Tell me again: Should I use the Optical or SPDIF interconnect?

[DonH56]

I have found that optical cables are fairly easy to damage.

Optical cables for TOSLINK are cheap plastic, ends are too exposed and readily damaged, and the connectors are junk. Oh, and the transceivers are usually the dirtiest cheapest things around -- they actually used to be half-decent but most of the new integrated solutions are lousy. Other than that...

All in my completely biased and subjective opinion - Don

 

[Blumlein 88]

It's fun to read stuff ... optic, cosmic, coax, cosmos, ...

Optical is best for long runs...5 meters plus.
And, coaxial "can" introduce hummingbirds (hum) if not well shielded.
But for short runs (less than 2 meters), get a digital coax cable (100 Ohms) and shielded to be on the safe side. A Composite video cable (yellow RCA connectors - 75 Ohms) would also do.

Me and some other audiophile friends have found that there is more "punch" ... authority, low foundations (bass), satisfying overall music listening flow from a digital coaxial connection over a standard digital optical one, slightly better mids, resolution? It's subtle but with practice you'd swear that you can hear. Or it's all in our imagination?

I've never measured, anyone?

Here is a TC Impact Twin interface feeding Jtest over toslink (blue) and coax (green). Pretty much an overlay. Pay no attention to the red graph as it was from a 3rd device. Would appear no difference in the two. Tact RCS2 Dac was the receiving DAC. So same clock on sending end and same device receiving. I forget, but I think the coax and toslink were both 6 ft. Didn't appear the method of connection makes much difference.

Here is a USB to SPDIF Musical Vlink converter feeding a DAC and recorded by a Focusrite Scarlett. Same clocks, but again the optical vs coax looks like an overlay.

 

[North_Sky]

Well, if we can or cannot hear the measurements, then it don't matter...either use coax or optical digital...whichever one costs less @ home depot, and fits our room decor, and that the cat and dog won't chew on. To feel secured is to get good connections.

* I agree; from those measurements above we can feel safe with either type.