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Brian asked: “When using an audio hookup from either a computer or a PS4, between the fiber optic compared to the ‘regular’ HDMI audio that most people are using, which would benefit you more in sound? I’ve tried both ways and really don’t hear a difference at all”
Brian, HDMI is newer and supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio, which the older TOSLINK connectors do not.
Frankly, you likely won’t notice any difference, but HDMI has largely replaced fiber optic, but many people with expensive older systems still use fiber optic to get comparable high quality audio.
Many people with expensive older systems still use fiber optic to get high quality audio.
You asked which would benefit you more, the answer is probably HDMI because it supports some modern standards that TOSLINK does not, having said that, like you experienced, it will be very hard to notice the difference if you’re not a big audiophile. Just go with whatever is easiest for you, you probably won’t notice much of a difference.
We should also note that the quality of the sound system being used to produce the audio will likely have a much greater effect on how well it sounds than the interface used for the connection.
But, yeah, go with HDMI. Easier and more versatile.