Osgorth, I think you've just done the test many here may have preferred you hadn't. Well done! From a technical point of view, there's no reason for digital cables to sound different provided they're made to a good basic standard, but there are plenty of audiophiles with bat ears who can 'hear' some amazing differences in various cables. I'm not surprized at your findings at all.
As for Drubin's comment about A/B comparisons; I've written in previous threads that this is the ONLY way to truly listen for discrete differences, as it allows the brain to do a true real-time comparison.
Long listening tests (where you listen for a longer period), then change cables and listen again requires you to compare the new sound to your memory of the first, which is less accurate IMHO. Not only are you relying on your memory of the sound, but you can introduce variations due to shut-down and restart of components, unlplugging and reconnecting cables and so on. Such comparisons work for hearing gross changes, but not the very small variations in digital cable sound.
As for Drubin's comment about A/B comparisons; I've written in previous threads that this is the ONLY way to truly listen for discrete differences, as it allows the brain to do a true real-time comparison.
Long listening tests (where you listen for a longer period), then change cables and listen again requires you to compare the new sound to your memory of the first, which is less accurate IMHO. Not only are you relying on your memory of the sound, but you can introduce variations due to shut-down and restart of components, unlplugging and reconnecting cables and so on. Such comparisons work for hearing gross changes, but not the very small variations in digital cable sound.