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Directional cables. Explain??

badger748

badger748

Former bacon enthusiast
Cables carry a signal right?
So why on interconnect and speaker cables do you often see arrows pointing a certain way - to or from source or amp - how can this be?
Surely the signal will travel up the piece of cable the same way?

Nonsense or is there any fact or science to this?

Just wondered as moved house and setting it all up again - and keep seeing these arrows !
 
If it`s a screened cable with the screen terminated at one end only to avoid ground loops it MAY matter - otherwise it`s tosh.
 
Not to mention the fact that the signal is carried on an alternating current (setting aside dc bias or offset, if any)
 
Just have them pointing in the right direction, if you don't you will agonise over it. Is it the electrons than move one way or the "holes " that move the opposite way?

Rgds
Stuart
 
If I could be arsed I'd try a pair of interconnects going opposite ways and see if the whole thing falls apart or even affects what I am listening to.

Makes some people happy I guess
 
What Barry says.
Now go and wash your hair with Silvikrin Pro Vitamin Z shampoo with added antioxidant platelets. You'll feel better. Just make sure you rinse your hair from the top of the strand downwards. Pat it dry with a cotton towel.
Yes, it's bull. But it sells stuff and people think they are getting something special.
 
It's not so much getting them in them in the right direction, as you say, what happens if don't !
Ahem - shouldn't have bloody moved house.....
 
One commonly offered theory for cable directionality is that when the cable is drawn, this stresses the material greatly and creates lots of tiny stress fractures or grain boundaries in the copper. These act like a diode, the effect is no doubt very subtle, but the argument is that current flowing in the direction the cable was drawn is less affected by these grain boundaries than current flowing 'against the grain'. Hence the directionality.

I've heard differences in interconnects connected one way and then the other, though it's not something I'd die in a ditch over. My current cables are among the very best I've heard and are not marked with any directional arrows. I observe directional markings when they have them, and don't fret when they don't. Why would you do anything else?
 
At least one cable manufacturer says it doesn't matter which way you start with, but don't change it thereafter. I don't know if it matters personally, but I do know that cables sound different. Which is partly why I make my own, so I can experiment. Plaited UP-OCC silver ICs at the moment. And I put an arrow on them so I know which way round they are.
If I ever get really bored I may try swapping ends. Really, really bored.
 
I know of at least one cable manufacturer who is obliged to mark his cables for directionality as the market expects it.
 
Don't forget that if you are concerned and the connections allow you can test and listen yourself. If doesn't cost anything. Then you can come back to us with the results. Nothing wrong with trying things yourself.
 
It's one of those areas where the science is definitely iffy but the effect is definitely observable.

I make a lot of my own IC's out van Damme speaker cable and find them to be directional. I have a degree in physics but have no ability to explain this observation, but accept that there probably is an explanation.
 
I think it was DNM that claimed it was something to do with the manufacturing process (for their solid core wire at least), but it "goes away" over time. Something about how the insulation (I think) holds a charge in the direction the insulation was applied over the wire. As current passes through it the effect dissipates, so there's no worry about direction after that.
I'm going by memory, so the DNM Reson website probably explains it better.
 
Sue Pertwee-Tyr said:
One commonly offered theory for cable directionality is that when the cable is drawn, this stresses the material greatly and creates lots of tiny stress fractures or grain boundaries in the copper. These act like a diode, the effect is no doubt very subtle, but the argument is that current flowing in the direction the cable was drawn is less affected by these grain boundaries than current flowing 'against the grain'. Hence the directionality.

I've heard differences in interconnects connected one way and then the other, though it's not something I'd die in a ditch over. My current cables are among the very best I've heard and are not marked with any directional arrows. I observe directional markings when they have them, and don't fret when they don't. Why would you do anything else?
Click to expand...

But it is an AC signal, so the current is going in one direction in one of the conductors and a moment later in the other direction. At the same time the current is flowing in the opposite direction in the other conductor.
So it is blindingly obvious that even if there is some diodic bollox going on, the fact that music is an alternating current would mean it would not manifest itself as cable directionality.
If music was DC and the signal did indeed flow down one cable and back up the other... diodic bollox would still make sweet FA difference.

This is just one of the ridiculous explanations used.

If you hear a difference it certainly isn't because of this.
 
What I have learnt:

If you hear a difference, that's cool

If you don't hear a difference, that's also cool

If you ask to explain why you hear or don't hear a difference, that's not cool. Chaos ensues.
 
JayM481 said:
I think it was DNM that claimed it was something to do with the manufacturing process (for their solid core wire at least), but it "goes away" over time. Something about how the insulation (I think) holds a charge in the direction the insulation was applied over the wire. As current passes through it the effect dissipates, so there's no worry about direction after that.
I'm going by memory, so the DNM Reson website probably explains it better.
Click to expand...
So now you need to try some AudioQuest cables with battery bias applied to the insulation. ;) I have and they sounded good. Don't ask me to explain why, though.
 
If there is some diode or similar effect, it may be important that both cables are both the same way around, so that the total effect is the same for AC signals, if you see what i mean
 
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