AES/EBU vs XLR cables for digital connection

@cooper52 You might get lucky using an analog interconnect (both regarding no signal dropouts and/or good sound quality) but there are reasons for using digital-specific interconnects:

First, impedance is very important in supporting the timing and clocking of transmitting packets of data from the source to the DAC. AES cables follow a 110ohm resistance to support this timing specifically. With proper timing of packet transmission and reconstruction, the digital signal will produce an analog signal that sounds completely in focus. If it is not, it is similar to a photo taken with a lens just slightly out of focus, which may be a bit "blurrier", or it may even result in added dropouts to the signal.

Second many digital cables implement grounding and shielding a little bit differently to preserve jitter from affecting the delicate signal while still aiding in the speed of the transmission of the data. This can result in less noise/fatigue vs analog cables of the same make/model.

But as mentioned, there's no risk in experimenting. Using analog cables in the digital chain shouldn't break anything.

@xboom Just for clarification, not that many DACs will reclock an AES signal. With the AES interface, the clock from the digital source is preferred and the internal DAC clock is generally not utilized. Of course, with USB, the DAC reclocks with its own internal clock. Why some people prefer one cable interface over another is not always because of how the cable sounds, but because of the clock that is employed in the chain.