Directional Arrow

[miggs29]

My sub cable has an arrow on it. Do I run the cable with the arrow from the receiver to the sub or from the sub to the receiver?

 

[avaserfi]

Since the signal runs from the receiver to the sub I would think the time alignment of your cable would be best suited for being pointed towards the sub*.





*I am just kidding, it doesn't matter

 

[itschris]

I've talked to a few people about this in the past, one who was an electrical engineer. Several years ago when I showed my friend with great pride my M1000 Monster cables with arrows, he just smiled and shook his head and told me there's no such thing as direction cables. To be honest, I was quite disappointed. Over the years, I've had them both ways and even mixed, and have never once noticed any difference at all despite me really really wanting to.

That being said, the theory is that the arrow points away from the host to the receiving piece of equipment. In your case, AVASERFI is already got it right for you. If it were a disc player for instance, the arrow would point from the player to the receiver.

 

[Haoleb]

It will work either way you put it. You point the arrow in the direction of signal flow. Some cables are designed to be directional in that there are certain designs which only attach the sheild on one end.

 

[Exit]

I have not seen a wire with directional arrows on it, but I use common monoprice.com cables and wire. As the engineer stated, there is no directionality in wires, with the possible exception of grounding termination at one end, and even then the wire core is not directional. Maybe the directional arrows are another marketing device of premium priced cables that is not founded in scientific fact.

 

[B3Nut]

Audio signals, being alternating current, do not have "direction." Directional arrows on cables of any type is pure silliness. The shield really shouldn't care at which end it is grounded, as long as it has a good ground. If you have ground loop issues a single-grounded shield isn't going to help you, you have bigger fish to fry as the cable's actual ground conductor is still connected at both ends either way.

It's just another gimmick cable makers use to plant placebo-seeds in the minds of consumers so they'll be more likely to imagine they've heard a difference, and not be inclined to return them.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

My sub cable has an arrow on it. Do I run the cable with the arrow from the receiver to the sub or from the sub to the receiver?

Electrons can see the arrow, so they know which way to flow? Give me a break!

 

[mtrycrafts]

Electrons can see the arrow, so they know which way to flow? Give me a break!

Sure they can, Electrons are smaller than Xrays so it passes through the shield to check out the direction indicator

 

[mtrycrafts]

My sub cable has an arrow on it. Do I run the cable with the arrow from the receiver to the sub or from the sub to the receiver?

It is like this. Monster in the past used that as a marketing tool.

But, it can also indicate that the cable shield is only grounded at one end, at the tail end of that arrow and you want that grounding to be at the signal origination point. So, in some few cases it might matter which end the shield is grounded at. Otherwise, if you don't hear anything different, you have no shielding issues Most of the time you should not.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I just happen to have a Monster sub cable with an arrow on it.

I got it for 4 bucks when some AV store went out of business.

 

[Midcow2]

move the deer crossing sign ...

My sub cable has an arrow on it. Do I run the cable with the arrow from the receiver to the sub or from the sub to the receiver?

A lady lived by a stream and there was a deer crossing sign next to her backyard. Lately, the population of deer had increased so much that the number of deer crossing her property were becoming a nuisance. The lady called the Parks Department and asked them if they would move the sign farther away from her backyard so that the deer would not longer cross there.

If the arrow bothers you get some black electical tape and tape around it, because it makes about as much sense as the deer sign.You can connect it either way; some cable designer was just being cutsie

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I have no idea what a deer drossing is

A lady lived by a stream and there was a deer drossing sign next to her backyard. Lately, the poplalation of deer had increased so much that the number of deer crossing her property were becoming a nuisance. The lady called the Parks Department and asked them if they would move the sign farther away from her backyard so that the deer would not longer cross there.

If the arrow bothers you get some black electical tape and tape around it, because it makes about as much sense as the deer sign.You can connect it either way; some cable designer was just being cutsie

 

[Midcow2]

it is like a crossing "typo"

I have no idea what a deer drossing is

Deer chewed on my keyboard "c" is pretty close to "d"