Kimber Kable OPT 1 Toslink Fiber Optic Digital Cable

OPT-1 Is Kimber's Standalone Optical Cable

A fiber optic cable carries sound as pulses of light, not electricity, so it can't pick up the electrical or radio-frequency noise a copper cable can. What still matters is fiber quality and how cleanly the ends are polished.

Kimber Kable's OPT-1 is the company's only optical cable, built from medical-grade light-conducting fiber, encapsulated in a heat-inhibiting thermal barrier, and finished with cold-polished ends that reduce reflections at the connection.

Medical-Grade Light-Conducting Fiber

Kimber says construction begins with medical-grade light-conducting fiber, which has excellent light-transfer characteristics. Unlike glass fiber, it will not microscopically fracture when flexed.

A Thermal Barrier and Cold-Polished Ends

The fiber is encapsulated in a thermal barrier that inhibits heat warping of the light-carrying fiber, and a mechanical damping outer barrier further protects the cable from damage. Kimber cold-polishes the ends of every OPT-1 cable to further reduce the incidence of reflections, and finishes each cable by hand.

The Connectors, Explained

OPT-1 ends in a square Toslink plug on each end, cold-polished by Kimber to reduce internal reflections at the connection, with each individual cable hand-finished.

Who Is This Fiber Optic Cable Best For?

• You want a single, focused optical cable rather than a multi-tier ladder — OPT-1 is the only optical cable Kimber makes
• You value a hand-finished, cold-polished connector — Kimber finishes each OPT-1 cable individually to that standard
• You want a straightforward step up from a stock optical cable without a tiered decision — OPT-1's single-model lineup makes that an easy call
• Your only digital connection is coaxial, HDMI or USB rather than optical — a coaxial digital cable or another digital cable, rather than an optical one, is what you need instead

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Plug the square Toslink connector into the OPTICAL OUT or DIGITAL OUT port on your source, and the matching square plug into the OPTICAL IN port on your receiver, DAC or soundbar. The connector is keyed to fit only one way.

Then power up the system as usual.

Measure the Path, Then Add a Little Slack

Measure the route the cable will really take from your source to your receiver, DAC or soundbar, around furniture and behind the rack. Then add a little slack. As audio legend George Cardas puts it, "A cable that's just long enough usually turns out to be just not long enough."

When Is It Time to Upgrade?

An optical cable often stays in a system for years, so it is easy to overlook. Look again when something else changes: a new DAC, streamer, receiver or soundbar.

Pairs Well With

An optical cable is one link between a source and a receiver, DAC or soundbar. It usually joins these categories.

• Digital-to-Analog Converters — the most common destination for an optical signal
• CD Players and Transports — a common optical source for a receiver or DAC
• Home Theater Receivers — the usual optical input for a TV or soundbar feed
• Music Streamers — a source component that often carries an optical output

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a glass or plastic fiber?

It's plastic optical fiber, not glass. Unlike glass, it will not microscopically fracture when the cable is bent or flexed, which is what lets these cables route through tight spots without breaking.

Does an optical cable carry any electrical signal at all?

Light travels down the fiber core with no electrical current on the cable itself, which is exactly why it can't pick up hum, ground loops or radio-frequency noise the way a copper interconnect can. The signal is decoded back to an electrical one only inside your components.

Is there a step up?

Not in the Kimber Kable optical line we carry. OPT-1 is the top of that range.

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