spdif cables?

[BRIEFCASEMANX]

This is kinda stupid but I remember hearing something about using different cable.....RCA cables or something for connect spdif?

I need to know because I got my new AD/DA today but it didn't come with any cables and I think I might have some RCA's laying around.

 

[Track Rat]

DO NOT use RCA cables (like the ones you patch home stereo gear together with). You need a video type 75 ohm coax with RCA connectors.

 

[BRIEFCASEMANX]

I just tried it and it works. Is it going to ruin my equipment? I was just going to use it for a few days til i can get the real cable.

 

[reshp1]

No it won't ruin your equipment. SPDIF units are designed to work on a 75 ohm load cable. If you don't use a 75Ohm cable the digital waveform doesn't look as "clean." Because it's digital, the receiving unit may or may not still be able to decode it correctly. I've used normal RCA in a pinch before too but for best signal quality with no dropouts/clicks I'd invest in a SPDIF 75 Ohmer.

 

[SonicAlbert]

It won't mess up your equipment, but it's just not the right type of cable for the job. On short runs you can probably get away with it.

Problems with using RCA cable for SPDIF can range from as slight as a barely noticable narrowing of the stereo field or flattening of depth to very audible problems like clicks.

A proper SPDIF cable needn't be expensive, as you can use any 75 ohm video cable that has the RCA ends.

 

[Robert D]

The casulty here is jitter, and the symptom will be just as Sonic Albert described. With the impedance mismatch, the signal edges will round off and timing will be less defined as the threshold point moves around on the sloppy edges. I use Apogee Wide-Eyed cable, and make up my own cables. In a pinch, any 75 ohm video cable will work much better than an RCA audio cable.

-RD