Can a digital optical cable go bad?

[DirtyMax]

I am not getting any sound through my digital optical cable from my DVD player to receiver. The red light is still going through the cable so I'm wondering if the cable could be bad even though it's transmitting the light through it. It worked a few days ago and now it doesn't. I sure hope it's not the new receiver I just bought.

Also... I tried the cable from my D-TV box to the receiver and still nothin. RCA connection works just fine but I was always told the fiber was better quality... Am I mistaken?

I know it's a cheap cable but I just thought it's weird that a cable would still transmit the "light" and not transmit the sound that accompanied it.

[Want_Notch]

Normally with fiber if there is light it should work.
Is it a glass fiber or plastic fiber cable?

[DirtyMax]

I don't know. It's like 9 years old. I'll probably just go get a new one to see if that remedies it. I know its not expensive but I just found it odd...

[Want_Notch]

It is a little strange.
I know that when glass fiber breaks it normally breaks all the way through. But I have seen plastic crack but not completely through, and it affected the data transfer rate.

[DirtyMax]

Do you really gain a lot with optical vs. RCA? I'm reading alot where some say yes and others say it's not very noticeable at all. I don't have some crazy home theater or anything. Just your basic living room surround sound setup...

[Want_Notch]

If it's just a basic setup then probably not.

But fiber is as good as it gets when it comes to transmission speed and clarity.