Optic cable to rca: Musou Digital Optical Coax to Analog RCA Audio Converter Adapter with Fiber Cable : Electronics |

Optical vs. RCA Cables: A 101 Guide

Some TVs have too many ports and wires. It makes things complicated if all you want is to connect your external speakers to your TV.

But now you’re confused because you found an optical and RCA cable. So, what is the difference between the two?

An optical digital audio cable sends stereo or 5.1 S/PDIF sound from your TV to connected speakers or amplifiers to improve the sound.

RCA cables send audio and video signals from one device to another.

RCA and optical cables sound like they do the same thing, but we’ll help you differentiate between them.

Quick Navigation

A Side By Side Comparison: Breaking It Down
Optical Cable: How it Works
RCA Cable: How it Works
How to Use Optical and RCA Cables
- How to Use an Optical Cable?
- How to Use an RCA Cable?
Affordability
- RCA Cable Affordability
- Optical Cable Affordability
Alternatives to Optical and RCA cables
- Coaxial Cable
- HDMI Cable
- Comparison Table
Conclusion

A Side By Side Comparison: Breaking It Down

Here is an easy-to-follow chart comparing both cables side by side.

	Optical Cable	RCA Cable
How it Works	Turns sound into light, pulsates at 650 nm Only transmits audio signals Sends compressed 5.1/7.1, Dolby Digital, and DTS Surround Sound	Sends video and audio signals Transmits analog audio and video signals such as S/PDIF and component audio To transfer higher quality 1080p, you need an RCA component cable
Connection Type	One connection at each end	Three connections at each end for composite (red, white, and yellow) Component connections have red, green, and blue plugs.
Usage	Used for soundbars, game consoles, Blu-ray/DVD players, and TVs	Used for camcorders, speaker systems, and amplifiers
Affordability	More expensive than RCA cables	Very inexpensive

Optical Cable: How it Works

Optical cables are often referred to as TOSLINK (Toshiba Link) cables. They are used to send audio signals from one device to another.

Unlike the RCA cable, an optical cable is one singular cable with one singular connection at both ends. It compresses 5.1/7.1, Dolby Digital, or DTS Surround System between your devices. It can also transmit uncompressed stereo sound.

It cannot send video signals.

So, how does it work? It works by turning the audio signal into light and then pulsating the light into a wavelength of 650 nanometers. Pretty fancy, right?

Although it is primarily used for audio signals, it can also send higher quality sound like Dolby Digital. But, it is not equipped to transfer lossless versions of Dolby sound.

RCA Cable: How it Works

You’ve seen these cables around your house. It commonly has three connections—red, white, and yellow.

But what is an RCA cable used for, and how does it work?

The RCA cable transfers video and sound from one device to another.

For the RCA cable to work properly, you must connect both sides of the cable to the respective ports on each device.

This will allow video and sound to transfer from one device to another.

The main difference between an RCA cable and an optical cable is that the RCA transfers both video and audio. Whereas an optical cable only transfers an audio signal from one device to another.

An RCA cable cannot transfer high-definition or high-quality video signals from one end to the other.

An RCA component cable can transfer standard definition, analog, composite signals, or 1080i content.

The technicalities of an RCA cable are interesting. It transfers signals by keeping each signal separate. In other words, two analog audio signals (left and right analog signals) and a video signal through its three connections.

The attempt to simplify the connection into one cable leads to a reduction in data quality.

How to Use Optical and RCA Cables

As we learned above, optical cables are only used for sound, and RCA cables are used to transfer video and sound. But how exactly do you use each cable type? What type of devices does each cable support?

How to Use an Optical Cable?

Now that we understand how optical cables transfer sound between devices, it’s important to understand how to use them.

Optical cables are used primarily with soundbars, game consoles, Blu-ray and DVD players, and TVs.

Optical Cable is plugged into a TV – Click image for more info

First, locate the optical cable port on your devices. It’s easy to find because of its distinctive shape. Also, the port is often labeled with the word “Optical.”

Next, ensure you take off the plastic cap at each end of the optical cable. These little plastic covers are placed at each end to protect them from harm when shipped or handled.

After you’ve connected the cable to your devices, make sure to connect your devices to power outlets and turn them on.

When connecting your optical cable to a soundbar, you’ll have to navigate to your TV settings to turn off the TV speakers.

Considering each TV brand has a different menu setup, please consult your manual to determine how to turn off your TV speakers.

We understand this can be confusing, so check out this video representation of the above information.

How to: Hook Up Your Soundbar With An Optical Cable

Watch this video on YouTube

How to Use an RCA Cable?

An RCA cable is a cable with three connections at each end. They are usually used to connect camcorders, speakers, and amplifiers to TVs.

