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Just added a used PS Audio PerfectWave Transport to my system. That on the advice of inmates here at Digital. Great upgrade. It's getting hard to imagine the sound of my system can get much better.
Currently the coaxial out is being used. But recently a friend suggested I try using the toslink connection between the PWT and the Geshelli J3. Okay. Why not? He's an audio technician and feels optical sounds a bit better than coax.
Where to start is the question. I know nothing about toslink cables. What are some good cables? Does price mean that much? I've seen used toslinks for $35, new for $99. I tend to favor used cables. Many times they offer more bang for the buck, but new is fine.
Thanks for any advice.
Follow Ups:
Plastic Toslink is "Can't Reproduce Anything Properly" - CRAP!Coax (SPDIF) is slightly better than Glass Toslink.
Edits: 05/17/25
The PWT is a great transport - very smart buy. Use the I2S connection if you can - that's what PS Audio recommends. Otherwise, use what sounds best to you.
Lack of skill dictates economy of style. - Joey Ramone
I2S isn't an option with the Geshelli J3 DAC, so coax or toslink it will have to be.
In my experience, Toslink is capable of delivering good sound and surpassing inferior coaxial implementations. However, I have yet to find Toslink truly satisfying, as well-engineered coaxial connections consistently provide a more enjoyable and significantly better audio experience.
Edits: 05/12/25
I thought it would be fun to try a different connection. Ultimately, my ears will rule the day. They might like coax the best. Who knows?
Thanks for the thoughts.
Superiority depends upon which matches best with *your* environment. Give each a try to determine the winner.
Haven't used Toslink in quite a while so cannot make any recommendations.
The sound through coax is known. Toslink will be tried and I will follow whatever command my ears give me.
Thanks.
Usually mentioned here as one of the best and reasonably priced is Lifatec Silflex Toslink. No comment on whether Coax is better than Toslink but this glass fiber cable will not be the weak link in your listening tests!
Joe
Or really a plus three, four, or five, if all the posts are read. Like psgary, I was encouraged by Lifatec's 30 day trial period. Needless to say, I kept mine after finding it better than the coax that I had been using to connect transport to DAC.
I was encouraged to try the Lifatec by the many posts in the Cables Asylum, including those by Duster, who really seemed to appreciate the Lifatec glass cable.
In addition to the Lifatec, Duster also recommended the Cable Matters toslink cable, a cheap cable available on the internet.
I have both.
The Lifatec sounds better than the Cable Matters, as you would expect, given the price difference. It is more transparent and will rival or exceed coaxial cables.
I prefer the Cable Matters over other cheap cables that I have tried including Monster, Blue Jeans and a cheap glass cable. It sounds veiled compared to the Lifatec, but it sounds slightly richer than the other cheap cables I have tried.
I recently purchased the Kabel Direct toslink but it was defective and I couldn't get it to work.
YMMV
Edits: 05/19/25
Thanks for the endorsement of Lifatec. Several inmates endorsing it makes me feel more confident in trying one, even though we all have different ears. That said, there is some comfort in consensus.
Thanks for the recommendation. I'll look into it.They offer a 30 day trial, which is a huge plus.
Edits: 05/12/25
In the early days, TOSLINK was generally considered as inferior due to the typically higher jitter level due to the limitations of the transmitter and receiver limiting the maximum data rate due to the lower slew rate (longer rise time essentially). The other problem was the connector housing and the often poor alignment of the fibre to the transducer - alignment is critical for optimum signal transfer. 24/96 was the rated upper limit and often unreliable with low quality optical cable with poor quality fibre.
These days, you can easily achieve 24/192 and the digital interface receivers make the DAC essentially immune to input jitter so the optical connection is indistinguishable with high quality sources and DACs.
The big advantage of TOSLINK is the elimination of coupled noise between the source and DAC which is why your friend is recommending it to you. Back in the day I used to use an Apogee Big Ben to reclock the source data with AES/XLR connections to my DAC, but these days a direct optical connection to the DAC is indistinguishable in quality so I use them very happily these days and they avoid grounding problems particularly with multiple connections to the DAC.
