Anyone use fiber optic for

[OU4LIFE]

your home audio stuff?

If so what do you use?

I'm getting a decent high-end surround sound receiver after Christmas and i'm thinking about running fiber optic for all the wiring.

[DCSooner]

your home audio stuff?

If so what do you use?

I'm getting a decent high-end surround sound receiver after Christmas and i'm thinking about running fiber optic for all the wiring.

Maybe you should put it in your Yukon too, Mr. McRichy.

[OU4LIFE]

wave as you drive the 911 by the house.

[DCSooner]

wave as you drive the 911 by the house.

Don't worry, you'll hear the uzi.

[Sooner_Bob]

your home audio stuff?

If so what do you use?

I'm getting a decent high-end surround sound receiver after Christmas and i'm thinking about running fiber optic for all the wiring.


Samsung doesn't qualify as decent . . . :mack:

[OU4LIFE]

I couldn't hear you, I had the stereo turned up...say again.

[SoonerWood]

As far as I know, there are only two choices - plastic and glass. Glass is expensive but supposed to sound better, plastic is inexpensive and isn't supposed to sound as good. Once you get a good system put together, you reach a point where 95% of all upgrades are psychological. I'd wager that the expensive fiber optic wiring would fall into this category. Although, glass may last longer, I don't know. (Not that these cables get much wear and tear)

I use plastic and I'd put my system up against any audio poser. :D

[OU4LIFE]

what brand?

what's the stuff run and how hard is it to install myself?

[SoonerWood]

Hrrmmmm, I can't remember the brand name - just the basic stuff. I picked it up at guitar center. I was able to procure it for about $7 for a 6' length I believe. I got a really good deal from the store manager though. I think about $10-15 would be about right for about 6-10 feet.

You only need it to run between components - DVD player, Computer, Sat/Cable. AFAIK, speakers don't use it, at least I haven't seen any. Installation is as simple as snapping in one end to the DVD player and the other in the receiver. Then setting up each channel on the receiver to know which optical channel to use with whichever component video source - your recevier manual will explain that part.

Speaker wiring on the other hand, is whole other ballgame and a huge subject of debate among audio people as to what should be used.

[Widescreen]

As far as I know, there are only two choices - plastic and glass. Glass is expensive but supposed to sound better, plastic is inexpensive and isn't supposed to sound as good.
This is very similar to the old debate about whether coaxial digital or fiber digital sounded better. There's really no way that any of these could sound any different from the others. Since it's digital and it's just sending streams of 0's and 1's, as long as they all reach the destination, the resulting sound will be identical. If any of the data doesn't reach, you'll get pops and stuff. I've found that Acoustic Research toslink (fiber) cables work very well and are less expensive than say Monster.

[OU4LIFE]

Hrrmmmm, I can't remember the brand name - just the basic stuff. I picked it up at guitar center. I was able to procure it for about $7 for a 6' length I believe. I got a really good deal from the store manager though. I think about $10-15 would be about right for about 6-10 feet.

You only need it to run between components - DVD player, Computer, Sat/Cable. AFAIK, speakers don't use it, at least I haven't seen any. Installation is as simple as snapping in one end to the DVD player and the other in the receiver. Then setting up each channel on the receiver to know which optical channel to use with whichever component video source - your recevier manual will explain that part.

Speaker wiring on the other hand, is whole other ballgame and a huge subject of debate among audio people as to what should be used.

thanks.


as far as the speaker wiring goes, i'm going to spring for the best cables I can get. My biggest worries are picking up interference from household wiring. I'm going to be running a lot of it through the attic and the wall and floor, and i'm wondering if I need the sheilded stuff.

what did you do? or what is your opinion on it? It's not like i'm going to be running some major movie studio, it's just for my personal home use....and i'm going to be mixing components which effects your sound quality...but i'm more about the buck i'm spending....know what I mean?

[1stTimeCaller]

just cross the household power at 90 degrees and try not to run parallel to it and you will be fine.

[SoonerWood]

thanks.


as far as the speaker wiring goes, i'm going to spring for the best cables I can get. My biggest worries are picking up interference from household wiring. I'm going to be running a lot of it through the attic and the wall and floor, and i'm wondering if I need the sheilded stuff.

what did you do? or what is your opinion on it? It's not like i'm going to be running some major movie studio, it's just for my personal home use....and i'm going to be mixing components which effects your sound quality...but i'm more about the buck i'm spending....know what I mean?

All I can say is, as long as you have great speakers, decent equipment and pretty standard cabling, you should end up real happy.

