Why do digital coax cables matter?

"How user can possibly know that wire or system meets the specs?"

You can't. The best option for consumers is to read the reviews from a reputable reviewer and then try one.

"In noisy system (external or internal noise) it is better to get fast switching transport getting more of reflections but in very quiet system it might be better to get slower switching transport to minimize reflections."

Have you tried it? It sounds nice in theory, but usually does not work well.

"Are you saying that, assuming some impedance mismatch, 1.5m cable will be always better than 6" cable (that I used not long ago)?"

No, 6" cables are generally not commercially available. I'm saying that a 0.5m or 1m cable will not be as good as a 1.5m cable. In order to actually get 6" total, you would need probably a 3" cable since there is cable in the transmitting and receiving device.

Jitter measurements are a rat-hole IMO. Jitter has never been effectively correlated with SQ anyway, and based on my experience, it is very dependent on the spectral signature of the jitter. Single jitter measurements are useless to say the least.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Surprised nobody has mentioned the SPDIF clock which is an analog RF waveform (if I'm not mistaken) that must stay in sync with the data.

Not sure if AES/EBU any better in that regard, but it is supposed to be easier to guarantee impedance match (110 ohm in this case).

Some manufacturers like Sonic Frontiers implemented an I2Se interface to avoid these issues.

I guess my message is, if you supposedly need a $500+ coax cable to get the job done then maybe you need to choose a better interface. Stack the deck in your favor at least, don't be a victim!

"Perhaps you didn't test the right cables, or your preamp creates enough distortion, noise and compression that you dont hear the benefits because they are masked. This is fairly common when using an active preamp. I dont use a preamp, so I dont experience this masking anymore. It's a system after all, so every component and cable matters."

Maybe. But I do hear differences in most everything else I tweak beside digital source and ICs. So I think I have the relative magnitude right at a minimum. I hear a lot of systems and live music and I do not hear any distortion or dynamics issues of significance, but of course we know such things are always in play to some extent in home audio.

Huge thanks for that eloquent explanation Steve. I was hoping you would see this thread. It's making much more sense to me now. One of the best threads on these Audiogon forums I have read in fact. Thanks again.

"Some manufacturers like Sonic Frontiers implemented an I2Se interface to avoid these issues."

I2S is available on Empirical Audio, PSAudio, Wired for Sound and other gear. Some SE and some differential.

Even I2S requires a good cable. Actually more-so than S/PDIF because the frequencies are a lot higher on I2S.

"I guess my message is, if you supposedly need a $500+ coax cable to get the job done then maybe you need to choose a better interface. Stack the deck in your favor at least, don't be a victim!"

Like what interface? They all need good cables.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio