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Yet, coding of spectral information remains a bottleneck because each electrode broadly activates the auditory nerve. As light can be more conveniently confined\u00a0in space, optical (o)CIs present an alternative. Here, we combined expression of the potent channelrhodopsin ChReef in spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) with oCIs comprising 5\u201310 green LEDs in gerbils. This combination enabled systematic comparison of encoding intensity and spectral information by individual oCI channels to acoustic and electrical stimulation within a translationally feasible energy range. Recordings from the inferior colliculus (ICC) showed that ChReef aligned SGN light sensitivity with LED radiant fluxes: ICC activity had thresholds &lt;200 nJ and reached a maximum equivalent to that achieved with 51\u2009dB SPL pure tones. Multichannel oCIs enabled tonotopically ordered, spectrally distinct stimulation that more closely resembled acoustic stimulation than did electrical stimulation. Some LEDs elicited multiple spectral peaks at higher intensities. Linear discriminant analysis of ICC activity indicated improved channel discriminability for optical over electrical stimulation. 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