It's hard to say what cables to get, I don't think it's necessary to get the high dollar stuff, but there are some camps that think you need to spend $100/foot on cables to do it right. I use Monster cable for my speakers, but only because I bought it about 15 years ago when it was a lot less expensive. A large spool of Radio Shack 10-12 ga wiring would probably be what I would get if I needed some today.

IMO, the speakers are the most important part. Save your money and dump it into those.

Also (as long as you aren't a Klipsch fan, I'm not), check out www.av123.com (http://www.av123.com) for what I personally feel are some of the best sounding, best looking speakers for the money, especially their RS-200 center channel. I had these until I upgraded to my Legacy-Audio Focus/Silver Screen system.

[skycat]

I'm no expert, but this is what I know. As to whether swapping out one digital cable for another will make a difference, the answer is it's complicated. Yes you're transmitting a digital signal, but when they're being transmitted, digital signals are analog signals.

The most probable/common (but not only) source of error due to bad cableing is jitter. Jitter occurs when a digital signal doesn't arrive at a constant clock rate. It would be like the drummer of a rock band hitting the base drum just before the beat on one note, right on the beat the next, and a little after the time after that. This can cause problems for the DAC in your audio equipment.

As to how much difference it will make, probably not much. Because even though I wrote what I just wrote, the bandwidth required to pass audio signals isn't really that high, and most cables are going to get the job done just fine. I'd agree with putting money into your speakers first.

[I_SMELL_FEAR]

also, the farther the speaker the bigger the cable you need.

Rule of thumb is usually 18 ga. up to 30ft then 16 ga to about 50 ft and 14 for further...which you really should not be going further than 50 in a typical setup.

I hate having sound problems, so I always go one over the rule of thumb just to be anal. I put the Radio Shack speaker wire in the new house, and it seems to be pretty good quality. I am anxious to get moved in and hear the new Bose and JBL speakers...I seriously doubt having Monster cable would improve it any appreciable amount.

I can say having the fiber optic from DVD to Receiver made a HUGE improvement..definately worth the money.

Also, the weekend you are doing this...Im busy.

[OU4LIFE]

also, the farther the speaker the bigger the cable you need.

Rule of thumb is usually 18 ga. up to 30ft then 16 ga to about 50 ft and 14 for further...which you really should not be going further than 50 in a typical setup.

I hate having sound problems, so I always go one over the rule of thumb just to be anal. I put the Radio Shack speaker wire in the new house, and it seems to be pretty good quality. I am anxious to get moved in and hear the new Bose and JBL speakers...I seriously doubt having Monster cable would improve it any appreciable amount.

I can say having the fiber optic from DVD to Receiver made a HUGE improvement..definately worth the money.

Also, the weekend you are doing this...Im busy.

funny, I was thinking the same thing about the weekend you are moving. :D

[mrowl]

I'm no expert, but this is what I know. As to whether swapping out one digital cable for another will make a difference, the answer is it's complicated. Yes you're transmitting a digital signal, but when they're being transmitted, digital signals are analog signals.


not really... if you look at the digital signal, it may look similar to a analog wavelength, but the digital signal is "sent" using short very tight, robust, blast, and at the other end, the signal is always "perfect". Unlike an analog signal, which can degrade.

[skycat]

not really... if you look at the digital signal, it may look similar to a analog wavelength, but the digital signal is "sent" using short very tight, robust, blast, and at the other end, the signal is always "perfect". Unlike an analog signal, which can degrade.

Well, if the digital signal is well within the bandwidth of the conductive path of the signal, you are completely correct. This is not necessarily always the case however. This is what I'm getting at in my conclusion. I'm guessing that the bandwidth of any commercially available cable is going to be high enough to pass the

There are plenty of ways that adding resistive and capacitive load (any conductive cable) to an amplifier or buffer can add jitter or bandwidth limit a circuit.

[mrowl]

agree-ance

[Oldnslo]

I'm a big fan of both Kimber Kable and Tributaries.

Next up: the relative merits of different connectors! Bananas!

[StoopTroup]

Just sayin'

http://www.omni-optical.com/l-optics/home_page/sl000-fiberoptics.jpg

[Al Gore]

Yes....toslink between my Accuphase D/A processor and transport....

[Al Gore]

I'm a big fan of both Kimber Kable and Tributaries.

Next up: the relative merits of different connectors! Bananas!My first set of Totem Acoustic speakers I used Kimble PBJ biwired......Still have them!!!!

