directional cable?

Many of the above indicate different reasons why cables are directional, but in reality there are multiple reasons - and I have had experience of each. The metallurgy answer is correct and this occurs as the copper is drawn. If the cable manufacturer wraps its cables, taking into account how each was drawn, either deliberately or accidentally, then the end result is a directional cable. Some high-end cable companies even treat their cables by connecting them to a current source in order to form the cable, which imparts directionality. The process of running a cable in affects directionality also, but to greater and lesser degrees depending on the aforementioned issues. And, of course, with interconnects - but not speaker cables (which was the subject of the original post) - the shield is often connected to ground at only one end, causing it to sound different in one direction from another. Ditchrecords - your friend may even become apoplectic if you were to tell him that I (and all others I know that have high resolution systems and who have tried it) have found that the mains cable used between your breaker box and the wall outlet used by your stereo is quite profoundly directional. You should not be concerned if you did not hear your speaker cables to have a direction. Some cables do not exhibit much directionality until run-in, and some don't even after being run-in. I suspect this is mainly because there are individual conductors that are directional in the cable, but that they are run in different directions when they are put together - just speculation though. However I remember reading a tweak in the UK of taking a well-known brand of cable apart and reversing the direction of one conductor and then putting it back together again - presumably because the manufacturer had not given enough weight to cable directionality.

I've seen where some directional interconnect makers say you can try using them backward to see if it sounds better. Some systems do.

Yes Sugarbrie - it depends on where it is best to make the ground. Often it is best to make the ground at the preamp, but how do you then make an IC that is good between CD and pre, as well as good between pre and power - given conductor directionality?

I can attest to the fact that the mainline AC cable from the main breaker box to the stereo system is indeed directional as I learned from Redkiwi. When I installed a dedicated AC system last summer, I tried it. In one direction, with my extra heavy 6 gauge stranded wire, music was rather dull, flat, and uninvolving, but when swithed end for end, the music was much more natural, live and involving without being too bright. The effect was not subtle. If the wire were permanently wired in the "dull" direction, I don't know to what extent it may improve over time. Directionality of wire is "really real". Cheers. Craig.

I recently bought a set of silver interconnects with no arrow indicators for directionality.They are high performance 22 gauge 7 conductors with Neutrik RCA's. In this situation,The owner/manufacturer stated it didn't matter which way the power flowed in the cable. Guess I have to trust him.