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Have this optical cable for about a year before it was broken. According to the package, it has lifetime warranty. Sent back to the company and got a rejected mail saying, "COMPANY OUT OF BUSINESS, RETURN TO SENDER". The company address on the label is: Recoton Accessories, Inc.2950 Lake Emma RoadLake Mary, FL 32746.Made in China
A digital coax cable usually costs less and may be a cost-saving option to consider. Keep in mind, however, that in order to get 5.1 surround to work, you may have not only to hook up the digital cable, but also (1) check the settings of your DVD player / game console to make sure that optical output is enabled, and 5.1 surround signal is not downmixed to standard stereo (consult your DVD player manual), and (2) that the optical input of the reciever is used when you choose the DVD player as input.
Unlike Dolby Surround, which is used on VHS tapes, TV broadcasts, and digital cable and encodes left, right, center, and ONE rear center speaker into stereo sound, true 5.1 (three speakers at the front, two at the back, and low frequency effects channel for the subwoofer) encoding requires a wider frequency range which is not supported by RCA audio connections. Therefore, either an optical or digital coax cable must be used.
Optical cables are used primarily to connect a DVD player or a game console supporting Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS surround sound to a reciever. Therefore, an expensive optical cable will work just the same as a cheap one, unless the cable is defective.
A digital cable is just a light guide. Shielding or frequency response, important for video cables, are not much of an issue here.
Most DVD players also have a digital coaxial output, which works exactly the same for 5.1 surround as optical output. Home theater systems usually do not include optical/digital coax cables, so do not forget to order one together with your home theater system.
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