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Cable Hook-up / Direction needed for Moron


I recently moved and I'm now starting to set-up my system again. I need DIRECTION with the cable hook-ups. Why I can't remember such an easy connection is mind-boggling...just call me MORON for short.

I state "DIRECTION" because all of my cables (ic's & speaker) have "ARROWS" for signal flow or "DIRECTION." Can anyone tell me which way the signal flows in a system and how to hook-up all the cables correctly...the cables I'm using are DIRECTIONAL and are designed that way.

I have these components:

T/T
CDP
TUNER
LINESTAGE PRE
PHONO PRE
AMP
and of course SPEAKERS

Guess I had a brain fart or some kinda' temporary brain illness...THANKS!!

moron ^)
equinox
5 responses Add your response
danlib1
819 posts
 
Generally speaking, the directional arrow indicates outgoing signal flow for most cables. So, preamp to amp, the arrows would face "away" from the preamp and "toward" the amp. And so on.....

Have Fun!
chams_uk
158 posts
 
Interestingly enough, Martin Dewulf at Bound For Sound has found that sometimes, directionality recommendations don't sound as good !

His is the only commentary I've seen on this, but he said something that might sound great with recommended direction for source to preamp might sound better reversed preamp to amp (one example).

I'd recommend, unless there is some special grounding/shielding scheme that REQUIRES directionality, to try it out both ways, and see if/how they are different.

Good luck, and more importantly, have fun !

Todd - chams_uk
abysmillard
34 posts
 
All the arrows should point away from the source components and towards the speakers. Thus, TT -> Phonostage -> Pre -> Amp -> Speakers. Same with the other sources.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
The signal does not "flow". The arrow just tells you at which end the shield is tied to ground. The arrow points away from that end. Usually grounding the shield at the source component (eg: preamp) is most effective for noise rejection, but not always. Try it that way first, and switch around if you want.
muzcal
66 posts
 
Generally you hook up the cables with the arrows pointed away from the source.

Some have suggested trying them both ways to see which is best. I recommend using one channel only and try the cable both ways. Hooked up the incorrect way the soundfield will tend to collapse and sound thin. The hookup with the fullest sound will most likely be correct.(The same is true in determining the correct polarity of power cords).
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