Here's the crux of the digital cables issue - try to get away with none - it's much better 
I have tried this for both the USB connection & the SPDIF connection - in both cases a direct connection without cable sounds much better & acts as the benchmark to measure cables against. It's an interesting experiment & worth trying.
What you also find is that using a short (10cm) USB & SPDIF cable works just as well.
In the case of USB cable there is more to it than length - you have to deal with the +5V (Vbus) wire in a way that doesn't have an influence on the D+/D- signal wires!
Correct Characteristic impedance & uniformity of the cables might be important but length seems to be the primary determinant.
I have tried this for both the USB connection & the SPDIF connection - in both cases a direct connection without cable sounds much better & acts as the benchmark to measure cables against. It's an interesting experiment & worth trying.
What you also find is that using a short (10cm) USB & SPDIF cable works just as well.
In the case of USB cable there is more to it than length - you have to deal with the +5V (Vbus) wire in a way that doesn't have an influence on the D+/D- signal wires!
Correct Characteristic impedance & uniformity of the cables might be important but length seems to be the primary determinant.
