the digial coaxial jacks of my DVD player and Yamaha reciever. I
> get very good audio from the connection. Is digital coaxial just another
> fancy name for RCA? Does using a more expensive digital audio coaxial
> cable really improve the sound over and RCA cable?

No.

Unless you're into audio voodoo ! In which case all bets are off.

Graham

George M. Middius

January 9th 06, 12:44 PM

Paul L said:

> Just for curiosity, I used a standard RCA video cable and plugged it
> into the digial coaxial jacks of my DVD player and Yamaha reciever. I
> get very good audio from the connection. Is digital coaxial just another
> fancy name for RCA? Does using a more expensive digital audio coaxial
> cable really improve the sound over and RCA cable?

If you can't hear the difference, don't pay the extra money for the more
expensive version. (That was originally in a fortune cookie, but it's
relevant here.)

Laurence Payne

January 9th 06, 01:48 PM

On Sun, 08 Jan 2006 18:34:57 GMT, Paul L > wrote:

>Just for curiosity, I used a standard RCA video cable and plugged it
>into the digial coaxial jacks of my DVD player and Yamaha reciever. I
>get very good audio from the connection. Is digital coaxial just another
>fancy name for RCA? Does using a more expensive digital audio coaxial
>cable really improve the sound over and RCA cable?

For long runs it can be worth using cable with optimal impedance. For
a short run, you'd probably get a good signal down a bit of wet
string. Save your money. If you want expensive cable to sound
better you have to believe. It's an expensive religion :-)

AZ Nomad

January 9th 06, 03:32 PM

On Sun, 08 Jan 2006 18:34:57 GMT, Paul L > wrote:

>Just for curiosity, I used a standard RCA video cable and plugged it
>into the digial coaxial jacks of my DVD player and Yamaha reciever. I
>get very good audio from the connection. Is digital coaxial just another
>fancy name for RCA? Does using a more expensive digital audio coaxial
>cable really improve the sound over and RCA cable?

It's is close enough that it doesn't matter. If you're going to run
more than a few hundred feet of digital coax, then you might care about
the impedance. Otherwise, any RCA cable that isn't broken will work
perfectly.

The more expensive digital audio coax cables are a hoax.

Robert Morein

January 10th 06, 03:45 AM

mick

January 10th 06, 08:27 PM

On Sun, 08 Jan 2006 18:34:57 +0000, Paul L burbled:

> Just for curiosity, I used a standard RCA video cable and plugged it into
> the digial coaxial jacks of my DVD player and Yamaha reciever. I get very
> good audio from the connection. Is digital coaxial just another fancy name
> for RCA? Does using a more expensive digital audio coaxial cable really
> improve the sound over and RCA cable?

Of course. It has to be well soaked in snake oil and then carefully
aligned north-south for at least six months while it matures though.

In other words, not in the slightest. :-)

--
Mick
(no M$ software on here... :-) )
Web: http://www.nascom.info
Web: http://projectedsound.tk

Jeff Findley

January 11th 06, 04:36 PM

"Robert Morein" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Paul L" > wrote in message
> . net...
> > Just for curiosity, I used a standard RCA video cable and plugged it
into
> > the digial coaxial jacks of my DVD player and Yamaha reciever. I get
very
> > good audio from the connection. Is digital coaxial just another fancy
name
> > for RCA? Does using a more expensive digital audio coaxial cable really
> > improve the sound over and RCA cable?
>
> No.

I've personally used composite video cables for digital coax cable. Who
doesn't have a junk drawer full of obsolete composite video cables? ;-)

Jeff
--
Remove icky phrase from email address to get a valid address.

Arny Krueger

January 11th 06, 05:06 PM

"Jeff Findley" > wrote in
message
> "Robert Morein" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Paul L" > wrote in message
>> . net...
>>> Just for curiosity, I used a standard RCA video cable
>>> and plugged it into the digial coaxial jacks of my DVD
>>> player and Yamaha reciever. I get very good audio from
>>> the connection. Is digital coaxial just another fancy
>>> name for RCA? Does using a more expensive digital audio
>>> coaxial cable really improve the sound over and RCA
>>> cable?
>>
>> No.
>
> I've personally used composite video cables for digital
> coax cable. Who doesn't have a junk drawer full of
> obsolete composite video cables? ;-)

Composite cables are usually copper core which is a good thing.

OTOH as many of us have discovered, cable TV and antenna cable tend to be
copper clad steel or the like, and aren't the best for long digital runs.

dizzy

January 12th 06, 01:31 AM

Jeff Findley wrote:

>I've personally used composite video cables for digital coax cable. Who
>doesn't have a junk drawer full of obsolete composite video cables? ;-)

Good we kept them all, too! 8) I cleaned-out my "spare cable" box a
few months ago... Amazing how those video cables, both composite and
SVGA, build up over years...