To connect your RCA cables from your TV to any other device, you’ll have to match each color of the plug to the color of the designated port. Match the plugs to the ports behind your TV and to the device you wish to connect.

Connect the white and red cables only if you’re interested in transferring sound from one end to the other. The yellow cable is the one that transmits video signals.

It’s that easy.

If you’re interested in a quick and easy video that explains how to use RCA cables, please view this video here.

Understanding RCA Connectors – Types of Audio Jacks

Watch this video on YouTube

Affordability

RCA and optical cables come in many sizes, price points, and brands. Although generally users tend to think the more expensive an item is, the better the quality, this is not the case with these types of cables.

The only rule of thumb you should follow is the shorter the cable, the better. That’s because transmitting the signal over longer distances reduces signal quality.

Therefore when purchasing an RCA or optical cable, just make sure it’s not very long.

Regardless of how short or long the cables are, how do RCA vs optical cables compare to each other when it comes to affordability?

RCA Cable Affordability

Affordable RCA cables are a dime a dozen. A quick search provides many affordable options.

For instance, the PASOW 3 RCA Cable is highly rated and very affordable, it’s not even the most economical one out there. But this gives you a good example of what you can find.

PASOW 3 RCA Cable Audio Video Composite Male to Male DVD Cable (6 Feet) for Television

Brand new high quality cable. Length: 6 Feet. Connectors: 3 RCA Male to 3 RCA Male.
Get composite RCA video and audio connectors all in one cable.
This composite RCA audio and video cable is specifically designed to provide sharp and clear video

Last update on 2023-07-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API.

Another more affordable option is the iMBAPrice RCA Cable. Not only is this cable highly rated, but it’s less expensive.

3FT RCA M/Mx3 Audio/Video Cable Gold Plated – Audio Video RCA Stereo Cable 3ft

RCA Composite Video + 2-RCA Stereo Audio
RG59 Video plus Stereo Audio
Connectors: 3 x RCA Male to Male

Last update on 2023-07-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API.

As you can see, RCA cables are highly affordable. Therefore if you lost yours, finding a replacement is easy.

Optical Cable Affordability

So, how does the optical cable compare to the RCA cable when it comes to affordability?

Now, an optical cable is slightly more expensive than an RCA cable, but not very much. For example, this optical cable by WARRKY is highly rated by users and a few dollars more expensive than the RCA cable mentioned above.

Sale

Optical Audio Cable, WARRKY 6ft Optical Cable [Braided, Slim Metal Case, Gold Plated Plug] Digital Audio Fiber Optic Cable Toslink, Compatible with…

[Bridge Between You and Music] WARRKY Optical Cable allows you to connect sound bar and home theatre…
[Top-Notch Fiber Core] This 6 ft Digital Optical Audio Cable adopts fiber cores from TORAY, Japan…
[Ultra Durability] Carefully-chosen nylon material is much more durable than plastic cable. Flexible…

Last update on 2023-07-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API.

There are many to choose from when it comes to finding affordable optical cables. Although, according to my search results, I did not find any cheaper than the PASOW 3 RCA cable above.

When it comes to cost, it seems optical cables are a good bargain but slightly more expensive than RCA cables.

Are there any alternatives to RCA or optical cables?

Keep reading to find out.

Alternatives to Optical and RCA cables

When it comes to alternative cables, there are a couple that come to mind. Two alternative cables are coaxial and HDMI cables.

Although these cables are unique in their own ways, they are used for similar things.

Let’s go in depth.

Coaxial Cable

A coaxial digital audio cable (not to be confused with a coaxial internet cable) is one single RCA cable that transmits digital data from one device to another.

The coaxial digital audio cable is thick. It’s made of copper wire with a plastic insulator braided in metal mesh that shields it from electromagnetic interference. This is encased in a protective plastic coating.

It makes for a robust cable that is durable for transmitting data with little loss over longer distances.

If you’re looking for a coaxial cable for your electronics, try the FosPower Coaxial Digital Cable. Although it’s an affordable product, it’s more expensive than RCA and optical cables.

Sale

FosPower (6ft Digital Audio Coaxial Cable [24K Gold Plated Connectors] Premium S/PDIF RCA Male to RCA Male for Home Theater, HDTV, Subwoofer, Hi-Fi…

[MALE TO MALE] Connectors: 1 Digital Coaxial Audio male to Digital Coaxial Audio male 6ft cable.
[COMPATIBILITY] Works on all types of digital coaxial audio ports, including hard to access recessed…
[COLOR CODED CONNECTORS] Orange color-coded connectors on both ends of the connectors makes…

Last update on 2023-07-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API.

HDMI Cable

An HDMI cable is a robust wire that can transmit many types of video and audio signals. It can transmit SD, HD, and 4K video.

However, they can transmit lossless sound and even provide internet without using additional cables.

