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General discussion

Do I need an optical cable?

Jun 20, 2005 10:21AM PDT

Hello, I currently have a tuner that's capable of decoding Dolby DTS, but I don't have an optical cable to go from my DVD player to the tuner, and therefore it's only running in Dolby Prologic mode.

It seems to sound fine, but would there be a big difference if I got an optical cable? If so, is there a certain brand I should use that's still pretty cheap?

Also, I should mention that we currently only have three (3) speakers, a center and two floor loudspeakers since I just don't have the cash for a full 5.1 speaker system.

Thanks in advance!

Discussion is locked

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Do you need an optical cable?
Jun 20, 2005 10:45AM PDT

Hello,

Since you only have three speakers, I would say don't even worry about the optical cable at this time. However, once you get the other two speakers and sub, then I would get a optical cable (or more depending on the number of sources you will have providing 5.1 or more surround sound) and it really does not matter about name brand. That said, do make sure the cable fairly thick to give your optical nerve more protection.

Also, without the optical, digital coax, HDMI or multi mono (6 for 5.1 ss) input/outputs you will not be able to achieve 5.1 or more surround sound.

Hope that helps.

Take Care,

Shawn Mosqueda
WireSmart LLC.
www.wiresmart.com
shawn@wiresmart.com

How To Build a Home Theater PC ebook coming soon! visit www.wiresmart.com

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Thanks
Jun 23, 2005 12:53PM PDT

Yes, that does help and thanks for the advice.

Steve