Speaker cable wrong direction

No.

No damage to the system but maybe to the views of those cynics who don't believe that cables and directionality make a difference.

... and that unplugging and replugging also cleans and improves the contact - not to disagree with directionality of course 

Which cable is it?  (NAC A5, S/L, other?)

OP's profile would suggest Nordost Blue Heaven 5 x 5 m speaker cables

If the music didn't come out backwards the system is probably OK.

Could that really happen, Harry?

Unlikely I admit but we should cover all the bases.

I am not at all skeptical as to the benefits of such things as directionality (among others) but this was too good an opportunity to miss. And you never know...

Should I tell you about the blind listening test where the participants said something very similar to the above, then when the test was administered the results were less than 70% right.

Nah, Merry Christmas everyone.

I do find it difficult to believe that there could be any directionality in a cable carrying an alternating current, until that is, those little arrows are put on!

An Audioquest ad I saw illustrated how the wire is drawn through smaller and smaller dies which according to AQ causes a chevron formation of the crystalline structure of the metal like this >>>.  Make of that what you will, but it seems a possible explanation, better than fairy dust, anyway.  Merry Xmas, all.

badlands posted:

Should I tell you about the blind listening test where the participants said something very similar to the above, then when the test was administered the results were less than 70% right.

Better than tell about, provide a link. If it was a scientifically based blind test and the results were found to be statistically significant, then I'd say the findings are, well, significant (at some level). I'd be overwhelmingly pleased if I could determine cable directionality at near 70%.

I agree with AC current as in audio there is no directionality, otherwise there would be a DC offset and your speaker voice coils would burn out..

However I can accept that side effects like coupling the amp to ground through the speaker cable might affect the amp performance etc, and this could be directional, that is the amp ground potential is different from the capacitively coupled room ground potential. However in which case the cable directionality will vary in sonic performance  from amp to amp and room to room.. and potentially (!) the cable direction might differ from system to system for optimum SQ....

Good game...

Simon

If the test is of any validity it will be published in a journal. So all we need is the reference. Please?

Not the exact article, can't find it at this time, and I really don't feel like doing somebody's homework but articles like this are all over the internet, just google the topic and hundreds of articles like the one below will pop up.

Just to make things clear here, I'm not saying I agree with what has been written by these individuals, I just think some of the claims I read on forums are pretty exaggerated and that opinion is based on my own listening experiences and nobody else.

Audio Interconnect and Speaker Cable Myths and Facts

badlands posted:

then when the test was administered the results were less than 70% right.

not bad a result.

badlands posted:

Should I tell you about the blind listening test where the participants said something very similar to the above, then when the test was administered the results were less than 70% right.

Yes please. Do tell us. For a start please tell us which peer reviewed journal it was published in?

sharik posted:

badlands posted:

then when the test was administered the results were less than 70% right.

not bad a result.

0.3 confidence level is not significant. You'd be looking at 0.1 or less (90% or greater) for significance, which is why I would like to have a gander at the paper in question, because there must be something interesting in it for it to be doing the rounds at such a low confidence level. 

Harry posted:

sharik posted:

badlands posted:

then when the test was administered the results were less than 70% right.

not bad a result.

0.3 confidence level is not significant. You'd be looking at 0.1 or less (90% or greater) for significance, which is why I would like to have a gander at the paper in question, because there must be something interesting in it for it to be doing the rounds at such a low confidence level. 

I don't think that was likely to be an analysis specifying a p=0.3 confidence level, rather I suspect it was that less than 70% of the answers given were consistent.

More information is then needed (number of subjects, number of questions asked) to do a 2 dimensional ANOVA to establish the confidence levels.

Agreed. So hopefully the reference will be along soon as requested.

Harry posted:

Agreed. So hopefully the reference will be along soon as requested.

Remeber, numbers can be construed to support a disired outcome. Hence, even if the requested reference appears, how valid is it!

Being Association with Linn, over the last three decades, they always advocated reversing the polarity of Speaker Cable at the rear of thier amps. I might have the terminology and spelling wrong, but positive wire to negetive output on amp.

Anyhow, having spent thousands of dollars on Linn gear, why not follow there design and phylosophy.

Funny thing happened one day, listening to my gear something did'nt sound right, checked my wiring, low and behold l forgot to reverse my Speaker leads on the amp. That being said, Once upon a time, Linn and Naim had a close relationship. In fact, they went to court over shared Speaker Cable.

Hence, the berth of Nac A5. As far as direction of Speaker Cable, I think I read it had something to do with the twisting of the Speaker Cable, thats Nac A4/Linn K 20.

So if one can tell the differece as it pertains. to Speaker Direction, so be it!

Mind a true blind test, where the Brain can't influence one's decession.

Happy Hollidays!

I can't form a personal assessment of the validity until I've seen it. Given that it's coming in at 70% (allegedly) it would appear to demonstrate nothing. But I want to see the methodology. If nothing else, then to see what passes for "a study" in some fields.

Harry posted:

I can't form a personal assessment of the validity until I've seen it. Given that it's coming in at 70% (allegedly) it would appear to demonstrate nothing. But I want to see the methodology. If nothing else, then to see what passes for "a study" in some fields.

Understood, empirical reasons, nothing like exercising the Brain!

As Simon explained above, music signals are alternating. The neutral point is always returned to or else the musicians would create a draft, and a DC offset!

I'm always sceptical about this group tests.  Was everyone in the group selected for their ability to discern subtle differences in high-end hi-fi music replay? If not, I seriously doubt the reliability of any results.  For example, you could put me in a group asked to tell the differences between, say, photographs taken with various high-quality cameras, or rare and high quality wine of the same grape but different vineyard and vintage.  More likely than not, I'd be unable to discern differences but that should not be used as evidence to cast doubt on the findings of those with experience from these fields who can.

Mike