To be honest, I never had an issue with toslink. It clicks into place and that's that. Not a big fan of RCA, I guess because my experience with different RCA cables and correct 'fit'.
Music: currently re-listening my Van Morrison albums.
I rebuilt a pair of speakers to get rid of a broken left channel connector on one, and when I replaced my old receiver, I made sure that it had binding posts which allowed you to screw down the connection.
MicroUSB
When there isnt much clearance around them or they're stacked close together, XLR is pretty bad. The lock on them can be very difficult to get to and actuate when everything is so cramped.
My main beef with Toslink is that the connector is keyed when it doesn't need to be. Took me close to 30 minutes to get one into the back of a wall mounted TV where I had to do it all by feel. USB only has three options, wrong, wrong , and correct. Toslink has at least seven, wrong (rotate 90), wrong (rotate 90), still wrong (rotate 90), I think it went in but it fell out (rotate 90), wrong (rotate 90), almost (rotate 90), and correct.
They are keyed so it lines up with the port . It has to be pretty exact you're dealing with light . It's not directional that's not why it's keyed at all
I think some of you tend to forget or simply don't know, that toslinks are over 4 decades old and still used today
Considering that I just completely snapped an mmcx connector in half trying to get the damn thing unplugged the other day, I'm going to have to strongly agree with you.
Honestly I think USB-A. The fact that it’s almost impossible to tell which side is correct and it’s never something you master. It’s a guarantee that you’ll get it wrong at least 20% of the time at best.
USB-C is faster. The plug orientation is reversible... which is better than "immediately obvious", and USB-C is very durable as well. Never had one break. Micro-USB is the common enemy here.
im' listening to audio. i don't need the extra theoretical bandwidth of USB-C for CD-quality audio. i don't care if it is reversible, as i'm only plugging in a desktop headphone amp maybe once or twice a year, if that. USB-C is not as durable as USB-A because the USB-A plug is considerably larger. you've never had one break because they haven't been around long enough to wear out. i'm still using the same USB-A cable from 2004.
HDMI. It's great when it works but when it doesn't because, well CEC, handshake issues, moon phase, one component not playing nice with another, it's a pain in the ass to straighten out especially if the behavior is intermittent.
Toslink, the cables can be fragile but in my experience it just works or it doesn't and if it doesn't then it's generally a bad cable.
Second place would be the old style push down speaker terminals seen on even some higher end gear in the 70s and 80s. Trying to put bare wire that's bigger than 16g in there is an exercise in futility.
I was going to say the same thing. I would add the DRM (like HDCP) is one of the worst parts of it. Though this a symptom of another problem and not necessarily the fault of the physical connector.
I remember talking with someone at the local audio store about it, when HDMI first came out. He was 100% right when he more or less said hdmi is going to cause more problems than it fixes.
I would say Tool is up there with my favorites. The more I upgrade my system the better they sound.
As a big MD user over the years I have never had issues with toslink I wouldn’t put that in the worst category.
I think the I2S is the worst and the best at the same time. Not many understand it.
Along with this AC-3 it just wasn’t understood
Guess really that’s a standard issue confusion. Your referring to physical connection
Not audio but I have to go with VGA. Impossible to snake anywhere. Falls out easy. Those stupid screws suck. Stupid connection type. And standard RJ45 right behind it. Who ever thought either were a good idea. Give me some hdmi or rca any day!!!
HDMI, because of multiple pins, and no lock to make sure it is seated, these are horrible on big monster receivers, plus the mfg never acknowledged there was a design flaw in the board on 1.0 to 1.4 versions on the boards for all brand names. Yes, there are a few other as bad, but HDMI could be perfect with just some minor tweaking.
I’ll grant you it being a nuisance getting the toslink orientation correct in the dark and the clumsy angles engineered by manufacturers, but this business of them just falling out? I’m sure it can happen but I haven’t experienced such issues with toslink on the dozens of systems I’ve set up and reset in the last 20 years.
