Directionality of wire


I am a fan of Chris Sommovigo's Black Cat and Airwave interconnects. I hope he does not mind me quoting him or naming him on this subject, but Chris does not mark directionality of his IC's. I recently wrote him on the subject and he responded that absent shunting off to ground/dialectric designs, the idea of wire directionality is a complete myth. Same with resistors and fuses. My hunch is that 95% of IC "manufacturers", particularly the one man operations of under $500 IC's mark directionality because they think it lends the appearance of technical sophistication and legitimacy. But even among the "big boys", the myth gets thrown around like so much accepted common knowledge. Thoughts? Someone care to educate me on how a simple IC or PC or speaker cable or fuse without a special shunting scheme can possibly have directionality? It was this comment by Stephen Mejias (then of Audioquest and in the context of Herb Reichert's review of the AQ Niagra 1000) that prompts my question;

Thank you for the excellent question. AudioQuest provided an NRG-10 AC cable for the evaluation. Like all AudioQuest cables, our AC cables use solid conductors that are carefully controlled for low-noise directionality. We see this as a benefit for all applications -- one that becomes especially important when discussing our Niagara units. Because our AC cables use conductors that have been properly controlled for low-noise directionality, they complement the Niagara System’s patented Ground-Noise Dissipation Technology. Other AC cables would work, but may or may not allow the Niagara to reach its full potential. If you'd like more information on our use of directionality to minimize the harmful effects of high-frequency noise, please visit http://www.audioquest.com/directionality-its-all-about-noise/ or the Niagara 1000's owner's manual (available on our website).

Thanks again.

Stephen Mejias
AudioQuest


Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-15-audioquest-niagara-1000-hifiman-he1000-v2-p...


128x128fsonicsmith
David,

I would have to keep my car radio off if what you said is true. Rotate my tires after every two or three songs?   ;)

 I'd be better off listening only to talk radio if that were the case....

I still think those who can not hear the differences may simply have an unclassified condition, like colorblindness is to the eyes.  In this case,  its with the ears.



 


I have tested directional wires, all this means is the wire was drawn and Angeles
In that direction , and through my Electrostats speakers most any changes can be heard . Slightly better a bit more pronounced . BUT, if you leave opposite for 24 hours  everything is pretty much =.  It is Not a permanent change,
Cryogenic immersion is a permanent change for example and  + result
For example.
A recent bulletin from a major livestock agency in New Zealand warns that sheep marked with a X on their back are KICKERS ... be extra careful when approaching from behind   :- { 
audioman58
I have tested directional wires, all this means is the wire was drawn and Angeles
In that direction , and through my Electrostats speakers most any changes can be heard . Slightly better a bit more pronounced . BUT, if you leave opposite for 24 hours everything is pretty much =. It is Not a permanent change, Cryogenic immersion is a permanent change for example and + result For example.

>>>>The problem with your test is that when you disrupt the sensitive physical/electrical interface of the cable connections when reversing cables it takes at least two days to reestablish those interfaces. So any conclusions you might draw initially within the first 24 hours should be disregarded. Same with Cryo, you should never judge the effects prematurely since it can take up to a week for the materials involved to recover from the thermal shock of Cryo.

Also, since cables that have been in use for MANY YEARS exhibit directionality - when the sensitivity of physical/electrical interfaces are observed - obviously the change is permanent. Ditto for fuses, even stock fuses, that have been in use for MANY YEARS. They exhibit directionality when reversed, for better or worse, and MAINTAIN that directionality. HiFi Tuning used to think their fuses would eventually break in whichever direction they were installed. Later they recanted and now think their fuses, and all fuses, are directional, directional in the PERMANENT sense. Which is why they mark their fuses with a diode symbol.

smikell
Forgetting audio signal connectors for a second, and commenting strictly on AC power cables ONLY, I find the whole subject silly and mute based on one simple fact. AC is alternating current, as in it changes direction 120 times a second, or sixty cycles.

>>>>>We’ve already addressed this apparent contradiction earlier in the thread. The reason why AC cables AND fuses in AC circuits are directional is because we only hear the effects of the portion of the alternating current that is traveling TOWARD the component. We do not hear the effects of the portion of the current traveling toward the wall outlet, away from the component. This is not to say there aren’t other distortions involved besides those related to directionality. Besides the whole subject is far from mute. 😀