Why do digital cables sound different?

09-03-08: Rja
I am asking your experience with digital cables since you seem to know quite a bit about them as well as peoples perceptions of them. Surely your opinions must be based on something. Very simple Palerider."

Really? From where do yoy get that? To repeat myself; I avoid spending time on confusing theorys trying to tell why they sound different, I only conclude they shure do.
When some find it hard to hear any difference it might be simply because the involved cables do not vary that much, most doesn`t. To evaluate a digital coax you`ll need an AT&T optical reference. They outperform any overpriced mumbo-jumbo "hifi-coax" I`ve ever heard. All but the TV-coax Vivanco KX-710 :P

I'm not making ANY statements or claims about digital cables although I've listened to and owned quite a few including a number of very highly thought of cables.
You're making statements and expressing opinions on both digital cables and peoples perceptions of them. I don't think it's unreasonable to ask what you're basing your opinions on, is it? Simply put, what is your experience with digital cables? Is that just too crazy a question to ask?
I put more value in posts that state: Here's the cables I've listened to with such and such equipment, here's what I heard and here's what I think. That I can accept. Such opinions have some value to many of us.
Blanket statements with no reference point are pretty much meaningless. Nuff said!

If you`ve ever had the opportunety to use a AT&T digital as a reference you would know what I mean.

Palerider,
Why do you assume no one here has used AT&T digital cables?
And why do you consider it better than other digital interconnects?
You keep making statements with no supporting information.

Hi Neilejhunt, thank you for your explanation of the jitter issues with S/PDIF. I have a question. How about the new wave of using Ipods with the docking stations that can extract the digital information right off the Ipods? What is here the difference with a CD-player? Is using an Ipod + docking station a superior way of digital music reproduction in comparison with the optical way? This is quite difficult to believe for me because when CD data is stored into a hard drive the data should be read first using an optical device, so you can't skip this procedure.
CD --> optical read out --> I2S signal --> S/PDIF --> Ipod (hard disk) --> DAC receiver --> D/A conversion.
Btw, the Ipod/Wadia 170 combination sounds as good as my expensive MBL 1621 transport! This is plain weird, why should we buy such expensive transports in the first place? Does any of you have the same experience?

Chris