I would go with USB!
Optical (Toslink):
- Pros:
- Uses light to transmit data, eliminating electrical interference.
- Ideal for connecting directly to a soundbar or AV receiver.
- No electrical noise transmission.
- Cons:
- Limited bandwidth (usually up to 96kHz).
- Not suitable for high-quality surround sound formats like Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio.
- Verdict: Good for simplicity and avoiding electrical noise
- Coaxial (RCA):
- Pros:
- Greater bandwidth (supports up to 24-bit/192kHz audio).
- Tends to sound better than optical due to higher quality.
- Commonly found in AV receivers and integrated amplifiers.
- Cons:
- Potential transfer of electrical noise.
-
USB:
- Pros:
- Sends digital data directly.
- Widely used for computer audio interfaces.
- Supports high-resolution audio formats.
- Cons:
- May introduce jitter (timing variations).
- Depends on the quality of the DAC (digital-to-analog converter).
- Verdict: Suitable for computer-based audio systems2.
- Pros:
-
In summary:
- Coaxial tends to provide better audio quality than optical due to its higher bandwidth.