Amazon Basics Digital Optical Audio Toslink Cable for Sound Bar, TV – 6 Feet (1.8 Meters)

Optical output is one of the early digital signals developed over traditional analog outputs. Many devices can take advantage of the optical output from the device. Early on, CD players could use this output as a digital signal and send it to your amp for sound processing. More recently, sound bars are now using thi… Optical output is one of the early digital signals developed over traditional analog outputs. Many devices can take advantage of the optical output from the device. Early on, CD players could use this output as a digital signal and send it to your amp for sound processing. More recently, sound bars are now using this signal. Many HD/UHD TVs have an optical output and can send a signal to the soundbar using this interface. It beats the old RCA outputs.

The answer is "it depends." My Samsung TV, for example, will accept the digital audio from my FiOS receiver, but it will convert the 5.1 signal to simple stereo for output. So, if I want the 5.1 signal to go to my home theater system, I need to ALSO use the Digital Optical cable and go directly from my FiOS box (and Bl… The answer is "it depends." My Samsung TV, for example, will accept the digital audio from my FiOS receiver, but it will convert the 5.1 signal to simple stereo for output. So, if I want the 5.1 signal to go to my home theater system, I need to ALSO use the Digital Optical cable and go directly from my FiOS box (and Blue Ray / DVD) directly to the home theater system. The TV will output a 5.1 signal for web programming (NetFlix / Amazon Prime), since it doesn’t do a conversion like it does for HDMI input. Hope that makes sense. If you use a home theater, you should connect directly to it using the Digital Optical cable from the source.

You will need some form of wireless communication from your audio source. Case 1: your audio is Bluetooth and your headphones are Bluetooth. Done. Case 2: your audio is RCA phone jacks and your headphones are Bluetooth. Connect an analog audio to Bluetooth converter box. Done. Case 3: your TV only has Digital Optical … You will need some form of wireless communication from your audio source. Case 1: your audio is Bluetooth and your headphones are Bluetooth. Done. Case 2: your audio is RCA phone jacks and your headphones are Bluetooth. Connect an analog audio to Bluetooth converter box. Done. Case 3: your TV only has Digital Optical Audio Toslink and your headphones are Bluetooth. Use an Amazon Basics Optical cable to an optical to RCA converter box. Then connect to a Bluetooth converter box. Done. Only Case 3 requires the optical cable.

There is usually a plastic or rubber protector on the tip that needs to be removed before plugging it in

Yes, if tv and sound bar have optical inputs.

Yes, as long as tv and sound bar have optical connections. Also is only 3 feet long so be sure it is long enough. They have other lengths also if you need.

This cable is not worth buying , if that is what you mean , if it is , don’t waste your money on it. Hope this helps

No

Compatibility should not be a problem. The hookup connection is your concern. If the soundbar is Toslink to Toslink TV connection, than it is straight forward. If your soundbar is analog (red white connection) to optical TV connection like mine is, than you opt to get an optical converter from digital to analog. This … Compatibility should not be a problem. The hookup connection is your concern. If the soundbar is Toslink to Toslink TV connection, than it is straight forward. If your soundbar is analog (red white connection) to optical TV connection like mine is, than you opt to get an optical converter from digital to analog. This is how I have my TV and soundbar hooked up and it plays flawlessly. Either hookup is easy and compatibility is not an issue. Hope this helps.

Depends on the brand of sound Bar!

Not sure with it being over ten years old but you should buy a soundbar anyway. It should come with an optical option.

Those work really great,dont know the rest and dont know others price but this are very good for the price and the sound is incredible

The cable has a plastic protective cover on each end, it should pull off. Once you do that it will fit in the optical ports on your TV and soundbar with no problem.

These conform to an industry standard… Meaning the connector for digital/optical audio is the same for any manufacturer conforming to the standard. If the specs on the TV and sound bar say "digital audio" or "optical audio" this should work.

