Optical audio (TOSLINK)
Small square-ish port, often with a flap and a faint red glow when active.
- Carries
- Sound only
- Signal
- Digital
Where you’ll find it
TVs, soundbars, receivers, game consoles, some DACs.
Common confusion
Carries stereo and compressed surround (Dolby Digital, DTS), not Dolby Atmos or lossless formats.
Going from Optical audio (TOSLINK) to something else
- RCA stereo audio: Digital to analog audio converter (DAC) (needs power). Set the TV’s digital audio output to PCM or Stereo, or the DAC may stay silent.
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth transmitter with optical input (needs power).
Getting something else into Optical audio (TOSLINK)
- HDMI ARC / eARC: HDMI ARC audio extractor (needs power).
Trying to connect something with Optical audio (TOSLINK)? Describe your gear and get the exact parts.
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