Went in to get some optical cable for DVD > Amp.

Now in my head I'm thinking optical fibre, same stuff you see in $2 stuff like this:
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Plus plugs, packaging and general bull**** probably between $5 and $10 for a couple of metres.

$69 at Dick Smith for 1.5m

I asked if it came with vaseline because if you have the vaguest inkling of how digital signals work they don't need all that shielding and crap. Error checking and the like should take care of the occasional dud bit.

I found on ebay, "but it now" for around $5-$10

What else has given you sticker shock?

Dick Sh!t don't sell components anymore... Least that's what the shop kiddie told me when I went last, about 3 months ago

It's real hit and miss depending where you go, I've heard of people paying hundreds of dollars for HDMI cables. Gimmick if you ask me.

I was in the USA earlier this year and in the city where I was staying the electronics chain store had recently gone out of business. I needed an S-Video to RCA converter and searched all around but the best I could find was one for about $40 at Best Buy! That's nuts for a simple adapter, I have one here I got from Tandy or something for $10 which is also a 1.5m cable with the different plug on each end.

i have one from my soundcard to my lounge amp ... dont ever use a join i found that if there was a crackling sound it was the join.

the cable has to be 1 peice mine is 8 metres long i had bought one and then relized the join made the crackling sound the had to fork out for a custom made on.