The cables where plugged in wrong, the arrows where in the "wrong" direction? these where RCA right....so it's impossible for there to be a direction, as long as they are both male. What does the arrows indicate, that would make for directionality in RCA to RCA ?

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I took my amplifier in for a re-tube and got a loan amplifier for the 10 days or so it will take. On plugging it in, I noticed the interconnect from the CD player was the wrong way round on the left channel. Ie., the arrows were pointing back toward the CD player, instead of up into the amp. Obviously, I connected it up wrong 3 weeks ago when we moved. I've been playing the last few weeks with the cable the wrong way round. When I connected the loan amp, and dropped in a CD - I only got the right channel. The sounds of silence on the left. Suspecting a dodgy amp, I turned everything off. then played around a bit, trying the right CD output in the left channel, that was fine. Plus a bit of feedback... I then left it to sit. When I came back, all was fine and it now sounds fine. Does anyone know what may have caused this? Or should I simply get the cables and the CD outputs checked???

Hi Martin,

I wonder if the IC or jack may be intermittent, a broken wire? I also had a problem with the jack sometime back on my test amp.

As a suggestion, I would try wiggling the cable and check to make sure the plug is securely in all the way. I have had that happen to me as well.

Just a thought. Hope this helps Martin.

Steve

The arrows on interconnect cables usually indicate that the shield is connected only at one end. Separate conductors carry the signal and return. It's preferable for the shield to be connected at the source end because of its lower impedance, hence the arrows pointing from source to load, or in the direction of "signal flow." Your problem does sound like an intermittent connection, at the plug in the cable, or the jack in the component. Try swapping the cables left to right channels at both ends and see if the problem stays with the cable or the component, if the problem repeats, that is.

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The arrows on interconnect cables usually indicate that the shield is connected only at one end. Separate conductors carry the signal and return. It's preferable for the shield to be connected at the source end because of its lower impedance, hence the arrows pointing from source to load, or in the direction of "signal flow." Your problem does sound like an intermittent connection, at the plug in the cable, or the jack in the component. Try swapping the cables left to right channels at both ends and see if the problem stays with the cable or the component, if the problem repeats, that is.

Wow, this a first here. Someone familiar with the practice of only terminating a shield at one end (the source end) and floating it at the other end (minimizes ground loops).
Most RCA interconnects are coaxial and must have the outer shield connected at both ends in order to work. I guess that there are shielded twisted pair cables with the shield attached to the ground conductor of the twisted pair at one end.