Mzkmxcv 6-2-2019
If the data is reclocked, then the amount of jitter caused by the cable or the source is irrelevant as long as the clock doesn’t lose lock.
This assumes that the reclocking circuitry performs in a theoretically ideal manner. Meaning that it reduces jitter to zero, or at least to below the threshold of audibility, whatever that threshold may be. And it assumes the circuitry is able to do that despite the presence of noise or other spurious high frequency spectral components that it may be exposed to. And in my earlier post in this thread I cited several ways in which such exposure can occur, that would be cable sensitive.
The quoted statement furthermore assumes that such noise or other spurious high frequencies that may be introduced into the component receiving the signal will not find a path by which some of their energy may bypass the reclocking circuitry altogether. For example via grounds, power supplies, or stray capacitances. Thereby potentially affecting jitter at the point of D/A conversion, or even affecting analog circuitry further downstream as a result of effects such as intermodulation or AM demodulation.
Now, can I prove that these possibilities can be great enough in degree to account for many or most of the reported perceptions of differences between digital cables? Of course not. It would seem to be a safe bet that no one here is in a position to either prove or disprove such explanations. But one thing I certainly learned during my career designing high tech analog and digital circuits (not for audio) is that circuits do not necessarily perform in an idealized manner, and signals and noise do not necessarily only have influence on circuit points to which the schematic shows a path.
There have been many occasions here over the years in which I’ve expressed skepticism about effects that have been reported which strike me as being technically implausible and/or impossible. And in which I’ve expressed the view that the claimed effects were likely the result of either inadequately thorough methodology, failure to recognize and control extraneous variables, or misperception. But when anecdotal evidence reaches the point of seeming to me to be overwhelming, as it does in this case, and when a considerable amount of that evidence comes from members whose perceptions I have come to respect over the years, and when the credibility of technical explanations that can be envisioned comes down to uncertainty about matters of degree, I no longer feel skeptical about the existence of differences. Which is not to say, however, that the existence of differences necessarily means that a $4K cable will sound better than a much less expensive cable, even in a very high quality and resolving system. That is a different question altogether.
Regards,
--Al
