[timc3]

Seems to be some kind of DRC.

$10K digital audio cables are never a good idea.

I remember I went to some audiophiles house once to demo some speakers, and his "hobby" seemed to have taken over the house and common sense. He had crazy expensive audio equipment and some of the thickest cables I have seen, with the cables all suspended on little bridges.

All this in a room which was basically a square brick construction with glass windows on 3 sides, no thought to any treatment. He didn't seem to understand that the room was effecting the sound more than any DAC, Amp, Cable, or any of the other voodoo that was going on. I couldn't properly demo the speakers because of a particular standing wave. I concluded he probably had a hearing problem, he concluded he needed to upgrade a cable.