Directional speaker wires, what and why.

Even though wires operate "AC" the actual audio signal, I.e., the electromagnetic wave, is not alternating and flows in one direction only - in the direction toward the speakers. Thus, since the conductor is not physically symmetrical, it will sound different one direction vs the other direction. It's not brain surgery.

The speakers are attempting to replicate the waveform of the audio signal. The in and out excursions of the speaker diaphragms are controlled by the amplifier. If the speaker cables are reversed the audio waveform is inverted. Thus it sounds like someone is sucking on a trumpet instead of blowing it. Has nothing to do with wire directionality. The audio signal coming down the speaker cables is an electromagnetic wave.

On a hunch I switched the direction of my Analysis Plus interconnects recently and the difference was like night and day. I had read somewhere in cyberspace that the arrows on the AP interconnects should be in the reverse direction from Logic. Just goes to show how unreliable information on the Internet can be sometimes. Consistent Channelization of all cabling in the system is also quite important sonically as I found out.

Czarivey wrote,

"More likely because of fresh reconnection and nothing more.
Cleaner surfaces cleaner contacts. Treat with deoxit in addition to hear even better differences."

Uh, the contacts were already clean so your theory is incorrect, though interesting. Like fuses, all cables are directional. I did not create reality.

Chrissain, that is quite interesting. But I don't see how out gassing and oxidation on the conductor would make the cable directional. Furthermore, your explanation is a little troubling since it cannot account for directionality in fuses, for which there is no dielectric material.

Ptss wrote,

"Ask the manufacturer of such. My take is "basic economic principles" will ultimately dictate what Manufacturers will advise; based on wanting to remain profitably in business! No suprise there.Cable directionality can be based an a number of factors. One of the most basic being grounding issues. Once your system is adequately resolving--no mean feat I'm afraid--then an upgrade in even a power cable will be very apparent. Absolute polarity becomes very obvious and the phase reversal switch on a preamp becomes appreciated as essential to proper reproduction of the musical event."

Boy, did that skirt the whole issue of wire directionality. I'm pretty sure what we are talking about here is not a grounding issue, which is a real but separate issue. What we are talking about is why a wire, any wire, a fuse, an interconnect sounds better when connected in one direction that the other. This is true even for non shielded cables. Whether this is true for power cords as well, the jury is still out on that one, but I wouldn't rule it out. But the real underling issue here, if I can be so bold, is that IF wire is directional, not only fuses and interconnects and speaker cables are at risk here. All the internal wiring of electonics, the transformers, the wire in capacitors, the wiring in crossovers, internal speaker wiring...it's all directional! Hel-Loo!!