Some people of course, like an analytical sound. But it is less enjoyable to listen to.

Obviously, it is *more* enjoyable to listen to for those who like it

OK, I think I understand (the words), but I am not quite sure I can imagine 'too much detail' in totaly flat sound (that is, if it is genuine detail and not artifact of extreme nonlinearity). My reference when listening to a record is original unamplified sound in a good concert hall (where aplicable ) I will have to try and find something familiar that a respectfull house has published on both vinyl and CD from the same masters, and compare. (Note, please, that here my double-blind criterion does not apply: I just try to find out what I *like* more, not what is 'better' by any other definition.) Any suggestions?

The toslink cables don't have a clock signal. The receiving end makes intelligent guesses. ;-) Not a big deal really. -- The point I'm putting forth is it is possible to interfere with a digtal signal on a metal cable, while it is not easy to mess up the same signal on an optical medium.

I know it doesn't have a clock signal. I certainly hope that this 'intelligent guess' is PLL or something equivalent. I wanted to say that it takes 'very' deformed (or drowned in noise) signal to throw the PLL off the balance or confuse input buffers to DAC. Glass fibre (not to mention plastic) also introduces noise and deforms the signal (mostly owing to dispersion - the same effect responsible for chromatic abberation in lenses). Granted, it is not susceptible to EM noise, but I think that it takes at least an arc welder or Tesla coils in the same room for toslink coax to pick up enough noise to matter.

As for the value of $8000 cables--like I said, there is a point of diminishing returns. Psychology aside, below the point of diminishing returns the quality, features and construction differences can be discerned.

Construction differences, and especially price differences, can certainly be discerned, but that is irrelevant. I would suppose that we are introducing those monstrosity in order to *hear* the difference. If double blind test shows we *do not*, then we are at or bellow the point of *no* return, not diminishing returns.