direction arrows on cables ...

[Willow]

Does this really matter ? i have direction arrows on my sub,svideo,dig-coax,and spaker cables. should the arrows flow away from source for the speaker cables ? or does it matter.

All my interconnectors flow away from source, but should the speaker cables ?

Thanks.

[woodman]

No, Willow - they don't.

Putting arrows on interconnects makes a teeny-weeny bit of sense, although if you hooked them up in the opposite direction the chances that you'd actually hear any difference at all would be about half way between slim and zilch.

Arrows on speaker cables on the other hand is total 100% bullsh*t. There is no reason for it whatsoever except for the marketing value of pretending that they're somehow exotic and "better than" speaker cables without such arrows.

Don't let the wire and cable charlatans scam you any further, will you?

[Mash]

buying interconnects and speaker wires that are too expensive? It costs a lot of moola to have a skilled technician put those arrows on there.

The signal is AC so what difference can it make, unless the end connectors are different.

If you reverse the wire arrows on ONE entire side of your system so that they point in an opposite direction relative to the entire other side and then pan the volume back and forth while playing a mono signal, does it make a difference? I doubt it will.

[Chas Underhay]

Does this really matter ? i have direction arrows on my sub,svideo,dig-coax,and spaker cables. should the arrows flow away from source for the speaker cables ? or does it matter.

All my interconnectors flow away from source, but should the speaker cables ?

Thanks.

The only possible reason for a direction arrow on a cable is because some manufacturers use a twin core and screen rather than the normal single core and screen. These are normally configured so that one core is used for the signal, the other core is used for the earth and the screen is connected to earth at one end only. Apparently this configuration is often used in the controls and instrumentation industry as is considered by some to be better than using the screen as the earth.

Regarding your speaker cables, I agree with the others 100% and unless your interconnects are two core, those arrows are even more bullsh1t.

[Tony_Montana]

These are normally configured so that one core is used for the signal, the other core is used for the earth and the screen is connected to earth at one end only. Apparently this configuration is often used in the controls and instrumentation industry as is considered by some to be better than using the screen as the earth.

The way I have read it, the screen "shield" is grounded at the source end (ie..CD player), but not connected at the destination end (Amp). So this way, the shield will drain [noise] at the source and doesn't contaminate the destination end. So usually the arrow point toward destination :)

[Chas Underhay]

The way I have read it, the screen "shield" is grounded at the source end (ie..CD player), but not connected at the destination end (Amp). So this way, the shield will drain [noise] at the source and doesn't contaminate the destination end. So usually the arrow point toward destination :)

This seems to be the way that the Hi Fi business has adopted it butt as far as I am aware, the original idea was to earth all of the screens at a single common point. That means for Hi Fi applications the common earth point would have to be the pre amp, both for signals in from sources and signals out to power amplifiers etc.

I doubt if it would make much difference in a Hi Fi application as the interconnects are so short. Industrial instrumentation cables can be hundreds of feet long which would allow a lot more potential difference between one end and the other.

I believe there is more information on the subject on Van Den Hul's web site.

At the end of the day, I've got confess to being a bit of a sceptic when it comes to Hi Hi cables and I think much of it is like The Emperor's New Clothes: "Only a wise man can hear the difference, to a fool it's inaudible.