Interconnects, some have directional indicators, why?

Every cables have directions. The signal behaves differently with wire directions. One direction is cleaner, natural, and more focus than another direction. I test it and use it every day. Every audio companies should know this fact.

The direction of cable is physically made and the sound doesn't change with amount of time.

I prefer a lamp cord IC in right direction over an expensive wire IC in wrong direction.

Even 1 inch long 8 gauge wire has a direction.

Tin, copper, silver, alum. gold, solid core, stranded, thick, thin, etc.. all wires have directions include wires in capacitors, resistors, and coils.

Printed circuit boards don't have direction. It is not wire.

You can't hear the different sound by switching direction of ICs because directions of many wires in your sound system are already mixed up. My sound system is tuned with more (not all) correct direction from a source to speakers. And I can hear clearly when one is in wrong direction.

The fuse direction in power amp is a big deal. I will find the right direction of fuse (cheap or expensive) in your amp if you bring it to my shop.

Alex/Wavetouch Audio

In one direction, music will sound relatively flat and a little grainy, as though being forced through a screen door. In the opposite direction, the obstruction is removed and music will be communicated with a natural ease, depth, and an open invitation to pleasure. When presented with a cable whose conductors have been controlled for the correct low-noise directionality, a listener feels a sense of comfort and relief: Ahh…Music!
geoff kait

+1
Typically, wrong direction sounds forward with no focus (like out of phase), hot, and stuffy. Correct direction sounds relaxed, focused, and little laid back. One has to listen 10~20 seconds (depends on the length of cable) for signal to find the way.
Alex/Wavetouch Audio

Jetter

For single ended interconnects that do not have directional arrows, how can you determine at which end the the shield is connected?

Or if the shield is connected at both ends or neither?

Take apart the plastic covering at the end of the interconnect?

I'll listen both directions of ICs. If one direction is noticeably better than another, the IC is good. If both directions sound similar, then that may be a problem. This test should be done in a revealing and transparent sound system.

The signal goes in a positive wire and comes in a negative wire. Both wires in IC could be all same directions which is wrong. The bad IC has be disassemble (desolder) and check one wire by one to find the correct direction. Taking apart the plastic or connector will not help.

The shield is to block the RF signal from air and nothing to do with the audio signal. The shield can be connected to drain In XLR IC. Electron charged shield is more effective to block RFs. In RCA, grounding the shield diffuses the audio signal. So, I don't connect the shield in my ICs to preserve purity of the audio signal. The shield without the charge works fine. Grounding the shield is one's decision and may be fine for some cables.
Alex

  kraftsound
Linn K20 / Naim Naca 4 speaker cables are directional due to a burn in process at the factory. If they are connected the other way around they will adapt to that and after a couple of weeks they will sound the same as before. There is a small audible difference.
If this is true also for other cables there is no actual inherit preferred direction in the cables

As I mentioned in previous post, the direction of metal cable is physically made and the sound doesn't change with the length of time. I heard sounds of many 40-50 years old metal wires in vintage gears melts like butter (in sound) in 1~2 minutes.

danvignau
The current is alternating back and forth, not flowing downstream. if the current flows better in one direction, it is restricted in the other; therefore, directional wiring will absolutely make the sound worse.

The current may be as you say, but the audio signal is not as you say. The audio signal goes in with positive wire and backs out with negative wire. In RCA IC, the negtive wire in correct direction is as important as the positive wire. The quality and thickness of wire in relationship between + and - wires change many things especially the speed of sound and rythm.

The audio signal is not flowing better in one direction but behaves differently in different directions. Typical sound of wrong direction wire is hot, grain, forward, no focus with wide sound stage (like out of phase). I know some super expensive speaker brands use all their wire opposite direction to make illusion of huge sound stage (out of phase).

Alex/Wavetouch Audio

Mihorn
the direction of metal cable is physically made and the sound doesn't change with the length of time. I heard sounds of many 40-50 years old metal wires in vintage gears melts like butter (in sound) in 1~2 minutes.

That includes fuses in > 30~40 years old vintage gears. Switching the direction of the fuse, the electrical current takes longer time (and subtle) to hear the effect because many active parts have to react to the change of new current (unlike audio signal). In my experience, it usually took 1~10 minutes to hear.

To hear the effect of switching the direction of a fuse and wires clearly, one needs pretty revealing and transparent sounding system. My sound system consists more (not all) correct direction cables from a source to speakers since I make my own power cords, speaker and IC cables. Also, I make my own speakers.

In my sound set up, I even hear the effect of different power cords very clear that the power cord influences the sound like a interconnect cable. There was a power cord shoot-out 2 months ago at my shop among Verastarr Grand Illusion AC Power Cords, acustic zen absolute power cord, Synergistic Research Power Cords. They are $2K range. VG was clearer (more silver??) but had a peak around 3k hz. AZ was well balanced and bit less clear than VG. SR had wrong direction wires and was bad sounding. I liked AZ best. I hope SR’s mistake (wrong direction) is only for this sample we tested.

Alex/Wavetouch Audio

Hi jea48, I didn't mean blowing fuses. I meant the sound improvement (buttery smooth sound) with switching to the right direction for wires and fuses.

