AudioQuest Pearl Optical Toslink to 3.5mm Mini Cable 16m

The AudioQuest Pearl Optical Toslink to 3.5mm Mini sits within AudioQuest's essential-tier optical cable range, offering the same low-dispersion fibre technology found across the Pearl family but terminated with a full-size Toslink connector at one end and a 3.5mm mini Toslink connector at the other. This makes it the natural choice for connecting devices with a mini optical output — such as laptops, portable DACs, and compact streamers — to components with a standard Toslink input.

Low-Dispersion Fibre

At the heart of the Pearl Optical is AudioQuest's low-dispersion fibre conductor. In any optical cable, light can scatter as it travels through the fibre, causing some of the signal to take a longer path and arrive at the receiver fractionally later than the rest. This dispersion introduces timing errors (jitter) that ultimately manifest as distortion in the decoded analogue audio signal. AudioQuest's fibre is engineered to minimise this scattering, preserving signal integrity over the full length of the cable.

Precision-Polished Optical Interface

Each end of the Pearl Optical features a finely polished optical interface. The quality of the polish at the fibre termination directly affects how cleanly light couples into and out of the cable. A poorly finished surface scatters light at the junction, increasing insertion loss and jitter. AudioQuest's polishing process ensures a smooth, consistent surface that maximises light transfer and minimises reflections.

Construction

The cable is protected by a PVC jacket that shields the internal fibre from dust, moisture, and mechanical damage. The connectors are designed to fit most standard Toslink and mini Toslink sockets, ensuring broad compatibility across home cinema and hi-fi equipment.