What is SPDIF audio cable?
Table of Contents
What is SPDIF audio cable?
S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) is an audio transfer format interface. It transfers digital audio signals from one device to another without the need to first convert to an analog signal, which can degrade audio quality.
What is a PCIe sound card?
A sound card is a rectangular piece of hardware with numerous contacts on the bottom of the card and multiple ports on the side for connection to audio devices, such as speakers. The sound card installs in a PCI or PCIe slot on the motherboard.
How do I connect SPDIF to my computer?
Once the optical cable is plugged in, click the speaker icon at the bottom-right corner of your Windows taskbar, then click the speaker name above the volume slider to see if an “Optical” or “Digital” sound output has shown up. If it has, just click to enable it.
Are sound cards obsolete?
For years, getting a dedicated sound card for your PC was a given because it was the only way to get quality sound. Modern PCs, however, have good audio hardware built into their motherboards. But dedicated sound cards still exist.
Does SPDIF require a special cable?
You need a cable that is 75 ohm (such as a good video cable or RG6 antenna wire) with an RCA at the output end and probably a mini plug at the PC end. You can use most audio cables in a pinch. If you have a cable with RCA connectors at both ends you can use an adapter at the PC end.
Is SPDIF or optical better?
“Usually”, optical can carry 8 channels at 44.1/48KHz (or 4 at 88.2/96KHz in certain situations) while SPDIF is stereo (two channels). It’s great to have both: most multi-channel preamp boxes (e.g. Behringer ADA8200, Audient ASP800, Focusrite Octopre, etc) will output 8-channels through ADAT.
Should I use SPDIF?
Best uses of SPDIF is when watching movie or listening to music. Some games does not support multichannel through SPDIF therefore you will only get 2 channel signals. New type of coding called Dolby Digital Live may soon change that, as long as the programmers incorporate it on their design.
Is SPDIF optical?
S/PDIF is an optical audio cable format that allows the transfer of digital audio signals from device to device without needing to convert to an analog signal first. This is beneficial since such a conversion can hurt audio quality.
