Backstory: for 4+ years I've depended on an optical Thunderbolt 2 cable to keep all the noisy/fan bits of my system outside of my studio. IME, the Corning TB2 cables were awful but they were really the only option—super expensive, flaky, and prone to failure after about a year. My current on is showing signs of dying and my of my equipment now runs TB 3.
Anyone have any experience with optical Thunderbolt 3 cables? It seems Corning still dominates—and they claimed to have improved the heat situation—but Areca (does or did) make optical cables as well as Cable Matters which are often less money. If I didn't feel so burned by Corning in the past I'd have no problem paying 10-20% more for their cables but I'm on the fence and wondering if people here have any experience to offer. Is optical TB3 more reliable? Any one using Areca or Cable Matters cables?
I should note that optical USB is not an option.
Anyone have any experience with optical Thunderbolt 3 cables? It seems Corning still dominates—and they claimed to have improved the heat situation—but Areca (does or did) make optical cables as well as Cable Matters which are often less money. If I didn't feel so burned by Corning in the past I'd have no problem paying 10-20% more for their cables but I'm on the fence and wondering if people here have any experience to offer. Is optical TB3 more reliable? Any one using Areca or Cable Matters cables?
I should note that optical USB is not an option.