Optical audio cable, also referred to as TOSlink, is a type of cable that is used to transfer data, usually audio or video, from one source to another. Optical audio cables utilise fibre optic to transfer signals via light rather than electrical signals by wire, as found with standard audio cables. At RS you will find a selection of high quality optical audio cables available in a wide range of lengths, colours and profiles to suit your needs.

Types of Optical Audio Cable

Although optical audio cables are available with a variety of different connectors and profiles, they primarily feature a TOSlink design. Often called TOSlink, Toshiba-link or just Digital Optical Cable, optical audio cables are the only audio cables that are optical. These types of audio cables are usually limited in length for reliable transmission, without the need for a signal booster or a repeater

How fast are Optical Audio Cables?

A fast cable connection can deliver speed up to 50Mbps, however, fibre optic speed can be as much as 20 times faster than 50Mbs.

What is an Optical Audio Cable used for?

Optical audio cables are used extensively for digital audio applications, providing clean audio signals without interference. These types of digital audio cables are often used with entertainment systems and devices such as:

DVD or CD Players - An optical cable can be utilized to exchange sound from one segment to another, for example a DVD player to a receiver. Since optical cables are perfect at recreating a signal and barely any transfer is lost in the exchange, they make exceptional solutions for generating great sound with CD players.
Portable Devices - Many portable gadgets are equipped for transferring data to another segment through digital optical cable.
Surround Sound/Home Theatre - Many high-quality sound systems use a digital optical cable to connect a subwoofer to a receiver. This makes the sound quality getting through the subwoofer significantly higher than it would be comparing to only connection with speaker wire.
Game Consoles - Some of the more recently developed game consoles connect to a TV with digital optical cable. This exchanges the video and sound signal from the console to the television.