With this cable manufacturer, I can order any length, is there an "ideal" length, or are there too many system dependencies to determine this?
Summarizing all that has been said, I would put it that a length of 1.5 meters (which is virtually the same as 5 feet, to within less than an inch), stands a better chance of being ideal than any other length. But as have been cited there are many system dependencies and cable type dependencies which conceivably could result in other lengths being better in some cases.
In this case, if you decide that the 6' cable you have is preferable to the 3' cable, my suspicion is that changing the 6' cable to a 5' cable of the same type would be unlikely to make a significant difference.
Regards,
-- Al