Choose an optical audio cable when both devices have compatible Toslink optical ports and you need a direct digital audio connection. Choose a digital audio converter when you need to convert between optical, coaxial, or analog audio, and choose an HDMI audio extractor when you need to separate audio from an HDMI source for connection to optical, analog, or other audio equipment.

Optical audio adapters can support DVD players, CD players, digital audio receivers, amplifiers, HDMI sources, displays, and multiroom audio systems. Depending on the adapter, connections may include Toslink optical, coaxial digital, HDMI, RCA analog, or 3.5 mm analog audio.

Compare support for two-channel PCM, stereo, and multichannel formats such as Dolby Digital or DTS, along with the channel counts your source and destination use. For surround-sound systems, check whether the optical audio adapter passes 5.1-channel audio or downmixes it to two-channel output, and confirm that the source can provide a supported format.

For a passive optical audio cable, check that the source and receiving device have compatible Toslink optical ports, and use the included 3.5 mm adapters when the equipment requires that connection. Optical audio converters and HDMI extractors require external power, commonly 5V DC, so plan for a nearby outlet and route the optical, HDMI, coaxial, or analog connections according to the converter’s input and output options.