User Manual

CABLE THEORY

Page 19

Digital Cables-Wire and Optical

There are four standard ways that a digital signal is carried from one piece of equipment to another. The

four different types of cable are each connected to a different type of transmitting and receiving circuit.

S/PDIF or “digital coax” cables look like normal cables. However, for

superior performance, they must be specially designed for wideband ap-

plications. These 75 cables are used with either RCA or BNC connectors

depending upon the equipment.

AES/EBU is a balanced wire system. This professional standard has been

around for many years, but has only recently been adopted by the home

market. AES/EBU uses a balanced 110 cable tted with XLR plugs.

Toslink or EIA-J, is the most common ber optic system. Toslink cable

usually contains a synthetic (plastic) light conducting ber, though the

best Toslink cables use quartz ber (glass).

“ST” is the highest quality ber optic system used in audio. As the speci-

cations for this system were set by AT&T, it is most often called AT&T or

“glass”. However, neither term actually denes the system. ST is just one

of many ber optic standards set by AT&T, and many companies besides

AT&T make parts that conform to the “ST” standards. ST systems operate at

seven to fourteen times the frequency bandwidth of the Toslink system.

If you have the choice of using Toslink or ST, you will obtain higher performance with ST. In a choice

between coax and AES/EBU, odds are in favor of AES/EBU, but not always, it depends on your trans-

port and your digital processor. Between ST and a wire system, it also depends on the specic equip-

ment-and it always depends on the cable. Comparing a high quality coax against a normal Toslink, or

a quality Toslink against a poor AES/EBU isn’t going to tell you which system is better. If you compare

systems using AudioQuest digital cables with similar prices, you will get a fair reading as to which

system yields the highest performance with your equipment.

AudioQuest Falcon (AES/EBU) also uses Hard Cell Foam insulated solid SP-LGC

conductors. Falcon is a dedicated 110 triple balanced design. Triple balanced means

that each of the three “signals” has its own identical low distortion conductor. A super

low distortion non-braided silver plated shield is connected to chassis ground through

the case of the XLR plugs. Exceptional AQ#40/41 direct-silver plated FPC XLR plugs

help maximize performance.

CinemaQuest from AudioQuest

Please don’t be confused ... this is where we switch (for a while) to using the CinemaQuest name.

CinemaQuest (CQ) the brand, from AudioQuest (AQ) the designer and manufacturer. CinemaQuest