School me on sound bars

[Bone]

Rca and hdmi can both carry digital signals.

No sir, RCA for audio is going to carry an analog stereo signal only. At any rate, it's far lower quality than HDMI or optical (TOSLINK) can carry.

EDIT: Except if you used S/PDIF, you will send a digital compressed signal over an analog cable. Still not HDMI or optical quality. Maybe it won't matter for most people.

 

[txinvestigator]

No sir, RCA for audio is going to carry an analog stereo signal only. At any rate, it's far lower quality than HDMI or optical (TOSLINK) can carry.

EDIT: Except if you used S/PDIF, you will send a digital compressed signal over an analog cable. Still not HDMI or optical quality. Maybe it won't matter for most people.

Your edit is correct. Digital audio can be carried over fiber optic or copper wire. RCA cable is coaxial. Digital signals can be carried over RCA. I don't know about lack of quality, digital is zeros and ones.

 

[Ericstac]

Your edit is correct. Digital audio can be carried over fiber optic or copper wire. RCA cable is coaxial. Digital signals can be carried over RCA. I don't know about lack of quality, digital is zeros and ones.

its almost comparable to using a 1 meter $10.00 wire and a 1 meter $300.00 wire. To some the difference is astronomical and worth it, but to most they dont see (hear) it..
heck, I know people (my wife is one) that cant tell the difference between HD and not. even while watching the same show flipping back and forth.. lol..

 

[txinvestigator]

its almost comparable to using a 1 meter $10.00 wire and a 1 meter $300.00 wire. To some the difference is astronomical and worth it, but to most they dont see (hear) it..
heck, I know people (my wife is one) that cant tell the difference between HD and not. even while watching the same show flipping back and forth.. lol..

As I understand it the difference is mostly in shielding and interference. Is that correct?

 

[Ericstac]

As I understand it the difference is mostly in shielding and interference. Is that correct?

you have several differences on which to use but really your first priority is to use whichever style your equipment allows. either coax or toslink.

coax will allow for a higher bandwidth, is it necessary, some will debate.
coax will allow for a longer run
coax is more durable and flexible
and I feel that coax has a better connection using RCA rather than the toslinks connector.
toslink has zero issues with ground loops.

I wouldnt design a system around a specific cable choice.

 

[txinvestigator]

you have several differences on which to use but really your first priority is to use whichever style your equipment allows. either coax or toslink.

coax will allow for a higher bandwidth, is it necessary, some will debate.
coax will allow for a longer run
coax is more durable and flexible
and I feel that coax has a better connection using RCA rather than the toslinks connector.
toslink has zero issues with ground loops.

I wouldnt design a system around a specific cable choice.

Yeah, my receiver has 3 inputs for digital sound, one RCA and two toslinks. I am using both type because I have to. lol

 

[outdare]

Some of the sound bars use the fiber optic cable which will connect directly to your TV or most cable/ sat TV boxes. They will also accept HDMI and RCA cables. I bought a cheap Vizio for my Dad's TV and the only recommendations I would offer is to find one that saves the settings. The Vizio will forget its setting if there is a power outage. The second is to make sure that the sound bar can be controlled by the TV. (one remote)

Wow I am late to the game. 12 post while I was typing. HA!

 

[Bone]

Your edit is correct. Digital audio can be carried over fiber optic or copper wire. RCA cable is coaxial. Digital signals can be carried over RCA. I don't know about lack of quality, digital is zeros and ones.

Well, the difference is the only digital audio signal that uses RCA in this case (SPDIF) is still traveling on a cable and connector originally designed for analog signals. Yes, it can carry a digital signal, but was not designed to. There is a loss there, even if you compare S/PDIF over RCA versus SPDIF over an optical cable. The older S/PDIF standard itself is a lower quality by design... "compressed virtual surround" is, well, compressed, and it's not the full 5.1 or 7.1 surround standard that is now transmitted only over HDMI or optical cable.

 

[txinvestigator]

Well, the difference is the only digital audio signal that uses RCA in this case (SPDIF) is still traveling on a cable and connector originally designed for analog signals. Yes, it can carry a digital signal, but was not designed to.

Since it was invented before digital signals......like the 1940s. lol It is just copper wire.

I get full 5.1 surround from my RCA connected to my receiver.

I have uverse. The digital signal, including hi-def and surrround is carried to the node via fiber optic, where it continues to my house via copper wire.

 

[Ericstac]

bones is pretty much correct. the best way to deliver audio/video is via HDMI. The others are not capable of delivering the new levels of audio standards.

 

[txinvestigator]

bones is pretty much correct. the best way to deliver audio/video is via HDMI. The others are not capable of delivering the new levels of audio standards.

What is the limit on the other two? 7.1? Or are there some newer stuff? I am stuck at 5.1 with my decoder for now, and 3.1 due to structural limitations. What's the latest and greatest?

 

[Bone]

You are mostly correct, yet you are misrepresenting the facts re: cables here.

S/PDIF coaxial cable was designed after the RCA standard, even though it uses basically the same transport medium. To properly carry the digital SPDIF signal, it needs to be 75 Ohm. Standard RCA cable is 50 Ohm.

An analog cable designed for digital signal CAN differ in quality... RCA cables are the one place it's worth splurging if you are into the purity of the signal and do not want interference.

Now, in the case of a cable designed for digital from the ground up? Any old optical cable or HDMI cable will do. The $5 monoprice HDMI performs as well as a hundred dollar Monster HDMI. But that is simply not true of coaxial.

Since it was invented before digital signals......like the 1940s. lol It is just copper wire.

I get full 5.1 surround from my RCA connected to my receiver.

I have uverse. The digital signal, including hi-def and surrround is carried to the node via fiber optic, where it continues to my house via copper wire.

 

[Acesn8's]

This is all good information keep it coming.

Thanks guys

 

[Bone]

And again- for most people, the difference is negligible. But we are talking specific terms here and it's worth understanding the difference. Researching my argument actually cleared up some of my own confusion.

 

[SublimeZ]

Bose= Buy Other Stereo Equipment