Well, whoever wrote it most likely never saw the inside of a physics book. Maybe any book.
Directional speaker cables - switching direction
Some time ago I started a thread regarding speaker wire directionality and my inability to understand how it could have any affect on sound quality. The question was inspired by the fact that, after quite a few years using them with my Martin Logan Odysseys, I discovered that the cables (Straightwire Octave 2) had arrows printed on them. Not surprisingly the opinions expressed were pretty strong on both sides of the argument but those supporting directionality were the most vociferous and in greater numbers, one to the point of being downright insulting. In no case, though, was an explanation given by those supporting the importance of cable direction for how this phenomenon occurs except that it should be obvious that when a cable is broken in in one direction only someone with an uneducated ear would be unable to discern the difference.
Even though I still don't get it I'm not taking the position that there is no validity to the directional claim; if there truly is I just don't understand how. This leads me to my two part question. I haven't been using the Octaves for a few years but now, because of cable length issues, I want to put them back in my system partly to avoid the cost of new quality cables.
IF, then, the directionality theory IS valid and I don't recall which way the arrows originally pointed or which direction they were "broken in" do those in support of directionality think I should install them with the arrows pointing toward the speakers
Even though I still don't get it I'm not taking the position that there is no validity to the directional claim; if there truly is I just don't understand how. This leads me to my two part question. I haven't been using the Octaves for a few years but now, because of cable length issues, I want to put them back in my system partly to avoid the cost of new quality cables.
IF, then, the directionality theory IS valid and I don't recall which way the arrows originally pointed or which direction they were "broken in" do those in support of directionality think I should install them with the arrows pointing toward the speakers
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Anyone want to let me borrow their directional cables? I will gladly run any signal through them and measure the input vs out put on my scope under any load that person wants. I will then run it backwards and we can see what happens. Maybe the quality of my scopes measurement cables are good enough to measure the delicacy of an audio frequency. The probe does lose a couple of dB performance at 500Mhz, so it is probably not good enough, so nevermind. People that think there is some magic in audio cables which are relatively low frequency cables and really not all that high current. There isn't. It can be measured. Unless you have an amp that is outputting a constant DC signal at above a certain voltage the current is flowing both ways. If you do have an amp like that, you will need to buy new speakers, because speakers don't like DC signals. |
Geoffkait, Does this satisfy your fancy better? . Quote from link below. ELECTRIC CURRENT IS A FLOW OF ENERGY? Wrong. Electric current is not a flow of energy; it's a flow of charge. Charge and energy are two very different things. To separate them in your mind, see this list of differences. An electric current is a flowing motion of charged particles, and the particles do not carry energy along with them as they move. A current is defined as a flow of charge by I=Q/T; amperes are coulombs of charge flowing per unit time. The term "Electric Current" means the same thing as "charge flow." Electric current is a very slow flow of charges, while energy flows fast. Also, during AC alternating current the charges move slightly back and forth while the energy moves rapidly forward. Electric energy is quite different than charge. The energy traveling across an electric current is made up of waves in electromagnetic fields and it moves VERY rapidly. Electric energy moves at a completely different speed than electric current, and obviously they are two different things flowing in wires at the same time. Unless we realize that two different things are flowing, we won't understand how circuits work. Indeed, if we believe in a single flowing "electricity," we will have little grasp of basic electrical science. In an electric circuit, the path of the electric charges is circular, while the path of the energy is not. A battery can send electric energy to a light bulb, and the bulb changes electrical energy into light. The energy does not flow back to the battery again. At the same time, the electric current is different; it is a very slow circular flow, and the electric charges flow through the light bulb filament and all of them flow back out again. They return to the battery. Electric energy can even flow in a direction opposite to that of the electric current. In a single wire, electric energy can move continuously forward while the direction of the electric current is slowly backwards. In AC circuits the energy flows continuously forward while the charges are alternating back and forth at high frequency. The charges wiggle, while the energy flows forward; electric current is not energy flow. End of quote http://amasci.com/miscon/eleca.html#cflow http://amasci.com/miscon/whatis.html >>>>>> Quote from link below. The speed at which energy or signals travel down a cable is actually the speed of the electromagnetic wave, not the movement of electrons. Electromagnetic wave propagation is fast and depends on the dielectric constant of the material. In a vacuum the wave travels at the speed of light and almost that fast in air." End of quote >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_electricity "Electromagnetic wave propagation is fast and depends on the dielectric constant of the material." Geoffkait, Please explain how this would affect an audio cable. The wire as well as the type of insulation covering around it. How about the construction of the cable. Example, braided, twisted, whatever. >> >http://science.uniserve.edu.au/school/curric/stage6/phys/stw2002/sefton.pdf |
People that think there is some magic in audio cables which are relatively low frequency cables and really not all that high current. There isn't. It can be measured. Quote from Link below http://amasci.com/miscon/eleca.html#cflow
First I have to ask you do you think all ICs and speaker cables sound the same? If your answer is yes, then that is the end of our conversation. IF on the other hand you can hear a difference in ICs and speaker cables can you measure the differences heard on your scope? If not, why? From your scope measurements can you say which cable will sound the best in your audio system? . |
Jea48, I think if you sift through all the words and agree that the (audio) signal through copper cable/wire propagates at near light speed what's a couple feet difference in cable length between friends? We are talking about speaker cables, no? Certainly not as much as the differences related to speaker driver off set distances, comb filter effects, you know, where the speed of the signal through air is around, what, 1100 feet per second? |
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