I’m not an audiophile, but the cable does it’s job. And it was only $5, so I’m pretty happy

Let me start off by saying I have never seen an optical cable before. I initially was disappointed that the cables would not seat properly into the optical jack. I was all set to return this item and buy a different one.
I the process of filling out the return I notice in the features description that there was a silicone nipple covering the end of the cable to protect the plug end when not attached. Once I removed it it fit as described.

Maybe for people that do not know, a simple "remove nipple before insertion" note with the product would be appropriate.

For years I have seen connections on the back of my electronics labeled, "optical", but I had no clue what it was. I thought it must be some type of weird video connection required by equipment I didn’t have, and never would have. So I always used the old RCA audio cable connections. But I recently purchased a TV that had no RCA audio connections, and I thought: "How can this be? How am I supposed to connect my TV to my audio receiver?". Well lo and behold, it is as simple as buying this cheap, thin, single little cable and connecting it from my TV to my receiver. The sound is awesome! And it eliminated two of those cumbersome RCA audio cables. It does take some pressure to plug it in – more than you’d think – but when it does connect there is a satisfying snap. And you’ll know that it’s in there nice and tight and isn’t going to be jostled loose. So now I know what this type of cable is used for, and it has enabled me to continue using my 15-20 year old receiver.

This item works great, it was reasonably priced, & other than the difficulty I experienced trying to install it, its a great choice for connecting digital optical audio devices.
I wanted to use my home theater system’s audio capabilities to enhance TV/movie enjoyment, so I needed this type cable to accomplish that.
The only problem was the cable came w/ very inadequate installation instructions.
I ended up going online/googling info to help me install the cable.
It came w/ protective plastic covers on the ends, but w/ no instructions to remove those BEFORE attempting the install, I was being puzzled by the difficulty inserting the cable into the respective ports.
Mind you, this was my FIRST experience w/ this type cable.
After finding others had experienced the same problem, & posted their trials, I was able to complete the install w/ minimal fuss.

It’s an optical cable. There’s not a whole lot to say about it beyond that. One little tip though – it ships with tiny plastic covers over the tips on each end. YOU MUST REMOVE THESE BEFORE PLUGGING THE CABLE IN! I didn’t realize that immediately and spent minutes trying to jam the cable in to the port on my TV before realizing my mistake. It’s not in the slightest a problem with the cable, it was 100% user error. Once I had that conundrum solved, the cable worked perfectly, connecting my TV to a soundbar.

The quality of the sound that the cable provided from the TV to the soundbar was AMAZING compared to a cheap RCA connection (which is what I had before getting this). Highly recommended if you want to get the most out of your devices.

Although I have owned and enjoyed high-end audiophile stereo equipment for more than sixty years, until recently the heart of my system was a vintage preamplifier and separate power amplifier that had no digital optical connections.

Having recently acquired an expensive integrated component stereo amplifier with an optical input and having a couple of modern audio sources with connections for optical audio links, curiosity let me to give one of these 3.3 foot AmazonBasics Digital Optical Audio Toslink Sound Bar TV Cables a try. Previously my audio connections were made with conventional shielded stereo audio cables with RCA type plugs on each end.

Much to my surprise, I initially could not get the ends of this cable to stay in the optical sockets. Then (dumb me; I should have read some of the Amazon reviews) I finally realized that there were tiny transparent protective coverings on both ends of this cable. Once I plucked the protective coverings off of this cable, it connected solidly between my audio source and amplifier.

Once I figured out how to make the proper connections, this optical cable delivered a flawless stream of digital stereo audio to my integrated amplifier. The result of this optical connection is sweet, static-free, noise-free music with no hum or other background noise whatsoever. Between music selections there is complete silence. The cost of this optical cable is competitive with conventional audio cables but delivers superior results with compatible audio equipment.

