optical or coaxial audio cable?

After doing some experimentation on my own and talking to a dealer who also confirmed this, i think that most "commercial grade" Sony products work better using a high grade optical cable than they do using a coaxial cable. I found this out after trying several multiple hundred dollar coaxial digital cables on a Sony that i have and then switching over to a DH Labs plastic Toslink cable. The optical connection using the DH Labs cable sounded better in most every aspect over any of the other coaxial cables that i had tried. I am now running a glass Toslink for this connection that was purchased off of Ebay for the "princely sum" of $29 plus shipping.

Bare in mind that i'm not saying "Toslink is better" for all machines, just the non "super-duper" Sony's. Sean
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So, what you are saying is that all of these Fiber Optic cables that various phone companies are burying for long term use will all have to be dug up and replaced on a regular basis ? Sean
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If the cables are anywhere near heavily traveled roads, railroad tracks, construction zones, etc... the soil will constantly be shaking, vibrating and settling. This vibration will be transferred to the cables that are buried in the soil. Same things happen to very heavy buildings due to vibrations transferred through the ground i.e. foundations cracking, buildings shifting, etc.. If what Ellisonb said is true, these companies will be out digging up cables at random intervals having to deal with cable degradation. I sure hope he's wrong or we can expect a LOT of intermittent phone and / or high speed internet interruptions in the future. Sean
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I would only like to point out that when doing such tests, one is actually testing the "compatability" or "system synergy" of the components / cabling under test. Due to the variances in optical / coaxial and analogue output stages and those same design variations in input stages from component to component, it is quite possible that one person might favor a specific type of connection over another in System A, but someone else prefer a different type of connection in System B that uses different components.

I do agree that Eldartford's "test" is a good idea though and it will give one a good idea of what inputs / outputs seem to work best in that system. It has been my experience that changing cables can change those rankings though, suggesting that system building is basically a matter of trial and error and takes both time and experimentation. Sean
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