[OU4LIFE]

I have some Polk's that I've had for a few years. I think i'll use them for now. I also have a rather large spool of monster cable from the car stereo days, and while it way bigger than I need for this aplication, it's free so I'll use it. It's all 12 and 10 guage.

haven't even made it to the connector stage yet. or how i'm going to handle a sub. Lot's of subwoofer options out there, from powered and huge to actuators. So i'm going to have to think on that.

thanks for your input guys. except for FEAR.

[OU4LIFE]

Now i'm thinking about scrapping the factory cabiniets that all the speakers are in and making my own and then installing them in-wall. As long as I keep the interior volumes the same, I shoudl be ok, right?

that would make it more seamless....I think.

No subs in the wall, that's just dumb IMO.

[IB4OU2]

Now i'm thinking about scrapping the factory cabiniets that all the speakers are in and making my own and then installing them in-wall. As long as I keep the interior volumes the same, I shoudl be ok, right?

that would make it more seamless....I think.

No subs in the wall, that's just dumb IMO.

are you the one taking all the cardboard boxes from the liquor store?

[SoonerWood]

Now i'm thinking about scrapping the factory cabiniets that all the speakers are in and making my own and then installing them in-wall. As long as I keep the interior volumes the same, I shoudl be ok, right?

that would make it more seamless....I think.

No subs in the wall, that's just dumb IMO.

If you're going to make your own cabinets, might as well buy new (better) drivers too. You don't have to spend a lot to get better drivers than what most major speaker manufacturers use. www.partsexpress.com (http://www.partsexpress.com) carries what you need and has some speaker building kits in the DIY section. I built a set of Fostex single driver speakers that cost $350 including all materials and outperform most speakers in the $1000/pair range. I got the drivers and plans from http://www.oldhifi.com/fostex.html

If your mounting 'in' the wall, there are some drivers out there that are made for mounting in the wall and actually use the wall as the baffle - no enclosure required. I've never heard them, but they are supposed to sound pretty dang good.

As for Subs, take a look at SVS. They are constantly rated high in sound quality and are reasonably priced.

My home theater uses a combination of six 12" drivers that are ported (this makes them very loud and low, not quite as accurate) and one 12" sub in a sealed enclosure (more accurate) and the combination sounds freaking amazing.

[OU4LIFE]

you use 7 12" drivers?

sounds like a lot unless you are trying to shake the foundations or power a minit theater.

thanks for the advice....but I really like the tight response I get from my Polks..and ANY expenditure for speakers just isn't in the plan right now.

[picasso]

do you have any tweeters? I love those things, not as much as I did in college though.

[SoonerWood]

you use 7 12" drivers?

sounds like a lot unless you are trying to shake the foundations or power a minit theater.

thanks for the advice....but I really like the tight response I get from my Polks..and ANY expenditure for speakers just isn't in the plan right now.

If you're going to build new cabinets for your Polk drivers, make sure they port out the front if it's a ported design (most are). Otherwise they'll sound pretty bad. Kinda like buying a nice set of speakers, then putting them in a cubbyhole in the wall where they have no room to breathe. It can really kill the sound. When it comes to cabinet design, do your homework. It's really easy to kill a driver's sound by building a cabinet not designed for the driver.

As for the 7 - 12" drivers...I already had the 12" sub before I bought the Legacy-Audio 'Focus' speakers I use now. The Legacy's come with (3) 12" drivers in each speaker and don't really need a sub to go with them. But I had the Infinity Intermezzo sub already, so I went ahead and used it. It turned out better than expected. You have to hear it to appreciate it.

[I_SMELL_FEAR]

Now i'm thinking about scrapping the factory cabiniets that all the speakers are in and making my own and then installing them in-wall. As long as I keep the interior volumes the same, I shoudl be ok, right?

that would make it more seamless....I think.

No subs in the wall, that's just dumb IMO.

interesting ideas on subwoofer mounting

http://home.comcast.net/~infinitelybaffled/page2IB-Gallery.html

[OU4LIFE]

interesting ideas on subwoofer mounting

http://home.comcast.net/~infinitelybaffled/page2IB-Gallery.html

I wish I had never seen that.

I am SO going to be doing that now.

:D

[IB4OU2]

I wish I had never seen that.

I am SO going to be doing that now.

:D

Stay the he** away from my subwoofer!

[Taxman71]

I have used Monster, Accoustic Research and a cheap Philips with my Paradigm speakers and Yamaha receiver. I saw no difference between Monster and AR. The Philips is connected to a smaller setup, but I have no complaints other than it looks like it will break at any time. I would go with AR over Monster due to the cost.