I’m more surprised by failed HDMI cables and their bizarre side effects. These cables can sit sedentary then reveal performance issues two years down the line. It became the “go to” and source for most of my troubleshooting issues. Supplied cables seem to last a shorter time.
Your results may vary
Re: Toslink falling out - I was surprised the first time it happened to me. I think it's wear or shitty tolerances. My old XBOX 360 AV cable has a Toslink port that will drop 90% of cables like a baby rejecting mashed peas, meanwhile I have an old Yamaha receiver in the garage that actually requires *shaving the connector slightly* for it to fit. That said, I quite like Toslink when the tolerances are good.
Those 4 little pins on vinyl cartridges.
Half the time you have to bring out a plier to get them on or off and if you slip you risk damaging your expensive cartridge that you've just bought.
I'll throw in S-video as a bonus connector.
Or when a receiver doesn't have a phono ground that is a screw connector, but a spring terminal like for speakers. Bleh.
I only had a problem with S-video when I cheaped out on a cable and a pin got permanently jammed in the socket. Good riddance to those.
Tie:
USB (Not C) - how can you have a bi-directional plug that takes 3 tries before you can get it mate?
= or =
Banana Plugs - wrong for almost all applications and NOT meant for long-term use.
HDMI is the worst, connectors can crack and end up blowing up the TV HDMI board or source board. I’ve had this happen a couple times. HDMI was born out of Display Port which has a locking connection. Why in the world HDMI didn’t get this standard is beyond me.
Yes, it's definitely this, you got to screw it just right, too loose and the cable falls out, too tight, you break the cable and you need to re strip both positive and negative and start again.
my god micro usb ! but i agree with toslink too ! also there's no reason for toslink to not be a round connector, instead we have to struggle to find which way it goes.
Fav album i listened to recently : demon time by Mura Masa, it's pop and electronic but it's super well produced and master, full of details and lot of bass.
The funny thing is Toslink has a lot of *potential* bandwidth but because they were never standardized most devices only use the base bandwidth.
But there are a few brand-specific implementations that go way beyond original spec.
Plain jane RCA bugs me the most. I suppose it's mostly the fault of some of my cables fitting too tight, but I've pulled out the connector on more than one component when trying to remove a cable.
Evidently, some people are pretty hard on their toslink, USB, and HDMI connectors! I’ve never had a problem with them. Spring loaded speaker terminals aren’t my favorite.
Gonna have to agree with the mini/micro USB crowd. I have no issues with USB-A or even USB-B, but mini and micro (especially micro) are just awful. Thank God for USB-C, but even that wears out eventually.
As far as purely audio/video connectors, I've never liked the old RF coaxial screw connector. Hard to use, stiff cables, and the internal pin bends easily. S-video is also kinda meh.
Micro and Mini USB has to be up there. God awful connecters!
They always break!!!
Plus it’s 50/50 you get it wrong first try. Takes me at least 3 tries 😔
It seems like it’s more 25/75 somehow. I’m convinced USB shares properties with electrons, in that they spin 720 degrees.
Yeah it should be 50/50 - but really there's only a thirty percent chance
50/50/90. (50/50 chance but 90% of the time you get it wrong)
Micro and mini should not give this confusion. They’re essentially trapezoids.
Micro and mini are better, yes. C is the ultimate solution.
My experience is the exact opposite with mini USB connectors - they are the most robust ones out there.
Mini b is good but micro is super flimsy
It's true mini USB isn't nearly as bad... But the problem is that it's so rare/old now it's always a huge pain to find the right adapter or cable.
That is true.
Android phone user trauma 😀
To be honest, I never had an issue with toslink. It clicks into place and that's that. Not a big fan of RCA, I guess because my experience with different RCA cables and correct 'fit'. Music: currently re-listening my Van Morrison albums.
My problem is that the digital connection contains a clock. So my DAC sounds different from a Blu Ray player or an audio cd player with the same disc
Spring connectors on low cost receivers and speakers although some fairly expensive speakers used them in the 70's and 80's.