Look for a cable with high quality connectors - cheap ones have poorly toleranced connectors that can be a little loose in the TOSLINK socket. Make sure to get the length you need and avoid tight bends - you want to have a natural curve to the fibre and not allow the connectors to be stressed in the socket.
Regards Anthony
"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats
Good advice, especially about the connectors.
LowIQ
The DAC and transport are only about 6 inches apart. Would .5 meters be okay? That keeps the cable spaghetti at a minimum, although so many used cables are one meter or more.
Thanks for the detailed information.
The best Toslink cable that I've encountered is the DH Labs Glassmaster...... But it's expensive at over $200.....
Best for the money is the BTPA.com Toslink-xxx cable...... About $60, I use this cable as well......
If you want to go cheap, a good one is the KabelDirekt optical cable (link below).... There are a lot of expensive cables out there that to me don't perform as well as this one.
There are also a lot of "highly regarded" optical cables, including Supra and Lifatec.... Although I prefer the cables I mentioned above over them.
Only $7 for a cable? Is that possible for a good cable? Not much to lose, so I'll probably try it.
Clearly, you're indicating that price is no indication of good sonics, right?
Thanks for the recommendations.
It all comes down to the quality of the fibre cleave and how close to ideal the ends of the fibre end up. I remember doing this at university and it takes some practice to do a clean job that gives a clean cleave with a perpendicular flat surface with a glass fibre. These days there are specialist tools that can do a clean job with minimal optical loss with plastic fibres. The end polish for a plastic fibre is important too.
The data rate requirement for SPDIF is pretty low (relatively speaking) compared to Telecoms requirements so "most" products that have the essential design features (connector ends) and polish will meet the requirement for digital audio.
Keep the cable length as short as possible without sharp bends and most cables will be fine. I would certainly recommend trying Todd's suggestion.
I have no problem with the freebie short lengths of optical cable that came with my portable Minidisc recorder which goes to show how good the current state of the art is for DAC design.
Regards Anthony
"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats
"Clearly, you're indicating that price is no indication of good sonics, right?"
There is price-performance correlation, but it's not a particularly strong one...... (I have such opinion for cables in general..... Could be why some claim it's "snake oil"..... )
There are some expensive Toslink cables that I don't like..... QED Reference Quartz and WireWorld SuperNova, to name a couple........
YMMV.....
Go with a glass toslink not plastic fiber.
Thanks. I didn't know toslink could use plastic. Fiber optic to me means glass.How does one know whether the cable is glass or plastic?
Edits: 05/12/25
Even if to just research before buying new or used, check out their site wherein they offer Audioquest Cables for purchase.
I originally came across this years ago when exploring their PWT.
Jonesy
"I know just enough to get into trouble. But not enough to get out of it."
Thanks. I'll read what they have to say.
Though better be wary that glass toslink is stiffer than plastic so sometimes going longer is actually easier to maneuver in close quarters and avoids potential breakage.No different I suppose than some thick speaker or interconnect cable.
If no info available you can sometimes tell the stiffness or workability of a cable just by looking at picture of it especially taking note of how it's coiled for presentation.
Though mostly standard in size, some toslinks have mini ends or end adapters for smaller terminations. Be sure to check in advance your requirements.
Toslink cables are still used in many home theatre systems so that is another factor to consider for how you may use it now or in the future if it doesn't benefit your current audio needs.
Some good cables like DH Labs mentioned by Todd have come up in past PWT discussions on the web.
Jonesy
"I know just enough to get into trouble. But not enough to get out of it."
Edits: 05/13/25
Which transport did you get, SACD or not? I usually use coax. If you insist on Toshiba Link, one place to check out is Audio Advisor.
I got the original PWT. Since I don't have any SACDs, there is no need for such a player. Their most recent model that plays SACDs goes for around $7k, doesn't it? With the J3 costing about $650, that would definitely qualify as overkill in my book.
Certainly glass not plastic, but I'd suggest don't bother with toslink. Coax is likely better and AES/EBU better still if both bits of kit being connected offer this XLR-type connection.
ⁿ
I thought I'd play with different types of connections. I have about 4 coax cables, so it seemed like fun to try a completely different type, although no great amounts of money will be spent initially on a toslink cable.
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