Best Optical Audio Cables

Perhaps on the back of your computer, HDTV, or media receivers, you’ll see a port labeled "Digital Audio Out (Optical)". An optical audio cable is a fiber optic cable, that transmits digital audio signals in the form of laser light, instead of an electrical signal. The optical audio cable technology was developed by Toshiba in 1983 to hook up a Compact Disk player to a stereo system. They called the cable a “TOSLINK” [=Toshiba Link] cable. It employs fiber optic cable, and transmits a red laser light, instead of an electronic signal. Even though the optical audio cable has been superseded to some extent by HDMI cable (which carries both video and audio), there are still a number of situations where you might want to employ an optical audio cable. (You will need a DVI [=Digital visual interface] cable to convey the video signal.) You might need it on a legacy stereo system, that doesn’t have an HDMI port. You’ll also see the optical audio port on HDTV sets, Blu-ray players, and game consoles. It will provide you with a way of separating the audio and video signals--or sending the audio signal over more than one set of speakers or headphones.

We've put together this guide to help you select the best optical audio cables that answer to your needs. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of optical audio cables,

• See useful tips about that type of optical audio cables,    

• Read reviews of different brands of optical audio cables, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of optical audio cables, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

The TOSLINK jack has a trapezoidal shape, but there are two different sizes:

1. There is the standard TOSLINK jack, typically used in stereo equipment. There are a number of different types of TOSLINK cables:

• 1-mm plastic optical fiber,

• Higher-quality multi-strand plastic optical fibers,

• Quartz glass optical fibers.

What type of fiber is optimal depends on the bandwidth, as well as your application.

2. There is also a mini-TOSLINK connector, which is slightly smaller, and employed more in connecting electronic and portable audio devices to computer speakers.

Based on all the consumers' reviews we've scanned, these are the top things they mentioned about their new stuff:

• Problem of breakage: Since optical cables eliminate a lot of interference problems, the only other thing that can go wrong is 1) the cable doesn’t transmit the signal, or 2) the cable is fragile and breaks. So if you see a red light at the end of your HDTV or laptop, and you know that there is an optical signal there, your only concern is getting a sturdy cable. So prefer thicker cables over thinner ones. The Cable Matters and Blue Rigger TOSLINK cables were notable for their sturdiness. There is also a reinforced grip at the end of the cable, so that you don’t accidently break the cable upon insertion or removal.

• Protective plastic caps on the pins: TOSLINK cables come with protective caps on the pins. Be sure to remove those before attempting any connections!

• Jacket on the optical cable: The Fospower cable has a nylon mesh jacket, while the Amazon Basics uses a PVC jacket around the optical fiber. This is to ensure that the cable doesn’t break after being flexed a few times.

• Length: There is a limit to the length of TOSLINK cables--if they exceed more than 10 meters, they will require a booster or repeater to transmit the audio signal. The BlueRigger 25 ft. cable is over 7 meters long--that should be adequate for most purposes without any signal boosting.

• TOSLINK to Mini TOSLINK cable: Fospower makes a TOSLINK Male to Mini-TOSLINK male cable, that comes in a variety of lengths.

• Less interference in signal: A signal transmitted over wires can suffer from electromagnetic and ground-loop interference. An optical signal can eliminate that. The result is that the sound can be transmitted without any hum or background noise.

• Two people can listen at once: In most devices, plugging in a pair of headphones will take the sound signal away from the speakers. But, if you transmit the audio signal to another device via an optical audio cable, you can have one person listen on headphones, while you hear the sound over speakers.

• Way of isolating the audio signal: If you have a Blu-ray player, you can play CDs on it and listen or record the audio over a TOSLINK cable. Alternatively, you can separate the audio and video signals into two different cables.

• Gold-plated connectors:  Fospower uses gold-plated connectors at the ends of their cables. This is because gold is largely inert--the connector will not corrode or tarnish.

Cable Matters—was established in Southborough, Massachusetts in 2009. They make a number of technological supplies and products, such as cables and adapters for video, audio, and computing.

Media Bridge—has been making cabling and connectivity products since 1988, but in 2008 they started marketing their own brand of cables. They are located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. They make cables and equipment for audio, video, mobile phones, and computers.

Amazon Basics—is one of a number of private product lines that are sold by Amazon.com, the electronic commerce company that is based in Seattle, Washington. Amazon Basics is the product line of consumer electronics and home/office accessories that are available through Amazon. The product line was started in 2009.

Fos Power--was founded in 2014, and has its headquarters in Woodbury, Minnesota. They make audio cables, charging cables, external batteries, headphones and headphone adapters, HDMI switches, power inverters, USB adapters and chargers.

Blue Rigger--was founded in 2009 and has its headquarters in Redmond, Washington. They manufacture consumer electronics products: video cables, audio cables, data cables, and more.