2. cables
  3. 150728-122613

Interconnect Directionality

Have I lost my mind? I swear that I am hearing differences in the direction I hook up my interconnect cables between my preamp and power amp. These are custom built solid core silver cables with Eichmann bullet plugs. There is no shield so this is not a case where one end of the cable’s shield is grounded and the other isn’t. 

There are four ways ways to hook them up:
Right: Forward. Left: Forward. 
Right: Backward. Left: Backward
Right: Forward. Left: Backward
Right: Backward. Left: Forward. 

There is no difference in construction between forward and backward, but here are my observations:

When they are hooked up forward/backward there appears to be more airy-ness and what appears to be a slight phase difference. When hooked up forward/forward or backward/backward, the image seems more precise like they are more in phase. The difference between forward/forward and backward/backward is that one seems to push the soundstage back a little bit while the other brings it towards you more. 

What could possibly cause this? Does it have something to do with the way the wire is constructed and how the grains are made while drawn through a die? Am I imagining this? Have I completely lost my mind?
128x128mkgus
Post removed 
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Think of it like fuses. If you have, say, four fuses in the system and don’t know whether they’re in the right direction or not, check the fuses one at a time by listening for which direction sounds best. It will be easier to do this as you go along. As more fuses are in the right direction the clearer the sound will be. And therefore easier to tell which direction is correct for the last couple fuses. Raise your hand if you still don’t understand.
mkgus's avatar
mkgus OP
324 posts
 
Last night I swapped the direction of my digital coax cable between the CD transport and DAC. It sounds like I’m hearing more detail, even though the cable is now going “against” the direction of the arrow printed on it. 
Post removed 
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Things are worse than that ( connectors). A lot worse. In a nut shell all wire is directional. I am not the one who did it so don’t blame me. I did not invent reality. That’s why all cables and power cords and fuses are directional. That’s also why digital cables are directional. That’s why foreword thinking companies like Audioquest and Goertz and Anti Cables control directionality of cables from the get go. You have to honor the inherent natural directionality of wire. 🔜 HDMI Cables, Ethernet cables are also directionality. There is a separate issue with shielding but ideally the shielding direction should conform to the wire directionality. Same with connectors, if they are in fact directional, which they may be. Who knows? So, to summarize, all wire is directional and all wire in everything should be controlled for directionality, speaker internal wire, transformers, capacitors, internal component wiring. You name it.
More to discover