directional arrows on interconnects

On some shielded designs you will see directional arrows which corresponds to fact that the shield is connected only at one end. In this way, the sheild is not responsible for carrying the return signal, hence it functions as a true shield. The directional arrows would therefore denote which side the shield is grounded at (usually at the source end).

Frankly, other than in the above case, I've never heard a single plausible explanation for why directionality matters in non-shielded designs.

Oxia, obviously you have never listened to the difference directionality makes in signal wires. Plausible explanation? Haven't got one other than the work of Duncan on micro diodes in material caused by dragging it through the die one way.....This would not explain why continuous cast material is still directional now would it? Just use your ears and don't worry about the reasons for directionality to be an issue.....Hint, the direction that allows the tallest stage height is the correct directionality.....Oh, hate those arrows as it is dark behind gear and tiny arrows are hard to see so like to use a green "Load" band on wires I make....

Hi Bob,

Actually, in the past I have tried listening to analogue cables plugged in both ways. It's this kind of behavior that makes my non-audiophile friends question my sanity :)

In some rare cases (like some van den Hul cables that were shielded in the manner described in my earlier post) I did notice a qualitative difference when swapping ends. In general, I found a subtilely lower noise floor and a resultant improvement in clarity one way versus the other, which I speculate is due to optimizing the grounding of the IC's shield relative to the source and destination components. But this was in a certain case that concerned cables with specific characteristics: they were not only shielded, but also had an asymmetrical construction from end to end.

I can't say I've ever heard a significant or demonstrably repeatable difference with non-shielded cables, although I don't pretend to have done any serious experimentation or have extensive experience in this regard. In the end, I guess I've resorted to trusting my ears that the directionality of cables in these cases was of no audible significance (and yes, I acknowledge the limitations of my own hearing and my system).

Please note that I'm not disputing anybody who says that they can hear a difference. I'm just saying that I couldn't in many cases, and particularly in the cases of the non-shielded designs I've tried. This is one of the reasons why I'm yearning for a "plausible explanation" of the phenomenon, to see if there's an objective rationalization that can cut through the "he said, she said" anecdotes. I do thank you for offering Duncan's diode theory, which is interesting to mull over. However, taking the devil's advocate stance, I have to express some skepticism that most (dare I say "any") manufacturers whose cables carry directional arrows have done any of the following:

1. Tested their raw conductors for diotic characteristics.
2. Ensured that the orientation of all the internal conductors used in their cables are aligned with respect to their diotic properties.
3. Tested the diotic effect of their finished cables before applying the directional arrows.

To Rcrump

PS: Thanks also for the tip regarding stage height. I'll have to go back and try it. The funny thing about this hobby is that despite my rationalist, objectivist leanings, in the end it tends to go out the window and I will try almost anything just to see for myself if it works.

Cheers.

To Oxia-
Being a subjectivist myself, I'm amazed that a certain amount of subjectively audible phenomena in our hobby, are not magical as I initially thought -- but are quite well known to engineers working in different fields (and obviously engineers working in our field). In cables, for instance, many things I discover by trial & error correspond to measurable differences that, say, a RF engineer would probably know about (i.e. shielding, signal transmission). :)