@kota1
This is an excellent study of analog interconnects used in audio. First, note its from a peer reviewed journal, Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering. Next, note that the author IS a scientist and has received many awards such as CASE and Carnegie US Professor of the Year. Finally, note the extensive (45) references that are listed in the bibliography. The author doesn’t post a video of himself to try and promote his own study.
The fact that this paper proves the videos and research you often see (in this thread from newer guest members) are inaccurate and incomplete is fine. You do what you can with what you got, but please don’t be so irksome about it. Please enjoy this third party, peer reviewed research from an actual award winning, highly respected scientist
An electrical study of single-ended analog interconnect cables
Interesting study indeed. What it showed that one needs to use a square pulse with duration of ~1.5 microseconds to see the cables reacting significantly differently. I submit that such a pulse doesn’t faithfully represent a typical audio signal.
However, one can imagine sources of such pulses in a line-level audio cable:
(1) Sloppy filtering and isolation of the reconstructed signal by a DAC. Ideally, the DAC ought to get rid of out-of-band frequency components (let’s say down to -100 db), and also isolate its internals from the output connector by using some kind of a voltage amplifier or follower stage.
(2) Interference from external sources. Digital devices, specifically, are known to use square pulses to encode information: it can be computers, Ethernet devices, WiFi, mobile phones. Ideally, such devices ought to be carefully shielded and placed far enough away from audio equipment.
However, life is imperfect. A DAC may be overly simplified, or using components, such as capacitors, with out of design range specs, due to cost cutting. Aging of components may play its role too. Digital devices could radiate more electromagnetic radiation than expected, for various reasons.
In such dicey situations, a better shielded, beefier, more uniform cable can indeed to some degree ameliorate audible issues stemming from unfiltered DAC residuals, the EMI, and RFI. Then we’ll hear audible differences.
Testing cables under conditions close to ideal like Amir does - DAC is well-designed and well-built, there is no significant EMI and RFI in the vicinity - may show no audible difference.