optical or coaxial audio cable?

I didn't hear a gain difference. Instruments seemed more defined in space. Mind you, the difference was slight, but still noticiable. I've got both cables still attached, so I'll keep testing, too.

Nrenter...I suppose you realize that you can put the coax into one input and the optical into another, and switch back and forth without disconnecting any wires. Why not do the analog signal at the same time and cover all bases.

Nrenter....An afterthought...If the optical cable were defective, or improperly seated, the ROTEL would detect lack of a digital input, and would automatically revert to the analog signal (which you should have connected, per owners manual, so that you can send a signal to a recorder). Make sure that the optical signal is actually being used. Ditto for the coax.

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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Eldartford,

There is an element on the left side of the 1066 display that show whether the active input is "coaxial" or "optical".

I thought about including "analog" in the mix, but all I had was crap RCA cables, and I'm more interested in using the Denon DVD-2500 as a transport, and not use the Denon DACs.