DIRECTION OF SIGNAL FLOW VIA INTERCONNECTS

Many cables ARE directional, and they will not sound right (Cardas case in point) if they are going the wrong way - I have tried it and you really have to have the arrows going in the direction of the signal path (as stated above by others).

Thankfully, this thread has been free of the simplistic idea that the audio signal is alternating current. I will say from personal experience that on occasion I have found that having the shield attached to the preamp end or the source end sounds better. I have no real idea why this might be true, but it is very uncommon.

There also is the matter of wire drawing. Some manufacturers, Kondo, suggest that the direction of the cables to sound best has to consider the wire draw.

The safest way is to do what sounds better but start with the arrows going from the source toward the speakers.

"Thankfully, this thread has been free of the simplistic idea that the audio signal is alternating current."

Simplistic but true. However for interconnects the shielding should be connected at the source end, hence the arrows.

Xiekitchen: according to Cardas their cables are not directional. If the cable has arrow marks it coud be counterfeit.

Chris

Dazzdax:
You must be refering to all of the "newer" model Cardas cables - such as the Golden Reference (1 have a 1M pair of Golden Reference and they are non-directional). I assure you the older (90's) Quadlink, Hexlink, Golden Cross ARE directional and have arrows on the sleeves.