Cable Directionality (Moved Threadjacking)

[mrfeedback]

This discussion has been moved from another thread.........

"You implied that if cables aren't running "in the same direction", then some sort of frequency-dependant anomaly would occur. I, and many others, would disagree with that assertion. Are you saying that no-one is allowed to challenge your claims?"

Arniel,
I said this

"Your friends advice of running the same cable to the speakers and also inside the cabinets is one that works very nicely - adds a coherence (or removes an incoherence) that you cannot get otherwise.
Be sure to make all cable runs in the same direction though, or you will compromise this coherence."

and this

"I know I said it already, but make sure that all cable runs are in the same direction for good coherence across the whole audio band."

Simon understands the logic perfectly clearly here

"No-one is claiming frequency dependant artefacts, only that some audible difference may occur from wiring it up the wrong way round! What's the problem with that? I see it as insurance against yet another unnecessary imperfection in the chain. To me this is so logical, to the point of being barely worth talking about!"

Yes, as Simon says (sorry!), this is perfect insurance against preventing true stereo operation - you might need to think that one over.
I am not actually saying that there is any anomoly, but I am saying that this possible anomoly can be prevented, and perfectly easily.

I also said this perfectly clearly,

"To the smart-alecs, keep comments about cable directionality or otherwise in some other thread, and right out of this one thanks."

.

Eric.

[SY]

I thought audio was AC.

[arniel]

So did I, but apparently certain people use cables that are made up of a string of diodes. I don't want to be the one to tell them that all cables are OFC these days, as it's easier to stretch than ordinary copper.

What's even more interesting is that someone claimed the connection going "to" the speaker is more important than the connection coming away from it. His room must be full of electrons with nowhere to go!!!

Thank g-d these people aren't designing the brakes on my car.

Reminds me of the time I went around to visit a relative who was having problems with her PC. She thought that placing crystals at strategic points might in some way prevent it from crashing!!!

[SimontY]

Thank g-d these people aren't designing the brakes on my car.

Err, yeh, thank god.

At least you've found an appropriate thread to bicker on. lol


-Simon (doesn't claim to be a physicist *or* car mechanic/designer!!!)

[PaulHilgeman]

What dont people get about the way that speakers are driven??? It is comical that these people even hang out on a board called Do It Yourself Audio. The title would imply that there is some small amount of knowledge required in order to do anything "yourself".

haha, the "return signal" LOL... f'ing LOL.

I guess we only care about the top half of any wave form where the "red" wire is positive.


JUST BECAUSE THE WIRE GOES INTO A TERMINAL THAT IS RED AND HAS + SIGNS ON THE WIRE DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT IS A POSITIVE VOLTAGE WIRE, NOR DOES IT MEAN THAT THE ELECTRONS ONLY FLOW TO THE SPEAKER.

As a matter of fact, whoever said that, it is so fundamentaly wrong that if the wire always was positive, the electrons actually flow back into the amplifier on the + wire. ELECTRONS ARE NEGATIVELY CHARGED. The + side of the battery does not have an excess of somthing, rather the - side has an excess of electrons. If you connect them to a light, the electrons flow from the - side of the battery, through the light and into the + side.

-Paul Hilgeman

[SimontY]

wha... there's a battery now? lol

[Richard C]

Surely cable that works equally well regardless of direction of electron flow is what we all want for our AC signals.

I'd expect directional loudspeaker cable to be unsaleable, after all who'd want to buy it?

I've never experienced cables sounding any different when they are reversed and if I ever do I will just have to admit I have no idea why this should be.

Alternatively I might create a new branch of pseudo physics where electrons behave like jumping water (or something) that only I understand, that way no one can argue with me

[PaulHilgeman]

No one on this board will ever hear the sound of a single electron, much less billions of them.

[Vigier]

Damn...this is REAL fun!..

The + and the - on the terminals are just for 4 things:

- If you want to connect 2 speakers on series
- If you want to connect 2 speakers in parallel
- If you want to be sure that both speakers (left&right for example) have the same phase (actually this is the same as the above two)
- That it's easier to write a manual for...
1) moron-version: "connect the red wire at the first end of the cable to the red connector on your amplifier and the black wire at the same end of the cable to the black connector on you amplfier, the other end of the red wire to the red connector on your speaker, and the last open wire to the black connector on your speaker"

2) hard version, the audio-version of the any-key: problem: "connect the two wires at the same end of the cable to you amplifier's connectors and the other sides of the wire to the connectors on you speaker" ... most people don't know what to do then! Shall I connect the red to the black, or both black and red to the black connector?

Geee...this is FUN!
I CAN think of a reason why an interlink should have a "direction": if you don't connect one groundwire of one RCA-connector to avoid ground-loops, then it may be interesting....

Else: do you think there's a little sign in the cable that says "go back"...and electrons will read it ??

Grtz, Joris

[arniel]

Originally posted by SimontY

Err, yeh, thank god.

At least you've found an appropriate thread to bicker on. lol


-Simon (doesn't claim to be a physicist *or* car mechanic/designer!!!)

First step to designing ANYTHING would be to gain elementary understanding of physics/applied mathematics, as it is understood in the known universe.