Compared to the other cables we mentioned above, these come at various price points.

You can opt for something inexpensive, like the Amazon Basic HDMI cable, or spend more on a product like the Monster 8K HDMI cable.

Although the price of these cables usually depends on what you need, shop around until you find something that suits you.

Comparison Table

Optical Cables

RCA Cables

Pros

Very inexpensive to buy.

Can be used on a variety of electronics like gaming consoles, TVs, soundbars, DVD players, and Blu-ray players.

One connection for easy installation.

Durable.

Very inexpensive to buy, even more so than optical cables.

Mostly used for connecting camcorders, speakers, and amplifiers.

Transmits sound and video.

Cons

Only transmit sound, no video.

Slightly more expensive than RCA cables.

Three connections at each end make for a confusing connection type.

Cannot be used on a variety of electronics.

Does not transfer HD content.

Conclusion

When it comes to cables, the optical and RCA cables do similar things. However, upon closer inspection, the optical cable only transmits audio signals while the RCA cable transmits both audio and video signals.

The price points of both are very affordable, although the optical cable is slightly more expensive.

When it comes to usage, even though they are similar cables, they are used for different things. Optical cables are used for speakers, video game consoles, DVD players, and Blu-Ray players.

An RCA cable is primarily used for speakers, stereo systems, soundbars, and camcorders.

So if you’re trying to figure out if you need one or the other, first look at the devices you’re trying to connect, then make your choice.

We hope this article helped you differentiate between the two cables. Got more questions for us? Leave us a comment below.

James Quintanilla

James Quintanilla is a technical copywriter. Although his experience allows him to write on many topics, he loves to focus on tech and travel. As a freelancer, James has worked on projects with Pointer Clicker, Lonely Planet, and the Travel Channel. When he’s not writing or planning his next adventure, he’s watching a scary movie.

Digital Optical / Coax Audio to Analog RCA Audio Converter Box

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The converter takes your Digital Optical Toslink Audio or Digital Coax Audio signal and converts it to analog Left / Right RCA Audio.

Digital Toslink/Digital Coax to Left/Right Analog Audio Converter
Requires USB Power (USB Power Cable included)
Includes 3 foot Digital Optcial Toslink Audio CableExact design of box is sometimes slightly different than the picture. Layout and functionality is the same. The color of the led may be different, the color of the coax port may be yellow, orange or black, and sometimes the words Input and Output are on the side by the ports, and not on the top of the box

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We take digital sound from the optical output of the TV and feed it to the tulips of music. center

The product is provided free of charge.

Hello everyone. There is a Samsung TV, the task is to bring the sound from it to the music. center.

It turned out that not everything is so simple here and there are some nuances, details below…

What options do we have?
1) don’t take him anywhere, let him play by himself.
Yes, you can do that, but he has sound, despite all these marketing tricks:

Dolby MS10 / MS110 technology Surround (3D) sound Down-firing speakers + Full Range DTS Studio Sound support DTS Premium Audio 5. 1 support 2 x 10W speakers.
frankly, slag. It is sharpened for medium frequencies, at which human speech is best heard, there are no lows and no height, like a plastic box.
Below is a comparison.

2) sound output from the 3.5mm headphone jack
There are some drawbacks, firstly, when plugged in, the sound of the TV itself is turned off, in the settings there is no choice to play on TV or external speakers, and daily poking the plug back and forth will quickly kill the socket, especially in that place the plastic is soft, bends.
Secondly, the sound from this connector is very weak and not saturated, you have to turn the volume up quite a lot, but still not the same sensations.

3) HDMI ARC technology, as I understand it, this requires compatible equipment such as a DVD / Blu-ray player, video starts on it, goes via HDMI cable to the TV, then the sound returns through the same cable and is fed to the speakers connected to the player . I don’t have one, it’s too cumbersome and I need to buy other equipment.

All this does not suit us.
There are also RCA jacks (for tulips) and SCART, but this is only for input, it does not work for output.

There is only one option left – the TV has a digital optical output SPDIF, also known as Toslink.
Here we will take the sound from it.
I no longer have a young, but high-quality music. Aiwa center, it does not have a digital input, so we need to convert the digital to analog, and for this we will use the monitored converter.

So, it comes in a branded box.

Kit includes:
* converter
* short manual
* USB power cable
* Toslink optical cable

Manual:

9000 4 Close-up:
http://s19.postimg.org /yt8akojlf/audio_converter_05.jpg
http://s19.postimg.org/o54jlu9mb/audio_converter_06.jpg

USB cable 120cm long

Optical cable 1M long

Ends closed with rubber protective caps.

Standard SPDIF connector with bevelled corners.
Many of you, like me, have seen it occasionally on TVs and some computers, but never used it, so it will be interesting to know what kind of beast it is.

