Trigger cable and the Configurator

[Axel]

So help me understand... is the purpose of the trigger cable solely to enable inputs on the Companion?    If I want to enable the Pre-outs on the companion (for headphones) but do not need inputs on the Companion, I don't need a trigger cable but I will need to run the chaining cable SPDIF -> AES/EBU.    Is that correct?

I'm not sure about the exact purpose of the trigger cable, but apart from that you are correct. This is exactly how I run my setup.