Belkin Optical Audio Cable, 2 Metre

Belkin Optical Audio Cable, 2 Metre

The Belkin Optical Audio Cable is a 2 metre digital optical lead for carrying audio between equipment fitted with optical audio sockets, most commonly a television’s optical output to a soundbar, AV receiver, amplifier or digital-to-analogue converter. Optical connections transmit the audio signal as light through the fibre inside the cable, which keeps the audio path electrically separate from the equipment at each end. That separation is one reason optical links are a popular cure for ground-loop hum in TV-to-soundbar setups. Two metres is a useful working length for entertainment units, reaching from a wall-mounted television down to a soundbar or receiver on the cabinet below, or between stacked components, without a long excess to coil.

Key features

• Digital optical audio connection between compatible equipment
• 2 metre length for TV, soundbar and receiver installations
• Carries audio only, keeping the signal path electrically isolated
• Suits televisions, soundbars, amplifiers, receivers and converters with optical sockets
• Passive cable with no power supply or configuration of its own
• Works with the audio format the connected equipment sends and decodes

Typical connections in a home system

The most common job for this cable is television sound: the TV’s optical audio output feeds a soundbar or receiver, so broadcast, streaming apps and connected sources all play through the better speaker system. It also links a CD player or media streamer with an optical output to an amplifier or external converter that has an optical input, and it is a standard connection between a games console or set-top box and a receiver in systems assembled before HDMI audio return became universal. In each case the rule is the same: one end belongs in an optical output and the other in an optical input, and the receiving device must be switched to that input before sound will appear.

Formats and what the cable does not do

An optical cable is a transport path, not a decoder. Which formats reach your speakers, whether plain stereo or a multichannel soundtrack, depends on what the source device is set to output and what the receiving equipment can decode; the cable does not add support for a format that either device lacks. When setting up an uncertain system, start with a stereo PCM output from the television or source, confirm sound, and only then experiment with other output settings. This cable also performs no conversion between optical and analogue audio. If one device offers only analogue connections, an active optical-to-analogue converter is the correct addition, and it sits between the two devices rather than replacing the cable.

Handling an optical cable

Optical fibre is glass or plastic filament, so treat the cable differently from a copper lead. Keep the protective caps on the plug tips until installation, keep the tips clean, and do not touch the end face. Align the shaped plug with the socket and push it in until it clicks; the plug fits in one orientation only and should never be forced. Route the run with broad, gentle bends and avoid tight corners, kinks, pinching behind cabinet doors or heavy objects resting on the cable, all of which can interrupt the light path and cause dropouts. If sound cuts out after furniture is moved, check the routing and reseat both plugs before changing equipment settings.

For a dependable 2 metre digital audio link between a television, soundbar, receiver, amplifier or converter with optical sockets, this Belkin optical cable covers the standard home-system connection.