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Why do digital cables sound different?

I have been talking to a few e-mail buddies and have a question that isn't being satisfactorily answered this far. So...I'm asking the experts on the forum to pitch in. This has probably been asked before but I can't find any references for it. Can someone explain why one DIGITAL cable (coaxial, BNC, etc.) can sound different than another? There are also similar claims for Toslink. In my mind, we're just trying to move bits from one place to another. Doesn't the digital stream get reconstituted and re-clocked on the receiving end anyway? Please enlighten me and maybe send along some URLs for my edification. Thanks, Dan
danielho
bazza
13 posts
 
To my ear and eye solid silver wire sounds best for digital signals. You only need to see what a solid silver HDMI cable does for a plasma TV to know. The irony is that silver is the worst conductor for analog signals (at least to my ear)
frogman
7,466 posts
 
****The irony is that silver is the worst conductor for analog signals (at least to my ear)****

Not quite. Silver is the worst conductor for analog signals because of the way that many audiophiles tune their systems.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
The digital cables are carrying "analog" signals. They're all analog signals. You didn't think they were carrying 1s and 0s did you?
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,317 posts
 
"The digital cables are carrying "analog" signals."

Yes, but the signals are completely different in design and play by a different set of rules.
marqmike
841 posts
 
I am with Mapman. If I remember right the 'digital' in digital signals means digits. And we have 10 digits on our hands right. I think the signals are sent by sign language. Well the, they would sound different depending on how good of a signer sends the signals. Elementary Watson. Hope that helps. Signing off from mooshound lodge for now. If you don't find me handy hopefully you find me funny. Don't worry I kept my day job.
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