When my sound bar arrived with a very short, extremely thin, and fragile digital optic cable I knew I needed to find a replacement fast. To my pleasant surprise AmazonBasics was one of the top search results. I did a quick check and confirmed that I was getting the best deal for the money. Having used many other AmazonBasics products, I’ve learned by experience to trust their quality. Indeed, when it arrived to my door it was properly packaged. Another positive is that the cable is much thicker, as it is encased in durable, rubber-like, PVC outer layer. Regardless of its qualities, you need to remember not to bend it sharply and avoid creating a kink. The light signal has to travel uninterrupted and, for the lack of better term, undistorted. The installation was easy and didn’t take any time at all. Overall, I’m extremely pleased with the cable performance and quality.

If you are shopping in this price range then this is the unit to buy. I was worried the bass wouldn’t be good on a sound bar but it’s actually quite loud. I have a custom sound card on my gaming PC and it can crank it up pretty high and this can take every bit of it and it sounds amazing. I ran the optical to my TV and just the auxiliary to my computer and it still sounds great. Now I have a nice soundbar to improve my TV sound quality and it can run my computer audio nicely too. The sound really is something to write home about if you consider the price. If you’re truly worried about the bass like I was you can always use the available subwoofer output and get a sub and plug it in for that extra kick but try the device without it first you may be surprised to find it’s adequate for your needs. The only complaints that I have is the 3D surround sounds like pure trash I couldn’t think of any reason that would be useful. The surround was also pretty bad but I haven’t tried it for a movie that actually uses surround sound effects so I’m guessing that’s where those features come in handy. The clear voice and stereo settings were the only ones I found that sounded good so far but I just got it unboxed and installed on my wall. The setup was amazingly easy and they give you a great wall mounting diagram so you know exactly where to set the screws. No complaints about the digital end of the setup I just plugged everything in and it worked perfectly.

Do the homework–a cheap optical cable will sound just as good as an expensive one. Light impulses go through the cable to the other end–as long as the cable isn’t kinked or broken, nothing effects the speed of light.

The more expensive cables have better quality ends, better wrapping, etc, but won’t sound better. I hooked up my older Panasonic Blu-Ray to my new high-end integrated amp with good quality RCA cables. Sounded great. But the DAC in the new amp wasn’t being utilized, needed an optical cable or coaxial.

So I bought this inexpensive Amazon Optical cable. The sound quality dramatically improved–bigger sound, louder, much more detailed with every instrument. About as close to “being there” as I’ve heard (even my wife agreed, who usually teases me on small increments of what I say sounds better).

As long as the cable isn’t going to be bumped, pushed, crimped, or unplugged frequently, this one works great. And if somehow the end goes bad, I’ll buy another one for 10 bucks.

All the "audiophile" stuff you here about cable is mostly garbage. There have been several double blind tests that have proven cables make little to no difference in audio quality. I used to have all my components connected via HDMI but my recently upgraded Epson LS10000 was able to accept higher than HDMI 1.4. Interestingly my 7 y/o HDMI cable would pass the 4k signal but my Anthem 710 receiver wouldn’t. My solution was this Optical cable and a 4K x 3 switch. The sound is indistinguishable from the HDMI and possibly a bit clearer.

Cable transfers sound at it should and at half the cost of cable that promise the Valhalla of sound for big dollars. My speakers are 101db sensitive so I would notice any difference or issues in sound quality were introduced by these cables. Great value and great cables. Don’t let the great price scare you off. Price does not equal performance with cables!!!

My stereo system has been having extremely spotty sound, out of sync dialogue, and just plain lagging in turning on. The optical cable I was using was relatively new so I didn’t think it was that, until I realized it was very loosely plugging into both the TV and the stereo.

So I bought this cable to just see if it would make a difference, cuz if it didnt change, then that meant I needed a new stereo. But after replacing this cable, everything is back to feeling brand new! Audio immediately switches over when I switch from TV speakers to stereo, no crackly-static sounds, no out of sync dialogue. This was great purchase for a problem I’ve been too lazy to deal with for too long.

The length of the cable is great, the quality of the cable feels sturdy and robust, and I’m thankful that it was just a $10 fix for my audio and not a brand new stereo replacement!