The AudioQuest Pearl Optical sits at the entry point of AudioQuest's optical digital cable range, offering a meaningful upgrade over generic Toslink leads for CD players, DACs, streamers, soundbars and other S/PDIF-equipped components. Above it in the range sit the Forest and Cinnamon Optical cables, which use progressively higher-grade fibre and polishing techniques.
Low-Dispersion Fibre
Standard optical fibres allow light to travel along multiple paths of slightly different lengths, causing some of the signal to arrive late. This dispersion reduces effective bandwidth and increases jitter in the recovered digital audio stream. The Pearl Optical addresses this with a specially optimised low-dispersion fibre that filters input angles to minimise the spread of arrival times, preserving timing accuracy and reducing distortion in the final analogue output from your DAC.
Construction
The fibre bundle comprises hundreds of individual strands within a 1.0mm core, each precision-polished at the interface to ensure clean light transfer and minimise reflections at the connector face. The cable is finished in a black and grey stripe PVC jacket that carries an in-wall rating, making it suitable for permanent installation runs as well as standard rack-to-rack connections.
Compatibility
The Pearl Optical terminates with full-size Toslink connectors at both ends and fits most standard Toslink ports. It is available in seven lengths from 0.75m to 16m, covering everything from short equipment-rack links to long runs across a room or through a wall cavity.
| Cable Type | Optical Toslink (S/PDIF) |
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| Conductor | Low-dispersion optical fibre (multi-fibre bundle, 1.0mm core) |
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| Connectors | Toslink to Toslink |
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| Jacket | Black/grey stripe in-wall rated PVC |
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| Also Available As | 0.75m, 5m, 8m, 12m, 16m |
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