Why do digital cables sound different?

dtf: yeah, and i bet your wife/girlfriend is indistiguishable from nicole kidman. or is that just the placebo effect?

I have to say they DO sound different. I don't know why. They DO! I tried 4 different cheap to mid priced cable and they all sound diffrent. I am using the Music meter amd MIT T3 for DVD and CD player respectively. If you cant't tell any difference, probably your system is mid resolution or yor ears might be......

What amazes me about the cynics' justifications for not hearing differences in digital cables is, when all is said and done, the same things that made the "all (analog) cables sound the same" debate of several years ago. First of all, not everyone's hearing is as developed or sensitive as that of some. So it is possible that some simply can't and never will be able to hear these differences. More interesting however is how reluctant many are to give music, that which all of these toys are trying to reproduce, the proper respect. Music(sound) is so complex, so beautifully subtle. Is it so difficult to imagine that there are still many aspects of sound as it relates to recorded music that have yet to be properly explained or even identified? Not to me. Why do we assume that there has to be an explanation "now". The very things that make us want to listen to certain music, the emotion, the mystery; how on earth can these things be quantified? They can't be. Not yet anyway.

I understand that, in theory, there shouldn't be a difference. However, in my system there are clear (but sometimes subtle) differences bewteen HAVE Canare Digiflex Gold, Transparent (regular old 75 ohm video cable), generic BNC and the Monarchy (solid teflon core) that I'm using now. It is also easy to distinguish between the BNC and SPDF outputs (this is simply a matter of imedance). The best combination is using the BNC (true 75 ohms with adapter) and the Monarchy. The solid teflon core really does make a difference -- there are white papers available to expalin why this works, contact Monarchy Audio for copies or more information. By the way, this interconnect is not expensive. Under $100 and there really is a significant and very audible difference. This is the only digital interconnect that I noticed a huge improvement with -- something about the solid teflon core actually makes a difference. Go figure.

I don't care what any of the critics say there is a difference. I replaced an audioquest digital pro with an illuminati D60 with Meridian gear years ago and the difference was gigantic for me. How that skinny little wire can make such a difference is unbelievable, I liken it to power cord upgrades from stock - immediate and significant improvement.