Why do digital cables sound different?


I have been talking to a few e-mail buddies and have a question that isn't being satisfactorily answered this far. So...I'm asking the experts on the forum to pitch in. This has probably been asked before but I can't find any references for it. Can someone explain why one DIGITAL cable (coaxial, BNC, etc.) can sound different than another? There are also similar claims for Toslink. In my mind, we're just trying to move bits from one place to another. Doesn't the digital stream get reconstituted and re-clocked on the receiving end anyway? Please enlighten me and maybe send along some URLs for my edification. Thanks, Dan
danielho
Kijanki, let me make sure I am tracking with you. You are saying that jitter is important. That jitter can also result from cable induced errors. That re-clocking at the DAC does not necessarily correct for all/any errors related to jitter that could occur during delivery of the raw digital signal through a cable. Does it follow that some digital cables are better at delivering digital signals free of or with less added jitter?

On a related note, in theory or in measurement, can a digital signal be corrupted in a cable, say due to exposure to strong EMF, to the point where 1s and 0s are actually deleted or unreadable at the DAC. I.E. outright data loss?
"Does it follow that some digital cables are better at delivering digital signals free of or with less added jitter?"

I cannot speak for K. but clearly there are always differences between two products. The question is more how much these matter in practice. I tend to think that any good quality product will deliver excellent results for most people in most cases. There are probably always exceptions though.

"On a related note, in theory or in measurement, can a digital signal be corrupted in a cable, say due to exposure to strong EMF, to the point where 1s and 0s are actually deleted or unreadable at the DAC. I.E. outright data loss?"

That's a good question. Of course it is possible. DIgital gear is inherently a source of noise and may be affected as well. I think the former is a much bigger problem than the later. I encounter it to a great degree with my setup. Noise control is important. SOme wires may shield against it better than others and I think that can make a difference in most cases where detailed listening is involved.
There are obviously some on here that do not know how music is represented digitally.
Jstropp - read my user name. Please improve the situation - how exactly is music represented digitally?