[kitsunegari]

Hi, this is my first post on here but I have been using Head-Fi for many years. 
 
I need some quick advice / experience on iPod USB cable length and whether it could affect sound quality (in a noticeable way). 
 
I will try to keep it as short as possible but basically i connect my 64GB 4th Gen iPod Touch via the official apple universal dock direct to my SONY STR-DN1030's usb input using the official apple USB cable (stock 1m version I think) pic below. 
 
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2834/12857913853_5072652fb0_z.jpg
 
I have most of my digital music archived and tagged in FLAC on external HDD's (about 10% is Mp3 for files that were not available in lossless) but for most of my current music listening I use the above method running approx 85% ALAC and 15% Mp3 direct from my iPod to the receiver.  
 
Anyway, my SONY receiver has USB control for apple devices and enables remote control functionality using the receiver remote. However, I find that remote navigation strains the eyes (receiver display) and is slow and tedious (the more artists and albums on the iPod the longer in takes to browse, especially mid-alphabet material) not because it lags, it just takes forever to get there as the SONY just doesn't browse quickly. Holding the 'down' button on the remote takes about 1 second per artist/album....so, 1 minute to browse down to just the 60th artist/album on the iPod! then another minute+ to get back to say 'Arcade Fire' from 'Neil Young'.
 
I find it is much easier to browse on the iPod itself using the touch screen (while still connected to the receiver in the dock) which can browse the contents in seconds.....which finally leads to my question. 
 
Currently the dock sits in my AV stand next to the receiver (see pic), so browsing using touch is not possible from my sitting position and I have to get up to change tracks/albums/playlists.....which gets REAL annoying after a while.
 
Question: If I bought a 3rd party 10m apple USB lead and moved the dock next to my sitting position would this change the sound quality I would receive in any way? Obviously I would need 3rd party as I don't think apple sell an official 10m lead (or as far as I am aware). I have no experience with 3rd party or extended length apple cables. I do know HDMI and RCA can be affected by length though (I think??!!).
 
I have been experimenting with my lossless audio files for many years and I have been trying to find the best solution for the best sound quality paired with ease of use within my system. I have tried: 
 
FLAC from XBMC over HDMI (PC).
FLAC from VLC/FOOBAR2000/MPC-HC & ALAC from iTunes on my laptop over external S/PDIF Turtle Beach USB sound card.
FLAC from WD-TV media player over HDMI.
FLAC from SONY BDP-S4100 over HDMI.
ALAC from iPod over various connections. 
 
Out of all of those my current method gives me the best sound (something tells me my PC/laptop sound cards are rubbish) so I just need to find a file browsing solution within my current method that doesn't change the sound much...or preferably at all. The 10m USB option is the best I can think of (I want USB connection and not RCA to 3.5 jack).
 
I hope all that makes sense (long winded way of asking a simple question but it covers all bases) and I hope I have posted in the correct forum. Any advice/observations would be greatly appreciated!
 
Thanks. 

 

[bigshot]

If it doesn't work. you should be able to hear dropouts and glitches immediately. If the music plays through, the cable is fine. Any USB cable that meets spec should work.