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.
directional cable?
Recently, a hi-fi store loaned me a certain speaker cable and indicated that the cable should be installed in one direction only. When I mentioned this instruction to a friend of mine who is an electronics engineer he laughed for an uncharacteristically long time and then wondered aloud why someone would apply directional bias to a signal that should move equally in either direction. If that were not the case he said you would have some form of diode. Reversing the cable made no audible difference but I have no idea what sonic traits I should listen for. Can anyone shine some light on this?