Fiber optic inside, if light is applied to one end, it can be removed from the other end.

Finally, the converter itself is a metal box with connectors on both sides.

On the one hand, inputs: power and digital sound, either via an optical Toslink cable like ours, or via a coaxial cable.

On the other hand, outputs: for 3.5mm headphones, two RCA tulips and a power indicator, red and quite vigorous.

The dimensions of the converter are small: 5.5cm*6cm*2cm
But it is rather weighty thanks to the metal body: 82g

The converter is easy to disassemble, just unscrew the screw.

And then two more and you’re done:

The back is somehow a little sloppy, the soldering is ugly in places, in some places the flux is not washed off.
I give close-up photos:
http://s19.postimg.org/42zggy8tv/audio_converter_19.jpg
http://s19.postimg.org/bmsjj020j/audio_converter_20.jpg
http://s19.postimg.org/o05dpwroz /audio_converter_21.jpg
http://s19.postimg.org/fkft8eotv/audio_converter_22.jpg

Well, let’s connect.
Connection is outrageously simple, insert the necessary wires where necessary and power from the USB of the TV itself.
The indicator is bulging, straight mini flashlight.

It is better to turn it somewhere back into the wall or glue it completely, since even when the TV is turned off, it is also turned off.
In the TV settings in the sound section, you can choose where to output the sound; on Samsung, it is easiest to get there through the quick settings button.

If the audio output is selected as in the screenshot, then the sound in the TV itself no longer goes on, and when you try to adjust the volume, it will write that we have tuned in to external speakers and now we must adjust the sound with the remote control from them.

You can not switch the sound to external ones, they always play as soon as they are plugged in, then both external speakers and internal speakers will play simultaneously, and in many cases there will be an echo due to the time it takes to convert a digital to analog, a kind of hall effect.
You can mute the built-in speakers or reduce their volume to zero so that the off speaker icon does not jump on the side.
But when watching especially multi-channel films, it is better to use both speakers, the TV transmits medium frequencies well – speech, music. the center acts as a subwoofer and gives special effects.
During operation, the converter practically does not heat up.

I don’t have a professional microphone, so I did my best with a regular camcorder to get you the difference between the built-in and external speakers.
In reality, the difference is even higher than in the video.
You need bass headphones or speakers to hear the difference, laptop speakers or desktop plastic tweeters are unlikely to make any difference.

That’s all, thank you all for your attention.

Tags: chinabuye, Audio-video, free, own

Cables

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Cables

Speaker cable is a cable designed to connect speakers to audio amplifiers. It is produced both on coils and in the form of ready-made kits of a certain length with connectors of various types at the ends. The most common connectors for connecting this type of cable to speakers and an amplifier are the so-called bananas (banana) and spades (spades).

– Analog interconnect cable is a cable designed to carry low current signals from a source to processing devices, switches, amplifiers and other components. Usually, the definition of “interconnect cable” means the following: a connector consisting of two cables and four RCA connectors, capable of transmitting a signal of two channels from one system component to another, but depending on the purpose, it can also be equipped with such connectors as XLR, BNC, Jack also available on reels.

– Digital coaxial cable is a cable designed to transmit compressed or uncompressed audio signal in digital form. This cable outwardly practically does not differ from the ordinary “analog”. Outwardly, the only difference is the absence of a second connector. That is, a “digital coax” is just one cable with connectors at the ends (usually RCA). It is made only according to the coaxial circuit, and, unlike the “analog interconnect cable”, the “digital coaxial” must have a wave impedance of 75 ohms.

– Digital optical cable – a cable designed to transmit compressed or uncompressed audio signal in digital form. The peculiarity is that the digital signal is transmitted in the form of light through a flexible optical fiber, which can be made of a special polymer or a special flexible glass. The connector typically used for this cable is called TOSLINK. MiniTOSLINK type connectors are now very popular – this is an optical cable connector in the 3.

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Victims of product liability in GM Chrysler Vehicles, left behind by bankruptcy

Optic cable to rca: Musou Digital Optical Coax to Analog RCA Audio Converter Adapter with Fiber Cable : Electronics

Optical vs. RCA Cables: A 101 Guide

A Side By Side Comparison: Breaking It Down

Optical Cable: How it Works

RCA Cable: How it Works

How to Use Optical and RCA Cables

How to Use an Optical Cable?

How to Use an RCA Cable?

Affordability

RCA Cable Affordability

Optical Cable Affordability

Alternatives to Optical and RCA cables

Coaxial Cable

HDMI Cable

Comparison Table

Conclusion

Digital Optical / Coax Audio to Analog RCA Audio Converter Box

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We take digital sound from the optical output of the TV and feed it to the tulips of music. center

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