Is it the length of the cable that could be the culprit or is it the design/construction differences?
Or was it ???-The characteristic impedance of the cable. That is why length is immaterial.
If the characteristic impedance of the cable is incorrect, there will be reflections that cause errors. This can lead to an inability for the DAC to lock onto the signal. The right cable is all that's needed. Not all high end cable manufacturers understand this, so you see a lot of variance. One cable manufacturer that does get this right is Purist Audio.