2. cables
  3. 150728-122613

Interconnect Directionality

Have I lost my mind? I swear that I am hearing differences in the direction I hook up my interconnect cables between my preamp and power amp. These are custom built solid core silver cables with Eichmann bullet plugs. There is no shield so this is not a case where one end of the cable’s shield is grounded and the other isn’t. 

There are four ways ways to hook them up:
Right: Forward. Left: Forward. 
Right: Backward. Left: Backward
Right: Forward. Left: Backward
Right: Backward. Left: Forward. 

There is no difference in construction between forward and backward, but here are my observations:

When they are hooked up forward/backward there appears to be more airy-ness and what appears to be a slight phase difference. When hooked up forward/forward or backward/backward, the image seems more precise like they are more in phase. The difference between forward/forward and backward/backward is that one seems to push the soundstage back a little bit while the other brings it towards you more. 

What could possibly cause this? Does it have something to do with the way the wire is constructed and how the grains are made while drawn through a die? Am I imagining this? Have I completely lost my mind?
128x128mkgus
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Bite me, sleepy 😴 
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
OK, you’re not arguing with me. So, you agree with me. It’s about time!
sleepwalker65's avatar
sleepwalker65
832 posts
 
Okay Geoffy, the party’s over. Time to go back on your meds. 
Post removed 
pragmasi
212 posts
 
Going back to the OP's original post, I think there might be a rational argument for the difference in perceived sound.
If the cables aren't shielded then you're running a couple of antennas that will be highly sensitive to external interference so small changes in position will result in differences in quality (like when you unplug them and turn them around). If you flip a coin three times and it comes up heads then you might think that the coin has a bias toward landing tails side down.
The impact of the interconnect on sound reproduction can be down to the capacitance, inductance, shielding and quality of contact at each end. There is a possibility that the interconnects find a better contact one way round rather than the other so that might be something else to consider.
From all of this discussion I think the impact of running unshielded interconnects has monumentally more impact than easing the flow of electrons through a conductor. I prefer to use balanced interconnects of a modest cost that cancel out most of that interference at the receiving end... and that's what recording and mastering studios prefer to do as well.
More to discover