Do I need an expensive digital cable?

So the answer is; are you interested in the technical quality of the audio signal being processed or the admiration and bragging rights of your system? If you're interested in true quality of sound, spend your money on things that affect sound quality, not cables, power cords, etc.  If your DACs use "asynchronous" transfer and "re-clocking," which effectively isolates the audio from cable-induced timing issues, you only need good quality compliant cables. Bits are bits. I've heard all the arguments about the digital signal being analog and subject to noise, amplitude, and jitter but that's why you spend your money on a good DAC. The only exception to spending a lot of money on a set of cables is if your in an electrically noisy envirenment, and if so fix that problem first. Don't get me wrong, I understand wanting a system that's the best of everything but it's not necessary for sound quality. Each to their own. Some hear "Yanni" and some hear "Laurel, and some pay over $16 million for a Pokemon card.

@richardbrand 

I do have a unique perspective on science, but that would be for a different forum. Regarding audio, however, I got into some big arguments with engineers in the Stereophile letters in the nineties, before Peterson bought them.

The argument: engineers proposed was  that decent wire (I can't remember their definition of decent) is all that is needed for speaker cable and (if I remember correctly) interconnects. My ears told me that wasn't true, so I accused them of being all left brain and said they should open up their right brains to empirical information that contradicts their long-held formulas. It got nasty.

From time to time I read articles on different DAC technologies, etc., and have an overall understanding. But as far as I am concerned, just let me listen to a piece of equipment and make up my own mind. I have been most affected by reviewers like the late, great Wes Phillips who I listened to carefully. I purchased a Conrad Johnson Premier 14 because he lauded it and got rid of an ARC LS22 because he opened my eyes to things I wasn't hearing, I'd been so seduced by the mid-range.

@audphile1 

Chatgbt can get pompous and dogmatic, so I also look elsewhere for information. Obviously, there are contradictory points of view on the web, and chatgbt forms an opionion from one set of data, leaving behind the other. As a writer, it is most helpful at finding words my old brain can't shake loose. 

@audio-b-dog 

I got into some big arguments with engineers in the Stereophile letters

I imagine the engineers got quite frustrated 

he opened my eyes to things I wasn't hearing

Pictures, maybe?

"engineers in the Stereophile letters” LOL

these guys are failed engineers! real engineers create/design things’ we are talking about! 

"cable-induced timing issues"

biggest variable in digital signal transmission is a Tx/Rx circuitry, which supposed to be optimized for variety of cables, typically outlined by interconnect technology Industry standard.