SH Spotlight Can you hear the "directionality" of interconnects and speaker wire? Kevin LaTour can.

To be honest, no....which is why, when I rejiggered my system years back, made a special point of saving all the interconnecting until last, to be absolutely sure everything was connected properly....something that is simple only if all your interconnects are identical...and mine remain mostly some kind of Monster connections, but not sure all of them are, been a lot of years.

 

Not really. This is why I go for wiring that I can afford that is well built.

 

I never bothered to find out, but I always pay attention to the directions of the arrows.

 

I did pay attention to the red/black indications.

 

I have never heard of this before. What do you listen for?

 

I've never bothered to find out if I could hear the difference but the directional cable I use for needledrops lowers the noise floor like 3 or 4 decibels further than my non-directional cable. It clearly rejects outside interference better.

 

I never played around with directionality of speaker wires.

Interconnect cables that have arrows may sometimes have reasons other than wire directionality in mind. Often the shield is 'telescoped' from one direction to the other. In other words, the shield will tied to the ground at one end but not on the other end. Often the shield is tied at the source end, but there are multiple opinions on this matter.

This does not necessarily mean there is not a conductor in the cable from source ground to destination ground. It just means that the shield is tied to that conductor at only one end.

I have noticed changes in sound by different grounding techniques such as this. The problem I often discovered which led to frustration was this. One way some records would sound better and the other way other records would sound better. I've often found this to be the case with many critical comparisions and it is indeed frustrating. Sometimes distortions seem to improve the sound of things and can fool you.

 

I never bothered to try (I should give it a go!), but I remember a buddy of mine buying a Monster Cable guitar cord when they first came out. I asked him how it sounded, and he said, "Good, but only if I plug it in backwards!" I think he said it sounded a little darker that way.

 

Nineteen anonymous "yes" votes so far, but no details? Come on, guys, fess up! I'm interested in hearing what you have to say even if I'm skeptical. Personally, I've never tried...

 

I don't hear the difference, and I don't see how others can and scientific instruments can't.

 

I think that there is difference in the directionality of a cable. But that is only for a while, like breaking them in. If you turn any cable around and listen the sound will be a little harsher for a while, but keep them in for a month, they will sound much better. I think it more like a carpet (vacuum it one way it's a certain tone on the color you bought) not tires (put them on wrong they rip them self up).
That's what I see from my height!

 

Steve,

Thats an amazing story about Kevin's hearing. Mine are not that good, I am just now, starting to hear rather large differences with interconnects, and power cords. I used to think that was BS not long ago. It really is amazing what we can train our ears to hear. Thanks for sharing, and asking opinions. I will play around in the next week and hopefully tell you in person at the CES show.

Happy Holiday's

Steve

 

Same for me.

 

I certainly can. It's pretty obvious - one way I get music; the other way I get silence.

 

If it isn't measurable it isn't audible. This does not mean, however, that cables do not have a directionality factor. If the manufacturer specifies that the arrows point the way the cables should be oriented, it might be possible to hear the difference when the cables are improperly installed, but unlikely.

Try Belden 8451 for you DIY interconnect enthusiasts out there. It's available at most electrical supply houses for about 18¢ a foot, and will sound as good or better than any expensive boutique cable you'd care to compare to it. Be sure to orient the cables so that the printing on both cables runs the same and oriented FROM the source; shunt it at the receiving end.

 

Hahaha Geoff !


There's an interview in this month's AVGuide Monthly with Don Bouchard, VP of Ultralink/XLO who not only contends that there is cable directionality but that many manufacturers have it marked wrongly on their cables.

He puts down directionality as being due to copper oxide impurities that exist at the juncture of copper chrystals. These have a tendency to act like little diodes. Diodes tend to pass current better in one direction than another. This slight polarisation characterisatic is passed onto the cables made from this cable.

He goes onto to saying the differences in direction are subtle but noticeable as a bit more natural and open sounding.

On the topic of mis-labelling.
The only way to ascertain correct direction is to listen to the cable.
Ultralink/XLO listen to every spool of cable and mark it accordingly.
Many companies don't do this, instead they merely mark the direction the cable comes off the spool, which may or may not be the best direction for optimal sound.


I can hear directionality in cables but it is often subtle and differs from brand to brand.

 

Not necessarily. It may mean that that there hasn't been a tool or program invented to measure it. After all, there were really tiny things before there were microscopes.

 

Actually people with intersts knew there was a microbic world out there long before they had the ability to look at them. The physics people would be happy to tell you that the electrical phenomenon is readily measurable from any aspect -- except, perhaps, the psychoacoustic.

 

Ok, I'm dying to know... what does it sound like??

 

Honestly, I never gave it much thought and with the cables I buy, I don't think direction is much of a consideration. Tell Kevin he is a mutant.

 

I've heard of this before... but I've also been told that if you use interconnects the wrong way it improves over time. (that was not sarcasm)

Who am I to say. I can't hear the difference.