Is SPDIF the same as optical audio?
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They are both digital connections. Optical usually refers to the ADAT protocol over a fiber optic cable (TOSLINK), while SPDIF is usually transmitted over a coaxial “RCA” cable. “Usually”, optical can carry 8 channels at 44.1/48KHz (or 4 at 88.2/96KHz in certain situations) while SPDIF is stereo (two channels).
Can I connect optical cable to SPDIF?

What Is The Deal with SPDIF and Optical Cables? SPDIF can be used with optical cables and coaxial cables while the optical port can only be used with optical cables alone. If you have an optical cable on hand, you can either use the SPDIF or optical output. You can also use both.
What SPDIF is used for?
SPDIF is a data transfer format used to connect various home theatre and entertainment system components to sound systems. It is based on the AES3 standard and transmits two channels of uncompressed PCM or compressed 5.1/7.1 surround sound (such as the DTS audio codec, for example).
What are SPDIF cables used for?
S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) is an audio transfer format interface. It transfers digital audio signals from one device to another without the need to first convert to an analog signal, which can degrade audio quality.

Which connectors are used for digital SPDIF audio?
Connect the Digital Out connector on the back panel of your PC,to the Digital Input (SPDIF) on your AV receiver or digital audio system.
What is SPDIF cable used for?
Using a SPDIF cable,connect your Scarlett’s SPDIF OUT socket to a device’s SPDIF input.
Can I connect SPDIF to optical?
If you have an S/PDIF connection, you can use optical and coaxial cables. However, if you have an optical port, you cannot connect S/PDIF to that optical port, as it can only take optical cables alone. If you have an optical cable, you can use the optical output or S/PDIF.
Which cables for SPDIF?
Applications. A common use for the S/PDIF interface is to carry compressed digital audio for surround sound as defined by the standard IEC 61937.