digital coax or fiberoptic (1 Viewer)

[Matt Weldy]

Which one is the better of the two cables. Monsters packaging says that the fiberoptic is better. But some people have told me that the coax makes a better (tighter) conncection.

 

[Jim Williams]

In my opinion optical is better. With wire you will always have the possibility of EFI (Electro-Magnetic-Interference). With optical EFI is impossible. The downside to optical is that they are pricey and fragile. If you put too much of a bend in one you are likely to break the fibers.

I would go with optical.

 

[John Garcia]

There is basically no difference in sound. I prefer coax, and EMI is not a problem with a good cable. I've been using coax for years with no interference of any kind. If you don't have anything to generate EMI or RFI in large ammounts near the cable, neither is an issue. If it was, it would already be an issue for your other analog connections.
Tight connection? RCA is a more positive connection than optical, but tightness really doesn't make much difference to a digital connection.
Optical cable is not expensive at all, they can be had for as little as $9 for a 3ft cable, but they ARE fragile.

 

[Neil Joseph]

Please take a read through this article in the FAQ Primer...
Digital Audio: Optical Connection vs. Coax connection

 

[AllanN]

Can Open, Worms Everywhere. But IMHO I have used both and noticed no difference whatsoever.