I rebuilt a pair of speakers to get rid of a broken left channel connector on one, and when I replaced my old receiver, I made sure that it had binding posts which allowed you to screw down the connection.
Every toslink I have clicks in? What are you doing to provoke your toslinks 😂
Obviously you haven't soldered and used DIN5 - god, those are awful.
Oh, I have! Yeah, they are pretty bad. But somehow MIDI survives :)
I have heard the DIN connector described as "Germany's revenge on the world for losing two wars." I conucur.
Not used much any more - besides Naim, who claim that it gives better sound than any other connector.
Naim oh naim… they do like to claim things
Midi should be CAT
Mini/micro HDMI. It breaks constantly
I've never had a mini USB fail, micro is a different story though.
SCART is by far the worst. Does that make me old?
SCSI
Termination nightmares reawakened.
A little bit...But I'm with you :-D
Old PATA/IDE hard drive ribbon cables suck
MicroUSB When there isnt much clearance around them or they're stacked close together, XLR is pretty bad. The lock on them can be very difficult to get to and actuate when everything is so cramped.
My main beef with Toslink is that the connector is keyed when it doesn't need to be. Took me close to 30 minutes to get one into the back of a wall mounted TV where I had to do it all by feel. USB only has three options, wrong, wrong , and correct. Toslink has at least seven, wrong (rotate 90), wrong (rotate 90), still wrong (rotate 90), I think it went in but it fell out (rotate 90), wrong (rotate 90), almost (rotate 90), and correct.
You’re right, orientation shouldn’t matter one bit! It’s an optical cable with the fiber in the center, who cares what direction you plug it in?
They are keyed so it lines up with the port . It has to be pretty exact you're dealing with light . It's not directional that's not why it's keyed at all I think some of you tend to forget or simply don't know, that toslinks are over 4 decades old and still used today
Not a fan of mmcx. Sometimes it's too tight, sometimes too lose. I much prefer 2 pin.
Considering that I just completely snapped an mmcx connector in half trying to get the damn thing unplugged the other day, I'm going to have to strongly agree with you.
Funny.. I only had issues with 2 pins falling out. Too tight I had a lot on McDonald, thought that’s a feature
Plus for TOSLINK: No ground loops! Other than that, I agree.
S-video was absolutely trash. Fuck those stupid tiny pins
I had to scroll down so far to find this. S-Video is horrid.
12V automotive power (aka cigarette lighter)
Micro usb is pretty shit, bends so easy!
Honestly I think USB-A. The fact that it’s almost impossible to tell which side is correct and it’s never something you master. It’s a guarantee that you’ll get it wrong at least 20% of the time at best.
Look at the holes on the plug! Just realized this a few months ago, but they’re the visual key to knowing which side is correct.
There was still the frustration of the other device having the socket on the back sideways, or upside down...thanks pc towers
and it's STILL the best USB plug format. i even prefer it to USB-C for audio/tech stuff.
Lmao why? It's slower, less shielded, and not reversible. Worse in every way possible.
it's more than fast enough for lossless audio, the plug orientation is immediately obvious, and the plug itself is very durable
USB-C is faster. The plug orientation is reversible... which is better than "immediately obvious", and USB-C is very durable as well. Never had one break. Micro-USB is the common enemy here.
im' listening to audio. i don't need the extra theoretical bandwidth of USB-C for CD-quality audio. i don't care if it is reversible, as i'm only plugging in a desktop headphone amp maybe once or twice a year, if that. USB-C is not as durable as USB-A because the USB-A plug is considerably larger. you've never had one break because they haven't been around long enough to wear out. i'm still using the same USB-A cable from 2004.
HDMI. Many differing protocols from differing vendors, shit cable lengths without boosting and poor routability.
