Many of my old Audioquest cables have arrows that indicate the recommended "direction" of the signal -- like if you're connecting a preamp to an amp, the interconnect should be oriented with the arrows pointing at the amp.
Likewise, for source components, the arrows should point away from the signal source and toward the preamp.
Supposedly, the interconnects had directionality that affected the sound, though I could never hear any difference.
I inadvertently reinstalled the digital cable between my transport and DAC once and my system literally sounded broken. That was a miserable 5 minutes until I figured out what I did wrong, and once the cable was installed back correctly all was well again. I have another digital cable with no arrows and the guy who designed it (Chris Sommovigo, RIP) told me it didn’t matter what direction it was installed and he was right — I couldn’t hear any difference installed one way or the other. Bottom line is, and as others have said, it seems to be very cable specific.
I spoke with Audience on this. They told me it is just a guide for people to reconnect the cables the same direction when they disconnect and reconnect. Flipping the direction of the cable is fine, it just takes some time to settle in if you do that. If you reconnect in the same manner as the original connection there is no need for the cable to resettle.
That makes the most sense to me. I would say reducing resettling. This has always amazed me… but fiddling around with cables requires them to “settle down”. One more thing experience teaches and no amount of thinking about it is going to get you there.
Well, troll or not, there is or at least was, an answer- here it is, better than I can word it-- not sure this is applicable to the current raft of cables, but
[link to post didn't work so here is plaintext:
"You are referring to a "floating shield" (one end 'floats' -- is not connected.) This is exactly to PREVENT any curent flow, which would result in hum and RFI being mixed with the audio signal (and thus winding up in your speakers!)
Having the shield connected at one end only does not prevent intercepted hum and RFI from draining to ground at the connected end.
In the old days ;~) single ended interconnects contained only one (center) conductor (+) and the shield carried the (-) signal, so it had to be connected at both ends. Then Bruce Brisson (owner of MIT cables) invented the "shotgun" single-ended interconnect while working for MonsterCable, which is what put MonsterCable on the map! It is called "shotgun" because it contains TWO signal conductors (double-barreled shotgun ;~) surrounded by a shield -- but since the shield no longer has to carry the audio signal, it can be 'grounded' at just one end, and can do its shielding job even more effectively.
Mr. Brisson provided these shotgun cables with ARROWS, which point to the end of the cable where the shield is connected to ground (no, the arrows have NOTHING TO DO WITH SIGNAL FLOW!) He did this specifically so that all interconnects could be installed with the grounded end of their shields connected to the preamp (yes, EVEN THE ONES BETWEEN THE PREAMP AND THE AMP!) That is because such a configuration is what's called 'Star Grounding' -- with the preamp at the center of the 'star'.
Star Grounding provides the quietest system; and in order to prevent ground loops, the preamp should be the ONLY component actually grounded to the wall. In the old days ;~) we generally put 'cheater plugs' on the (three prong) power cords of all other equipment, to prevent additional grounding points (which will always produce ground loops.)
Unfortunately, installing 'cheater plugs' can produce a, shock hazard if you are working on your system and remove the interconnects (and thus the ground connection) from a piece of equipment that has a cheater plug on it (for example: if you were adjusting the bias on a tube amp, which requires removing the input interconnects ;~) So be careful! Much of today's equipment (especially amplifiers) have switches on the back that allow you to 'float' (disconnect) that piece of equipment's audio circuits from ground, and thus eleminating the need for cheater plugs (the equipment's chassis is still grounded) and preventing you from accidentally electrocuting yourself!" nsgarch post regarding floating shields in the thread identified below.
By the way these are monster interconnects I’m talking about. It appears there is no way to tell the difference between RCA and digital cables. Monster never labeled there cables so once the original packaging is gone it's a problem
To another point, prompted by a comment up above, I have great difficulty typing and can’t use a computer anymore because controlling the mouse and using keyboard it’s too painful. I can’t touch the screen on an iPad without feeling pain and discomfort so the only thing I can do is voice control to an iPad. This is being dictated. But still even when things are dictated they require occasional touching the screen which is difficult so I limit myself in what I can do. I would love to be able to type freely to Xpress myself more so. Thank God I can voice control the Apple TV remote because the remote is too difficult to use also,
When I have shielded wires - I’ve started making my own interconnects - I ground the shield to the source.
