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
The crap is where the details are jea48:

- Buried in some ... probably a lot of my messages back and forth with Geoffkait was that I was specifically referring to, and I used these words, analog audio signals and "non time dependent digital signals". I used those words very specifically as most DACs today either reclock the external optical or digital serial audio data and/or they are USB based and hence generate a local clock for audio. I specifically took time dependent digital signals out of my discussion, because as I clearly stated above as well, MHz level digital signals have 10's and 100's of MHz bandwidth and hence are subject to transmission line effects.

Let's add the most obvious reason in the case you provided, RCA connectors are not controlled impedance connectors which is why most good equipment has BNC connector now. (p.s. probably even before that article you linked was written, I was modifying my equipment to better match source/load impedance to the cable, a specific cable, to minimize jitter). DACs were not nearly as good back then. 

AND, I never said the energy travels back and forth from source to load. That is how you are interpreting it, and that is wrong.  I said it travels both directions in the loop, and that electrons flow through the whole loop, which means they are impeded by and pass through the interconnect (or fuse) in both directions, equally, outside of transmission line effects, which don't come into play at analog audio frequencies coupled with SNR and mismatch timing/amplitudes. I will throw in that skin effects in any tolerable cable at audio frequencies, SNR, loading is also a null proposition w.r.t audible differences.

Here is the thing jea48, the claim, at least from MFRs, many users are more honest, is that they ALWAYS improve. My $100 one is good, $1000 amazing, and $10000 totally stupendous, and you have to admit MFRs and users make these claims.

Tell me, how do you match said cables to equipment that has tolerances in the few percent range? .... and claim "always better"?
Post removed 
Care to start a thread? I don't mean that facetiously. As I said, I am willing to fund, it, but not all of it. I think we would need local assistance for good quality equipment. I can think of a few in the industry who would help with things like ensuring the acoustic treatment is done well, speaker placement near optimum. I would not want to enter any of my potential bias into it.

We could start a GoFundMe. It either dies on the vine, or it goes through. 

Count me in!
cleeds2,494 posts10-24-2019 1:40pmroberttcan
I am willing to test on any system you wish to configure ...
Let's see if the group can agree about what that system might look like. Then you could try to assemble something comparable at one of the major audio shows, and invite Audiogon readers and others in to participate.

jea48
geoffkait

17,697 posts

10-24-2019 10:46am

roberttcan
I spent some time yesterday trying to find any credible evidence that the EM wave flows back and as it moves from the source to the load at near the speed of light, (in a vacuum). I found nothing. And I mean nothing at all that supported your claim. Not even the slightest mention.

>>>>>Wikipedia to the rescue! How often we see this type of statement by a skeptic - “I could find nothing at all that supported your claim.” That’s gold, Jerry, gold! 🤗 But you’d be sure and tell us if you did, right? Wink, wink!

@geoffkait

LOL


Tell you what Geoff, LOL. I’ll pay you $5 bucks, (payable by PayPal gift), if you can find any credible evidence that says the signal energy EM wave travels both directions as it flows at near the speed of light from the source to the load.

Geoff, there’s an easy $5 bucks to be made.....


>>>>>>Thanks, anyway, I prefer not to get involved in speculation. 🤡 But now that you mention it, it appears we’re back where we started about a month ago, actually longer. I’ve been asking, even gave some pop quizzes, if anyone knows or would like to speculate exactly WHAT specifically gets distorted and/or gets noisier when the wire or fuse is in the “wrong direction.” What is the “audio signal” prior to the speakers? Obviously after that is the acoustic audio waveform. Even die hard skeptics can offer answers. You don’t have to believe in directionality at all. I am including the power cord, too. What is the AUDIO SIGNAL? Nobody seems to know. Here are the candidates, feel free to add others,

1. The audio waveform
2. The current
3. The voltage
4. The power
5. The timing
6. The electromagnetic wave
7. Electrons
8. Photons
9. The Poynting vectors, E and H (electric and magnetic fields)
the audio signal is the moment to moment differential. The intelligence or information in or of the system, over time, so to speak.

It’s the given changes in the state of the system, in relation to one another, in a specific direction in time, as a sequenced record.

Just one way of potentially many to think of it.

as for mr robertcan:
Our patent folks, quite educated in the sciences and in patent knowledge, thought our patent made for the biggest change in electrical conduction in the area of small signal and/or transmission lines, in at least the past 150 years.

Explain why it is that, or why it isn’t.

Good luck.