Ncarv, you might want to read the description of their x-Stream power cords on the PS Audio site. They even provide their cords with a removable ground pin for that very purpose.
As for the arrow direction, Ian is using Audioquest single ended Jaguar ICs. These follow the standard Bruce Brisson "shotgun" design a la Monster, MIT, Straightwire, etc. Meaning that the shield is connected to the ground ring at the arrowhead end of the cable and not at the other end ("floated"). You want to drain the shield to the preamp, since in a star-grounding arrangement, that's the one grounded component. It really has nothing to do with signal flow since a cable will acclimate to either direction of signal flow during break-in. This unfortunate misunderstanding arose as a result of cable manufacturers wanting to give the consumer an oversimplified explanation for orienting their cables. And in fact it works when you're talking about source-to-preamp connections, but does not apply in preamp-to-amp connections -- UNLESS your amp is the only grounded component. However that won't give you star-grounding, which is the recognized best method for getting the most noise reduction.
Hope that explains it :~))
