Speaker Cable "Signal Flow"

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Waz

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Just been wiring up my inwall speakers using some THX certified Monster Speaker Cable I picked up cheap recently on EBay. Upon wiring I noticed that the cable has a signal flow so show which end goes to the amp and which end to the speaker. I have always assumed it doesn't matter what way you connect it and I even connected it the wrong way and doesn't make a difference to the sound, it is still there. However upon further reading, some individuals claim because they way the cable is "manufactured" if you connect the signal flow the right way round the sound is slightly better!? Doesn't make sense to me why it would, anyone care to elaborate?
 
Hi

It's complete and utter unadulterated tosh!

Steve
 
The direction arrows have a very important function.
To increase the profit of the person selling the cable. :D
 
Music is an alternating current signal. Half the time it is flowing in one direction, and half the time it is flowing in the other direction. It would therefore clearly be a very bad thing if a speaker cable worked better in one direction than the other...

The idea that a cable is directional is utter nonsense. However, claims of directionality have one use - any manufacturer who is making them clearly doesn't know about physics or engineering, so you would be well advised to ignore anything else they claim, and spend your money elsewhere.
 
Might as well use bellwire and insert diodes in series :D
That would make it unidirectional.
It's like MIPS when taking about digital processors (DSP and CPU chips etc.)
MIPS = Meaningless Information Put forward by Salesmen.

Chris Muriel, Manchester
 
if speaker cable is marked with a directional flow by the manufacturer but it has no effect on sound, why do they spend money on marking the cable?
 
if speaker cable is marked with a directional flow by the manufacturer but it has no effect on sound, why do they spend money on marking the cable?

Because "high-end" cables are always "directional" - to claim that your cable is non-directional is to devalue it in the eyes of the punters who believe that sort of tosh! Cable companies mark cables anyway with their brand name etc - it costs very little more to add a few arrows, and it increases the perceived value of the cable.

Put it this way - have you ever seen a mains lead that was marked as directional?
 
Because it'll cost them a fraction of a penny per metre to mark it, but then they will attempt to charge a whole lot more than that using the extra gimmick as supposed justification for spending more. Obvious surely?
 
Before this one goes any further,I would advise you to search this forum using the words "cable" "debate" and "evidence".

This will bring up the large number of previous threads on the topic,and save you going through the entire debate again here.

Sadly for the marketing men,electrons flow in either direction quite happily down a piece of wire,and do not need an arrow on the outside of the cable to tell them..it's only the persons selling wires with this included that adhere to the view that they do!
 
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