@soix - I bought two BJC Belden FEs - a 1ft and a 2ft, TBH have only been using the 2ft one for convenience as the 1ft would be a pain. That said I'll have to give the 1ft one a go.
I've read conflicting things re optimal cable length for digital cables, though expect it depends very much on the application. The main variable I've found for clock cables at least of which I've tried five is cable quality (conductor, shielding and termination quality) rather than length per se.
I should clarify the sound via U18 via I2S gives a very good sound too, it's just that the internal renderer is even better - the differences are probably very subtle to a casual listener. They both sound great, but to me the LAN is satisfyingly better.