coax/optical/cable question

[Dire McCain]

My new toys all have optical and coax connections as well as the basic old fashioned inputs.

Question is, is there a noticeable difference in sound quality using coax/optical versus theold fashoned wires? Or is it a matter of convenience and less clutter??

And, if quaklty is improved, is optical better than coax or vice versa? Or is all of this just new marketing ploys?

This HT stuff has come a long way since I had a dolby receiver back in '89...
damned sight more complicated, that's for sure...

[RichPA]

Whether a digital (either coax or optical) connection is better than a "basic old-fashioned" (analog) connection will depend primarily on the relative quality of the digital-to-analog conversion in the player and receiver. Given the choice, I usually prefer coax over optical, but often there is little if any difference.