Propeller Head Plaza

Posted by geoffkait (M) on December 03, 2022 at 03:05:15

In Reply to: RE: Nordost cables are marked with direction posted by E-Stat on December 02, 2022 at 17:06:13

From Nordost web page,

Q: I recently bought a pair of Nordost interconnects, and I noticed arrows on the heat-shrink. Is there are reason that these cables are directional? If so, which way should I install them?

A: Typically, when cables are manufactured they do not have any directionality—they acquire directionality as they break in. However, Nordost single ended (RCA) interconnects are built as directional cables, since the shield is only connected at the source, or output, end. When installing the cables into your system, the arrows should always point away from the source. For example, from a CD player to an amplifier, the arrows should point towards the preamplifier or power amplifier.

>>>>Nordost actually doesn't believe in "directionality," in the sense I'm always discussing - that wire (and consequently cables) sound different depending on direction. I am not referring to shielded cables or single ended cables, those are separate issues. Nordost cable arrows are only for proper installation for Nordost cables with *shields* Their belief that "cables acquire directionality as they break in" is incorrect. All wire is directional (physically asymmetrical) as a result of the manufacturing process. So cables that have thoroughly broken in will sound different when reversed. Just like new cables. Just like fuses.

People jokingly say power cords can't be directional because they have a plug at one end. Yet power cords are directional too, they need to be "controlled for directionality" during manufacture, like AudioQuest does. Wire and cables exhibit directionality in AC circuits and DC circuits.

By the way, I would take air dielectric constant of 1.0 over 1.5 EDC any day.

Edits: 12/03/22   12/03/22