Most manufacturers will have arrows on wires. If not, I use the writing on the wires as “arrows” having the signal follow the direction of the writing.
Analog audio is alternating current, the electrons are pushed and pulled down the cable for each wave of the signal. There is no overall direction, the push-pull is EXACTLY symmetrical so there are EXACTLY as many electrons travelling in one direction as the other averaged over time. This is the case for low level interconnects like RCA and also for speaker wiring. as @whart succinctly explains, the arrow indication on some interconnects is to identify the grounded end of a cable, where only one end of a separate shield is grounded, not the current flow direction of the signal itself.
It is also necessary to pay attention to @whart's point about safety: All equipment that is not Class II double insulated MUST be connected to the AC mains supply ground to ensure safety from electric shock, this in turn can lead to multiple grounded connections in a system, in turn setting up the conditions for a hum loop.
From time to time I have lifted the ground wire on amplifiers to treat this, which is NOT THE RIGHT WAY to deal with this. Unless you understand electricity and the insulation Class of all your equipment you should never disconnect the ground from anything connected to the AC mains supply.
The best way to completely prevent ground loops is with transformer isolation. You can isolate on the signal side with exotic and very expensive signal transformers, like Tamura, Hashimoto, Sowter, UTC, Lundahl and so on, or you can isolate the AC mains to the equipment (each one separately) with a common-or-garden AC isolation transformer.
In top recording studios both these methods are employed, along with balanced signal wiring. It is not trivially easy to do this right in a complex system. Unless you have actual hum, I would leave this topic well alone and use 'ordinary' cables grounded at both ends for interconnects.
Analog audio is alternating current, the electrons are pushed and pulled down the cable for each wave of the signal. There is no overall direction, the push-pull is EXACTLY symmetrical so there are EXACTLY as many electrons travelling in one direction as the other averaged over time.
That’s a myth.
The electrons do not carry the signal. The electrons really don’t move back and forth either. They vibrate in place and hardly move at all.
The signal does not travel back and forth in the conductor from the source to the load. It travels down the wire in on direction >>>> from the source to the load in the form of an electromagnetic wave at near the speed of light, in a vacuum.
The laws I want to talk about are the basic laws of electricity. I am not referring to circuit theory laws as described by Kirchhoff or Ohm, but to the laws governing the electric and magnetic fields. These fields are fundamental to all electrical activity, whether the phenomenon is lightning, ESD, radar, antennas, sunlight, power generation, analog or digital circuitry. These laws are often called Maxwell’s equations.
Utility power is electromagnetic wave energy where the wavelength is near 10 million meters. Lenses can direct light energy; waveguides can direct radar energy; and copper conductors can direct the energy at power frequencies. Thus, we direct energy flow at different frequencies by using different materials. We have learned how to control where we want the field energy to go.
If we accept the idea that fields carry energy in space, it must be true at all frequencies. That is the law. If it is true for light, it must also be true for 60Hz power and at DC. For utility power, the energy travels in the space between conductors, not in the conductors. This is not the picture presented by circuit diagrams, where energy seems to be carried by conductors. In digital circuits, the signals and energy travel in the spaces between traces or between traces and conducting surfaces.
Buildings have halls and walls. People move in the halls, not the walls. Circuits have traces and spaces. Signals and energy move in the spaces, not in the traces.
Very interesting post. I read about the floating shield cable design earlier in an article about a French audio writer named Jean Hiraga. This dates back to when Monster Cable was oversized zip cord and Interlink was coaxial…before the “balanced bandwidth” design was introduced, which I guess from your post was coincident with Bruce Brisson’s arrival there. Maybe Bruce read what I read, maybe he also took it further.
I also have heard it said that the open end should go to the component with the “lowest ground potential”, which can be determined by measurement , but your star ground discussion makes more sense…to me.
