A guy at the local "Hi End" shop informed me that the only difference in Toslink cables is the connectors. The better cables have a connector that has a tighter seal. This is about light traveling from one unit to another, if the connection is not totally tight, you could literally lose information during the transmition. I have the Straightwire $50, it sounds better and the connectors snap a little more secure than a friends phoenix gold.
my 2 cents
my 2 cents