@jea48
Mihorn
the direction of metal cable is physically made and the sound doesn't change with the length of time. I heard sounds of many 40-50 years old metal wires in vintage gears melts like butter (in sound) in 1~2 minutes.

Rephrase

      I heard the hard and grain sound of a 40-50 years old vintage gear became a smoother sound like melted butter in 1~2 minutes after changing few wires to a correct direction. The direction of metal cable is physically made and the sound doesn't change with the length of time.

      That includes fuses in vintage gears. Few decades old fuses in a wrong direction will not improve the sound. However, the sound will improve instantly right after switching the fuse to a correct direction.

kraftsound
Linn K20 / Naim Naca 4 speaker cables are directional due to a burn in process at the factory. If they are connected the other way around they will adapt to that and after a couple of weeks they will sound the same as before. There is a small audible difference.

      In my experience, 80% of sound improvement of wires (wires in correct direction) is in first 1 hour. 90% will be in 24 hours. 99% will be in 200 hours. As Linn and Naim say, there is a small audible difference in both directions and they don’t care about directionality of wires of K20 Naca 4 cables (may be lower-end).

      This could be their way of marketing. Companies lower the quality for low-end products. And they make right for higher end. I use Mundorf caps for my speakers and the right direction of wires in Mundorf Supremes is always against the letter direction. The direction of wires in all Mundorf higher end (silver/gold, silver/gold/oil) is same with letter direction.

Alex/Wavetouch Audio

2channel8
A lot of theorizing. Very little empirical reporting.

+1. 

jea48
I think if you guys that have experimented with fuse direction and can hear a difference it is hard to justify if one believes AC current flows back and forth though the fuse. If that was the case then the fuse would have to act as a diode in one direction to hear a difference. What other reasoning can you use?

There are many ifs. May be AC doesn't backs and forth through the fuse. May be the fuse doesn't act like a diode. I don't have the answer for your question. It is just what it is. I am not guessing nor theorizing about the wire or fuse directionality. I am living with it in everyday life for many years.

I believe few people know about the wire directionality and they are hush about it. They don't want you or more people to know about it. This is a big deal for some people and can help many companies and DIYers.
Alex

5)If all wires are directional to a degree that is potentially audible it would seem expectable that the directional effects of a fuse wire would be swamped by the directional effects of the vastly longer associated wiring. In the case of a mains fuse that would include the wiring in the power transformer, the AC wiring within the component, the power cord, and arguably even the AC wiring inside and outside of the house.

The fuse is a weakest link. In a garden hose, only narrowest part of hose counts to pass the max water. A weakest link is very sensitive. What has happened in the weakest link is amplified huge later. A sound system is only as good as its weakest link.

6)Regarding empirical evidence that has been asked for in some of the posts above, in recent fuse-related threads Ralph (Atmasphere) has cited experiments he has performed which have determined that the same effects resulting from changing the direction of a fuse can be accomplished by rotating the fuse in its holder. And probably even more effectively. In both cases dimensional imperfections in the fuse and its holder result in differences in contact resistance, and consequently voltage drop is measurably and audibly affected.

     Ralph doesn't believe in the wire diretionality. All wire directions in his set up are mixed up. A fuse direction is not significant in an improper set up. Also, the reason he doesn't believe wire directionality is because he has never heard the difference. I can't say why he hasn't heard the difference in his long career in an audio industry.

FWIW my comments on fuse directionality have been provided in various recent fuse-related threads. See for example the first of my posts dated 10-28-2016 near the middle of this page.

     I guess they've never heard the difference either. Probably this directionality tests are done in their trusty equpments which all wires in and out are mixed up.
I am writing this to help important people like them. It is no shame not knowing this info.

    I have a sound set up with relatively correct directions. I make and use my own power cords, speaker and IC cables. Anyone can hear any change in a signal chain. Also, I make my own speakers which is a most important element of all components.
Hearing is believing!

Alex/Wavetouch Audio

jea48
Does the fuse restrict/limit the amount of energy needed for the piece of equipment to operate as designed?  Good question..... My guess is no.

     I don't guess something like that easy to try. I have copper rods instead of fuses in my few components. Copper rods in the correct direction always sound better.
     I am an audiophile, not an electrical engineer. I don't have an answer for your questions in your terms.
Alex

Copper rods in the correct direction always sound better.

Not always. The copper rod sounds better in some components with large electric consumption. Usually, source components will not benefit from it.
Alex

jea48
What protection do you have in the event of an overload or ground fault event if the equipment is not fused?

No protection. It is a risk I take. I don't recommend that to anyone. I wrote that here to show it can be tested and see the truth while you are guessing negatively.
Alex

jea482,228 posts12-05-2016 5:37pm

mihorn said:
 I wrote that here to show it can be tested and see the truth while you are guessing negatively.

Please show me one post of mine where I said fuses could not be directional.==================

jea482,228 posts12-05-2016 10:40am

Does the fuse restrict/limit the amount of energy needed for the piece of equipment to operate as designed?  Good question..... My guess is no.

      It wasn't about the directionality of fuse. You wrote "My guess is no." You were guessing "no" that the fuse limits the energy/current needed for audio equipment.

     Then I showed you that the fuse does limit the energy needed.

     My real point here wasn't what the fuse does, but experiment I did rather than guessing and wondering.
Alex