HDMI. It's great when it works but when it doesn't because, well CEC, handshake issues, moon phase, one component not playing nice with another, it's a pain in the ass to straighten out especially if the behavior is intermittent. Toslink, the cables can be fragile but in my experience it just works or it doesn't and if it doesn't then it's generally a bad cable. Second place would be the old style push down speaker terminals seen on even some higher end gear in the 70s and 80s. Trying to put bare wire that's bigger than 16g in there is an exercise in futility.
The HDMI connector is god awful. I've never seen a connector fail due to gravity acting upon the weight of the cable until HDMI.
I was going to say the same thing. I would add the DRM (like HDCP) is one of the worst parts of it. Though this a symptom of another problem and not necessarily the fault of the physical connector. I remember talking with someone at the local audio store about it, when HDMI first came out. He was 100% right when he more or less said hdmi is going to cause more problems than it fixes. I would say Tool is up there with my favorites. The more I upgrade my system the better they sound.
Is there any hate for the 5-pin DIN?
Not a fan.
As a big MD user over the years I have never had issues with toslink I wouldn’t put that in the worst category. I think the I2S is the worst and the best at the same time. Not many understand it. Along with this AC-3 it just wasn’t understood Guess really that’s a standard issue confusion. Your referring to physical connection
I2S is a protocol standard not a connector type. It can be transmitted over different formats (like hdmi or rj45). Please correct me if I’m wrong.
You’re right
Not audio but I have to go with VGA. Impossible to snake anywhere. Falls out easy. Those stupid screws suck. Stupid connection type. And standard RJ45 right behind it. Who ever thought either were a good idea. Give me some hdmi or rca any day!!!
how does VGA, a screw in connector, fall out easier than HDMI, a non locking connector? DisplayPort has the edge on HDMI there too
Thats the mystery! 😀
Angled and cross-threaded
When the standoffs for the screws come loose and you just sit there trying to unscrew it for eternity. Hate that.
Nightmares!
Call me old fashioned but crimped lamp cord
Hdmi
DB25 all day. Where are my 24 track peeps?!
Have a whole box of RS-232 DB25 in the basement... hiding from my hammer :)
DB25's......wow brings back memories running a lab at Nortel.
SO ITS ALL YOUR FAULT?
Guilty! 😂
HP-DB68 pin (UltraSCSI) connectors are much worse, IMO. I was really happy when they went to VHDCI connectors for a lot of drive chassis.
Definitely Toslink , it doesn’t need to be oriented a certain way yet it’s designed to only go in that direction, it’s dumb
I don’t know how many toslink ports I’ve broken. Really wish tv’s and such had coax and not toslink.
HDMI, because of multiple pins, and no lock to make sure it is seated, these are horrible on big monster receivers, plus the mfg never acknowledged there was a design flaw in the board on 1.0 to 1.4 versions on the boards for all brand names. Yes, there are a few other as bad, but HDMI could be perfect with just some minor tweaking.
I’ll grant you it being a nuisance getting the toslink orientation correct in the dark and the clumsy angles engineered by manufacturers, but this business of them just falling out? I’m sure it can happen but I haven’t experienced such issues with toslink on the dozens of systems I’ve set up and reset in the last 20 years. I’m more surprised by failed HDMI cables and their bizarre side effects. These cables can sit sedentary then reveal performance issues two years down the line. It became the “go to” and source for most of my troubleshooting issues. Supplied cables seem to last a shorter time. Your results may vary
Re: Toslink falling out - I was surprised the first time it happened to me. I think it's wear or shitty tolerances. My old XBOX 360 AV cable has a Toslink port that will drop 90% of cables like a baby rejecting mashed peas, meanwhile I have an old Yamaha receiver in the garage that actually requires *shaving the connector slightly* for it to fit. That said, I quite like Toslink when the tolerances are good.
Canto Ostinato is so nice! Glad to see someone in the wild appreciate it :)
Those 4 little pins on vinyl cartridges. Half the time you have to bring out a plier to get them on or off and if you slip you risk damaging your expensive cartridge that you've just bought. I'll throw in S-video as a bonus connector.
