As stated in other reviews, bits are bits. If they get from one system component to another, you're doing just as well with a $5 cable as a $60 one. Monster and other companies are ripping consumers off with gobbledeygook buzzwords designed to obscure the mind and open the pocketbook.
I have installed this cable in my system, and its performance delivering 5.1 channel audio and DTS from my PS3 to my receiver is flawless. It performs identically to the other more expensive optical cable I have.
As of my last check of this product page, $1.31 as a list price and $2.98 for shipping makes for a total of $4.29. This is an outrageously good deal, beating even many other discount outlets. If you have a receiver that uses optical digital for audio input (as opposed to HDMI, which most newer receivers utilize), you simply can't go wrong. A definite must-buy at this price. Toslink Digital Optical Audio Cable 6 ft.
I recieved one of these toslink optical cables so I could connect my xbox advanced A/V adapter to my digital suround sound receiver. It worked just fine. In my opinion it doesn't make sense to get esoteric about optical cables for home Audio/Video applications. Save yourself the money.
Either a cable is going to carry the bits from one end to the other, or it isn't. Optical doesn't need fancy stuff like gold plated contacts (yes, there are vendors who make optical cables with gold-plated contacts!). This inexpensive cable works great, and is going to sound every bit as good as a TOSLINK cable that costs 10x as much.
OK, First of all I have to say that even though many people say that it does the job (which it does) it is extremely unacceptable to put a picture of a product and to sell another. That being said, I agree that the product did the job, but I had to do some work on one of the sides of the cable because it does not have the correct adapter.
Imagine that you get your product, you connect to your Playstation 3 or DVD Player or whatever. You see that it fits, it works, but then you see the other side of the cable and it is different, when you try to connect that to your home theater you realize it will never "click" so you need to put some silly putty or invisible tape to keep the cable in its place!! do you think that is acceptable? I think it is definitely not!
I know the product is cheap and I shouldn't expect a lot from it, but the least I expect is that the product I see in the picture is the same product I get by mail.
This was a very cheap optical cable. I have purchase other inexpensive optical cables before and they work fine. This one is just cheap. The connectors are just a bit to small, so instead of snapping into the receptacle they just fall out. I was able to wrap the end with some plumbers thread tape to get it to stay put. This cable will be replaced as soon as possible.
I used this cable to connect my DVD player to the receiver and what a difference in sound quality. I agree with other reviewers, thought this cable is non-brand name, there is no difference in quality of the sound.
It's an optical cable... as long as it isn't cracked and signal goes through sound will be great. It worked for me. No need to spend more! Shipping was high ($6) but price was good ($3.99). I didn't have to spend gas money to drive to store and pay $20 for same thing. If you need an optical cable... buy this! 6' was good for me... My theory is always get it longer than you need!
Update 7-9-2010
I thought this was significant enough to justify adding an update at the very top of the review. In my Update of 7-3-2010 I said I had decided to order another Optical Cable from Eforcity just to see what they were sending and see how it compared with the cable I got from SF Planet. That cable came in this morning and I can now see how the varying reviews can be explained, at least in part. The cable from Eforcity appeared identical to the cable reviewed in the video; it was much larger and had the caps for the ends of the cable on a small plastic strap attached to the cable for use when the cable wasn't plugged in. It is also much larger in diameter with larger plug assemblies.
I decided to try and make a comparison test of the two cables and decided to use a sound level meter to see if the smaller diameter cable from SF Planet caused any signal attenuation. To do this I selected a test CD which had a test tone recorded at 1,000 cps at - 0 decibels. I played the signal over my stereo system and adjusted the volume so that the sound level meter, a Radio Shack Model 33-2050, was showing a sound level of 80 decibels.
I left everything exactly the same except I switched over to the Eforcity cable and played the tone again; the meter showed exactly the same sound level, 80 decibels. It would appear there is no attenuation when using the SF Planet cable. I'll admit the cable from Eforcity looks a great deal more impressive, and more like what I expected from the beginning but I cannot detect any audible difference.
They both locked in and made good connections to the equipment, so there's no practical difference there. I will admit that I'm going to leave the Eforcity cable installed and keep the SF Planet cable as a reserve.
Original Review
I received my optical cable from SF Planet and was amazed by how thin it was; this cable was much smaller in diameter than any other optical cable I have ever seen. It looks nothing like the picture and does not conform to the descriptions given in some other reviews. I have to believe I either got an aberrant cable or the product line has been changed across the board.
Having noted that, I have installed the cable and it seems to be working just fine; I have no real problem with the diameter of the cable if it does its job and it does seem to be doing its job, I was simply surprised by its appearance.
If something unusual develops I will update this review; I just thought it important to let the prospective buyer know that a product entirely different in appearance is being shipped now, at least to me.
Update 7-2-2010
After exchanging comments with Dustin, one of the other reviewers, I decided to contact SF Planet. I sent them a photograph of the cable and they replied that was the right one that they were selling.
If you'll check the two customer provided pictures above, where the cable is compared to a pencil, you'll see there is a marked difference in the diameter of the cable. The one with the thinner cable was provided by me and the one with the larger cable was provided by runner4902 who attaches a caption "Some reviewer claimed this wire was "1/10 the thickness" of other toslink cables she has purchased." Although the two customer pictures show a marked difference, it is not as much as 1/10th the thickness.
I have just finished reading almost all of the reviews, including the video, and have come to the conclusion that a wide variety of cables are being shipped to customers. The one on the video review is entirely different from the one I got.
It appears to be almost a case of the luck of the draw. Amazon should probably put a warning that the customer may receive one of a number of different cables types and that the one you receive may not look like the picture shown on the product.
In the future I will probably stick with the Amazon Basics line as everything I've gotten from that line has been excellent!
Update 7-3-2010
I've noticed that Amazon rotates the featured seller periodically; as of this date the featured seller is Eforcity; out of curiosity I've ordered another cable from them and will be very interested to see what they ship. What I suspect is happening is certain sellers are selling much nicer cables than others. It would be interesting to see if those customers that are complaining about the thinness of the cable all got their cable from SF Planet.
I've scanned, read or watched all of the reviews now and have found a wide assortment of responses from the reviewers. The video review shows a very fine cable indeed which is a far cry from the thin cable I received. My cable is working and did lock satisfactorily in place so I'm not experiencing the connection problem that some of the reviewers complained of.
The price is certainly fantastic, although some of the reviewers were so unhappy they felt anything was too much for something that didn't work. My concern is consistency of product for the customers; if there is a great range of quality of the product I would think the buyer should be alerted to the fact the product sold may not look anything like the product advertised.
When the cable comes in from Eforcity I'll update this review to let you know what quality of cable they sent. - Optical - Audio - Digital Cable - Toslink'
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