Unnecessary, in theory
Written: Dec 31 '02 (Updated Jul 25 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: availability; useful for ps2 hookups
Cons: costly, irrelevant to audio performance, should not be bent too far
The Bottom Line: overhyped, use generic copper cable instead
|
|
|
| snsh's Full Review: Monster Cable Products Monster Interlink LightSpee... |
Note: This product is a 1-meter TOSlink to TOSlink cable, but the photograph is from a different product (TOSlink to mini-optical plug).
Also, I do not own this product. I considered buying one with my first DVD player. After doing the research, I decided against buying it. I can say with confidence that this cable is totally unnecessary for all but a few people which probably doesn't include you.
Where this product can be used:
The cable is intended to pass digital signals from a DVD player to a digital receiver. Typically this will be Dolby Digital or DTS data, read straight from DVD, which your receiver can decode and turn into wonderful sound. There are two common types of hookups which can transfer this data. One is referred to as "digital coaxial" and works on copper wire. The other is "digital optical" and works on fiber-optic cables such as this one with standard TOS-link connectors on either end.
What you might use instead of this product:
Most equipment (with the notable exception of the Sony PS2) allows you to use "digital coaxial" hookups instead of optical hookups. "Digital coaxial" works over commonplace copper wire with standard RCA-plug connectors. You can buy a generic RCA-plug cable for $2, or a generic TOS-link optical cable for $7.
Why this product might be used:
When might you need to use this product? You want to connect a PS2 game console to a digital receiver. Or maybe you're cabling GPS equipment or 10-gigabit ethernet. Or maybe your home theater equipment has faulty wiring and you need to isolate the grounds from each other. Or perhaps the coaxial digital output on your equipment is broken. Or perhaps you live in an area vulnerable to EMP weaponry. Or perhaps you live on a nuclear submarine where the faintest electrical emmission can mean the difference between life and death. Or perhaps you have an audiophile cousin who won't stop nagging you until you install monster optical toslink cable.
Why you shouldn't need this product:
The reason is this. Home audio transfers data at a rate of about 1Mbit/second (700MB/CD * 1CD/80min * 8bits/byte * 1min/60sec). From a technological standpoint, transmitting data at 1Mbps over 1 meter is not demanding. The difficulty is related to the bitrate and distance. For comparison, Ethernet is spec'd to use basically a telephone-cord to transmit data at 100Mbps (100x faster) for 100 meters (100x longer). Transfering 1Mbps over 1 meter can be achieved with unshielded serial cable. It can even be achieved with two unbent coat hangers and some scotch tape (I know because I tried it). Using ordinary fiber optic cable is overkill. Using "premium" fiber optic cable is double overkill. Using fiber optic cable might be necessary if you're trying to listen to CD's at 100x speed, or if a DVD player is a kilometer from the stereo, but otherwise expensive optical hookups don't make sense when copper hookups are available.
Even then, a listener could not distinguish between working monster optical cable and working generic copper cable. If there is a defect in either connection, the signal will not degrade gracefully -- a faulty signal will totally go silent. This is often true of digital technologies -- if it works at all, then it works, period.
The advertising for this cable makes note of the high velocity of the signal resulting in lower time smear. However, the biggest difference in timing which higher velocity can make is on the order of 1 nanosecond. It could be a nanosecond faster than copper, or it could even be a nanosecond slower depending on the electro-optics in your equipment. In 1 nanosecond, sound travels about 1/400th the width of a human hair and 1/50000th the length of the shortest audible wavelength. Meanwhile, your very capable stereo might include adjustment for sound delay in 1-foot increments (not 0.000001-foot increments). In other words, the latency difference provided by fiber optics is meaningless for audio.
Time smear is a problem of variable velocity which causes adjacent bits of data to disperse and smear into each other. When this happens, the data gets scrambled. For typical optical fiber, at 1Mbs, time smear can scramble data when a cable is twice as long the circumference of the earth. I don't know the extent to which copper is affected, but from experience I know that time smear will not scramble data in a mere 1 meter cable at 1Mbps.
If you do use this product:
Fiber-optic cable also has an inherent weakness known as "minimum bend radius." Optical fiber is flexible, but if bent past a certain point (determined by the geometry of the core) then light leaks out of the cable. According to monster, this cable should not be bent more than 65 degrees. Therefore, this cable should not be passed through a tight corner in the back of your AV cabinet.
The optical connectors on this cable need to be protected from scratches, dings, and dirt. For home users this should not be a big deal. People who carry around the cable should put the protective caps on the connectors when not in use.
Recommendation:
Since I do not own a Sony PS2, I would not spend more than $3 for this product, which is far less than the $40 retail price. When possible, a more sensible alternative is the digital coaxial connection which uses common $2 RCA-plug cables. If I did own a PS2, I would still consider this product overpriced and too short (game console cables should be really long). And then, a 12-foot monster cable is $80 when a generic cable is only $12.
Recommended:
No
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
snsh
|
|
Location: New England
Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 7 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.