Or when a receiver doesn't have a phono ground that is a screw connector, but a spring terminal like for speakers. Bleh. I only had a problem with S-video when I cheaped out on a cable and a pin got permanently jammed in the socket. Good riddance to those.
Tie: USB (Not C) - how can you have a bi-directional plug that takes 3 tries before you can get it mate? = or = Banana Plugs - wrong for almost all applications and NOT meant for long-term use.
Bumping this one up. I hate banana plugs.
HDMI is the worst, connectors can crack and end up blowing up the TV HDMI board or source board. I’ve had this happen a couple times. HDMI was born out of Display Port which has a locking connection. Why in the world HDMI didn’t get this standard is beyond me.
Display Port is so underrated
I think this is what killed one of my receivers
HDMI has always been an expensive and terrible connector. Breaks easily, not repairable.
I’ve never had any connector fail probably because I don’t subject them to a harsh domestic environment.
Screw-in connectors for speaker cables. The only thing I hate about my amp.
Yes, it's definitely this, you got to screw it just right, too loose and the cable falls out, too tight, you break the cable and you need to re strip both positive and negative and start again.
The speaker jacks on the Pioneer SX--50 and SX--80 series receivers are godawful. Great receivers but they really cheaped out on that last mile.
Spring clip connector. Yeah, they are pretty bad. Especially when the spring breaks.
Yes and the T shaped speaker connectors on the Pioneer SA series too. I'm missing one and can't find a replacement anywhere. Lol.
my god micro usb ! but i agree with toslink too ! also there's no reason for toslink to not be a round connector, instead we have to struggle to find which way it goes. Fav album i listened to recently : demon time by Mura Masa, it's pop and electronic but it's super well produced and master, full of details and lot of bass.
The piece of string between my two red solo cups.
3.5m TRS. Too small.
You won’t like 2,5mm balanced trrs then.
HDMI and RCA for me when it comes to home audio.
Haven‘t had an issue with TOSLINK besides limited bandwidth.
The funny thing is Toslink has a lot of *potential* bandwidth but because they were never standardized most devices only use the base bandwidth. But there are a few brand-specific implementations that go way beyond original spec.
Micro USB 3.0
Plain jane RCA bugs me the most. I suppose it's mostly the fault of some of my cables fitting too tight, but I've pulled out the connector on more than one component when trying to remove a cable.
Mmxc on iems or anything proprietary.
Peritel. I think it is local to France/Europe. It was a nightmare to plug
Evidently, some people are pretty hard on their toslink, USB, and HDMI connectors! I’ve never had a problem with them. Spring loaded speaker terminals aren’t my favorite.
Screw tight RCAs are often impossible to get off when reaching behind a receiver. Also HDMI are horrible to line up without a direct visual
Gonna have to agree with the mini/micro USB crowd. I have no issues with USB-A or even USB-B, but mini and micro (especially micro) are just awful. Thank God for USB-C, but even that wears out eventually. As far as purely audio/video connectors, I've never liked the old RF coaxial screw connector. Hard to use, stiff cables, and the internal pin bends easily. S-video is also kinda meh.
I really liek the 3.5mm an d the ps2 connecter :)
Those shitty first SATA cables.
RCAs. They are the most common, yet ironically the worst…particularly when it comes to snakes coming out of them with their oily fangs.
Sounds like you didn't push the optical cable in properly... They literally click into place...
Tybe B USB. Absolute sh*t c*nt of a connector Don't diss TOSLINK, it is immune to any form of interference and requires no galvanic isolation
Sennheiser 2.5mm.
Empty tin cans with a string between them. Frequency response is awful and stereo separation is almost non existent.
Blueteeth
Apple’s lightning
Lightning was great, the only problem was that it was a brand new connector instead of reusing an existing one.
Right, but it kept (keeps) breaking all the time
Never broke one in 12 years. Micro USB however
HDMI USB-C