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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
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mceljo
1,357 posts
 
I wanted to follow up my previous post that was cut short to feed my kids.

If there are physical attributes in audio equipment that cannot be measured but have a real impact on the sound, then the audio industry is effectively reduced from engineers and designers to a bunch of mad scientists developing products by trial and error. The real downside to this idea is that there would be no way to know if a given product would be better or worse in my system because it was developed using trial and error methods to please a few individuals in at most a few select systems. There would never be a reason to assume that an expensive product would perform better than a cheap one.

I don't know how components are actually designed, but it should be possible to measure the final signal while changing specific design attributes one at a time to learn what the effect is. It seems obvious that the closer the original signal the final signal the better the product is.
kijanki's avatar
kijanki
4,430 posts
 
Mceljo, there are thing that cannot be measured but still can be optimized. You can see (oscilloscope) and hear the evidence of Transient Intermodulation but it is very hard and there are no standards to measure it. In addition amplifier with great other specifications can actually sound horrible. It gets extremely complex when you add system synergy.

Often praised high Damping Factor in my class D amplifier is DF=4000. If it is good, then Atmasphere amplifiers with DF<1 (4000 times worse) should sound horrible, right? Atmasphere amps also have 10x higher THDs - they should sound very bad, right? Atmasphere designer must be one of those "Mad Scientists" :)
jea48
4,484 posts
 
Mceljo,

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Quote from John Curl Interview.
Page 15/18 and 16/18.

"I was working with Noel Lee and a company
called Symmetry. We designed this crossover and I specified these one
microfarad Mylar caps. Noel kept saying he could 'hear the caps' and I
thought he was crazy. Its performance was better than aluminum or
tantalum electrolytics, and I couldn’t measure anything wrong with my
Sound Technology distortion analyzer. So what was I to complain about?
Finally I stopped measuring and started listening, and I realized that
the capacitor did have a fundamental flaw. This is were the ear has it all
over test equipment. The test equipment is almost always brought on line to actually measure problems the ear hears. So we’re always working in
reverse. If we do hear something and we can’t measure it then we try to
find ways to measure what we hear. In the end we invariably find a
measurement that matches what the ear hears and it becomes very
obvious to everybody."
End of quote.
http://www.parasound.com/pdfs/JCinterview.pdf
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almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Measurements, analysis, listening, and the instincts, experience, and intelligence of the designer are all key factors influencing the degree of success or failure that will be achieved in the design process. That's the bottom line, IMO.

Happy holidays!
-- Al
mceljo
1,357 posts
 
Jea48 - interesting quote. I thought it was interesting that they found a way to measure what they were hearing. I would guess that they used that measurement for future designs. What they heard could be measured
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