I'm sure I am not the FIRST one to mention this, but in case, Many manufacturers have discovered that the alignment in the copper atoms lines up in a way that makes them directional, Directional in how they transfer a signal the best, SO they actually mark the cables as to what direction they will operate at optimum levels.
You two are no better than the people you cast dispersions on.
we truly don’t believe we are better than others, in fact we come here to learn and help other real users
but i suspect we are indeed better than you, in that we don’t hide behind the keyboard and play anonymous tough guy... no courage required for that... just lame
@jjss49you were being a Richard to the OP. Belittling his post and called him a troll. And I am an ass for pointing out how big an ass you were to him. After he posted his explanation addressing your accusations, you are yet to admit you’re wrong. So you are here to learn and I presume teach and you only contributed by calling out the OP.
@esarhaddon: show me a physics textbook where wire directionality is mentioned and discussed. If such a property exists surely it would have been measured and quantified over the past two hundred years!
What's the fuss? If the cable has arrows, is it very hard to hook it up following those arrows? hardship much? Or put it opposite of the arrows if that's what your heart desires.
I assumed that it was common knowledge that the arrow always points away from the source, and ultimately toward the amplifier. I have no idea if it makes a difference, but I just do it that way anyway in case it does.
@jasonbourne52
Jason I would suggest you talk to the engineers at the manufacturers of these cables. They seem to feel they have something to talk about. If you wish to come after me I suggest you come after something that I ORIGINATED. I have spoken quite a bit about my own theories and designs. That is unless you are only exercising your typing fingers on your celliophone. Actually, show me in some Physics textbooks about Single Crystal Copper or OFC concerning conductivity. THe thing is, it's been a day or two since I have read any up-to-date physics books relative to the subject and I would doubt if there weren't some taking about this, at least in a theoretical manner.
After measuring the first two products (the PS Lambda and the Panasonic SV-3700), I went back and repeated my measurements to make sure the analyzer was giving consistent results, and that my test setup was correct. When I remeasured the SV-3700, I got about half the jitter than when I first measured it!
What caused this reduction in measured jitter?
Changing the direction of the digital interconnect between the transport and the jitter analyzer.
This phenomenon was easily repeatable: put the cable in one direction and read the RMS jitter voltage, then reverse the cable direction and watch the RMS jitter voltage drop. Although I'd heard differences in digital-cable directionality, I was surprised the difference in jitter was so easily measurable—and that the jitter difference was nearly double.
To confirm this phenomenon, I repeated the test five times each on three different digital interconnects. One was a generic audio cable, the other two were Mod Squad Wonder Link and Aural Symphonics Digital Standard, both highly regarded cables specifically designed for digital transmission. The generic cable wasn't directional: it produced the same high jitter in either direction. But both the Wonder Link and the Aural Symphonics had lower jitter levels overall, but different jitter levels depending on their direction. Moreover, the generic cable had higher jitter than either of the two premium cables—even in the latters' "high-jitter" direction.
If you don't believe any of this and think it's snake oil, then by all means continue that thought.
Most of my analog RCAs, digital RCAs, and XLR cables are from Morrow Audio, which uses individually insulated copper strands inside of it's cables. They recommend a longer "break in" period than others, and their cables are directional.....from the signal source. These are Litz design cables.
I also have AntiCables speaker cables that are also individually coated strands of copper wire....again Litz design cables. These also have a long break in period and are directlional from amp to speakers.
I have no idea why this works, but I have had email exchanges with both Mike Morrow and Paul Speltz at AntiCables regarding this. Some of it has to do with what they refer to as "skin effect", which is above my level of understanding. What I do know is (after break in) if I connect the cables in the opposite direction, there is an immediate degradation is sound quality.....easily noticeable, almost a haze over the sound, loss of detail, and with the speaker cables more sibilant.
Hook your components up with the arrows heading in the “correct” manufacturer recommended position. In the event that it actually makes an audible difference, a contentious point, all will be fine. That’s what I do, but I really don’t believe there is any difference and am just playing it safe. Come to think of it, I really don’t believe that high end cables make any difference either.
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