Why does my DAC sound so much better after upgrading digital SPDIF cable?


I like my Mps5 playback designs sacd/CD player but also use it as a DAC so that I can use my OPPO as a transport to play 24-96 and other high res files I burn to dvd-audio discs.

I was using a nordost silver shadow digital spdif cable between the transport and my dac as I felt it was more transparent and better treble than a higher priced audioquest digital cable a dealer had me audition.

I recently received the Synergistic Research Galileo new SX UEF digital cable.  Immediately I recognized that i was hearing far better bass, soundstage, and instrument separation than I had ever heard with high res files (non sacd),

While I am obviously impressed with this high end digital cable and strongly encourage others to audition it, I am puzzled how the cable transporting digital information to my DAC from my transport makes such a big difference.

The DAC take the digital information and shapes the sound so why should the cable providing it the info be so important. I would think any competently built digital cable would be adequate....I get the cable from the DAC to the preamp and preamp to amp matter but would think the cable to the DAC would be much less important.

I will now experiment to see if using the external transport to send red book CD files to my playback mps5 sounds better than using the transport inside the mps5 itself.

The MPS5 sounds pretty great for ca and awesome with SACD so doubt external transport will be improvement for redhook cds


128x128karmapolice
cakyo,
One would have to be delusional to believe they only have to spend $1000 to become superhuman... 
What a bunch of fools a whole bunch of posters are.
Is it arrogance maybe?

Denying others’ experiences smacks of ’holier than thou.’
"I don’t experience what you do, so I must be right."
99% of the time though, it’s "I haven’t heard the particular equipment but I’m going to express my biased opinion anyway."

Placebo is a word that is thrown around whenever anyone expresses their subjective experience of equipment, upgrades, tweaks. More used as an accusation, blatantly questioning intelligence.

This year I have upgraded speakers, cables, DAC/Power supply, fuses, power cables, mains filters, and a few other pieces/items.
On most of them, I have noticed a change in my musical experience for the good.

People who then state as fact that my experiences are false, are in my mind shallow, judgemental and not worth taking seriously.
Words of truth, jerrybj.

The term “placebo” is often used by those who actually know the difference between two or more substances, of which one causes a “non-effect” and another that causes an “effect.”

It seems to me that one cannot have a placebo unless one acknowledges something actually does bring about an “effect.” So one must first acknowledge the existence of a cable, for example, as having a bona fide change in SQ, before a placebo can even exist.

So it’s more than arrogance. It’s stupidity to suggest another’s experience is false or that another is being deceived when the poster typically has no experience with the product(s) in question, let alone the context in which the product(s) resides.

And there are are others who base their arguments on test results that they would likely admit their don’t fully comprehend to even critically adjudge the test construct’s legitimacy. Even more amazing are those who believe not hearing such differences when listening for them on an iPhone proves their point as being universally applicable to all audio systems...well, don’t get me started.