The Absolute Sound "review" of USB cable reads suspiciously like a press releaste


I mean c'mon—can't you even throw in a few according-to-the-manufacturer's?

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/nordost-purple-flare-usb-cable/?mc_cid=1f41b2b3b4&mc_ei...
john_g
Stochastic is random, such as the addition of noise to a voltage level.
Deterministic is due to the interference of the pulses (they're usually called symbols) with each other due to the fact that the bandwidth of the interconnect is not infinite and as a result the edges get "smeared". Because the edges are at variable times relative to one another the amount of interference varies from each bit of data to the next. This causes the point in time at which the data is detected to also shift from bit to bit causing jitter relative to the average. These two effects combined (plus other second order effects) are responsible for deterioration in the sound if they are not corrected. If the shift is too large the transition will not be correctly detected at all and the bit is either lost or misplaced and a data error occurs and is flagged by the CRC.
I'm not using technical jargon to obscure the issues. Quite the contrary.
I'm happy to explain, however I'm also trying to avoid being condescending (and imprecise) in avoiding its use. Sometimes terms with precise meanings are necessary to add clarity to an issue, and sometimes those terms require a great deal of explanation that would just cause people to turn off. Better to try and explain as requested...
@wynpalmer4,

I appreciate and respect your background on this matter and would like to know, or clear up, the matter of the signal being corrupted when being transmitted by a poorly made USB cable. 

First, did you read the link I provided on the previous page and if so, did it correctly describe what happens with USB transmission?

Second, if so, then does it make sense that a corrupted data stream cannot be faithfully reconstructed on the receiving end?

All the best,
Nonoise
Download your digital media onto a computer. The ripping process includes CRC checks for bit perfection. That way you can be certain that the bits out are what was intended to be recorded on the original medium and any discrepancies will be flagged.
This also applies for any lossless compression schemes such as FLAC.
After that, well you still need to have quality retiming etc.
Are there any online reviewers you can actually trust these days?
I want to upgrade my system but all the High End stereo places
went out of business in my area and all that is left is Best Buy.
6moons seems like a decent site but I have no idea if the reviewers
are accurate or not.  (Thanks)