Converters / Clocks

Why would you want to play around with the filtering characteristics of a D-A converter?

Will I lose signal quality using a poor quality ADAT cable? 

My own setup is an Audient ASP880 preamp connected via ADAT to an Avid HD Omni working with Pro Tools 12.4 HD Native. Is it better to set the Audient as master for recording (and the Omni as slave)?

Please could Hugh Robjohns write a comprehensive article explaining the operational advantages and disadvantages of using a...

With reference to A-D/D-A converters, what exactly is an 'alias'? How and when do they occur?

My Focusrite ISA428 is connected to my Emu 1212M soundcard via ADAT, and my SPL Channel One is connected via S/PDIF. If I sync the clock on the Emu to the SPL, for example, will I then need the 1212M's sync board to send a Word Clock signal to the Focusrite ISA428?

Will it make a big difference to my sound if I connect an inexpensive CD player with a digital out to a high-quality D-A?

How does a converter actually make an analogue signal into a digitally represented signal? What are a converter's components that enable such A-D conversion?

I'm having some problems understanding exactly how audio-to-video synchronisation works. Can you explain?