Do optical cables go bad?

[pezzy669]

So having a more recent issue where my Philips soundbar (~4 years old) will just go silent shortly after firing up my TV (~2 year old Polaroid - re-badged Samsung or LG - cant remember which one). It only happens right after powering everything up, sound will work for about 5-10 seconds then cut out. Lights on soundbar are still on and TV still playing video fine, it corrects itself after power cycling both devices and does not shut off again until the next "cold" start. I would say it happens probably 6 out of 10 cold starts at this point, when it first started happening it was only maybe 1 out of 10 starts.

The optical cable has not been touched since it was put in its current location ~15 months ago and this problem surfaced about 5 months ago and is progressively getting worse. I hate to replace it willy nilly as a possible fix as it requires some work because of how my cables are routed, I would not be too terribly happy about replacing a somewhat pricey optical cable and going through the motions to replace only to find out either my soundbar is going bad or my TV is a complete pile.

So do optical cables go bad? Should I just do it and hope for the best or does anyone know of any optical out/in issues with Samsung or LG TV's or Philips soundbars?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Quattro Pete]

If you haven't physically bent the optical cable in half, it's unlikely that it just went bad. Plus, if it did go bad, it would most likely not work at all instead of it being an intermittent once in a while issue, such as yours.

My guess is it's an issue with one of your devices.

Do you have another device that you can connect in place of your current soundbar, just to test?

 

[MolaKule]

Optical cables just all at stop once transmitting light - No!

Optical connectors getting stressed and not transferring light across them - Yes.

Optical receivers and transmitters failing - Yes.

 

[StevieC]

I had issues with an optical cable causing the audio to drop out intermittently a couple of years ago. I couldn't see anything wrong with it and made sure the ends were clean so I just replaced it. It was never bent in half.

I have a few of them in use and haven't had any problems since so I think maybe it wasn't in the connector properly. From what I understand they need to be dead on when assembled and the cut of the fiber itself needs to be perfect or it can cause problems with the light refraction.

They are cheap enough I didn't give it a second thought.

 

[Hall]

Like the others have said, cables, even "wire" ones, really can't just fail. Now, if you plug in, unplug, bend them really sharp especially at the connectors, yeah, you can break them. I firmly believe if you plug in a cable and don't touch it, it will always work.

 

[pezzy669]

Thanks for the heads up!

I was planning on eventually moving this soundbar into my bedroom and getting a new one for my living room so this might be a good chance to do that to see if it a component issue. The cable itself has not been touched since installation which is why I was wondering if they could just go bad over time.

I'll try a new cable this weekend first while I research some newer/better soundbars for my living room. The Philips I have is decent (soundbar and subwoofer) but it was one of the cheapest/decent/low price option 4 years ago so looking more for something above the bottom of the barrel if anyone has any less than $200 recommends.

 

[dogememe]

Digital optical audio cables are super reliable, if not mistreated. I don't think the symptom of "it works a while, then quits" would be a bad optical cable. I suspect one of your devices has an internal fault.

 

[rubberchicken]

A few interesting facts: In telecom and computer devices, there are optical transceivers that can go bad. Most of these have some sort of laser or LED in them, and in the earlier generations they had a limited lifespan which was in the 3-6 year range. Newer models are much more reliable. Generally the optical cable itself never went bad unless it was physically damaged, or subjected to laser light far stronger than the cable was rated. Overpowering the cable was a rarity outside of the laboratory or with special test equipment. I would suspect one of the pieces of hardware more than the cable itself. For grins and giggles you should check for firmware updates which might help.

 

[OVERKILL]

When the issue is present, unplug the cable at the TV, is there light at the Toslink port?

 

[javacontour]

I replace more QSFPs, SFPs and GBICs than I do cables. If I'm replacing a cable, there has been some sort of damage inflicted on it.

 

[Subdued]

Originally Posted by javacontour
I replace more QSFPs, SFPs and GBICs than I do cables. If I'm replacing a cable, there has been some sort of damage inflicted on it.

Yep.

the things generating the light tend to fail, not the things transmitting the light.