Directional cables - what does that really mean?

I understand why you want to keep these categories separate, it is not only legitimate but necessary to an analysis...

jea48
What about the type of dielectric, insulating material, used to cover the wire?

>>>>We are rather certain the problem is the wire, not the insulation because of the directionality of fuses.

What happens to the sound of an audio system if cables that have been installed in an audio system for 100s, 1000s, of hours are flipped end for end?

>>>>>Directionality of wire doesn’t go away by breaking in the cable or fuse, even after 1,000s of hours of play. In fact, in the beginning HiFi Tuning claimed that no matter which way their fuse was inserted it would eventually break in to be the “correct direction.” They later recanted that claim. You can try this for any fuse, flipping it around after many years. You should be able to hear a difference.

With cheap cables that use stranded conductors and PVC insulation there’s a good chance you will not hear any differences. But how about good quality audio grade cables that use better dielectric insulating materials?

>>>>I believe you will hear a difference even with inexpensive stranded cables and PVC insulation. Of course it helps to have a reasonably good system and a good listener To perform that experiment. As I said directionality is not related to the dielectric material. All this directionality stuff is not brand new. It’s been established over the course of many years. I realize it might be new to some.

Obviously shielded cables can also be directional if the shield is connected at one end only. But that is a separate issue from wire directionality.

So far there are a few possible phenomenals but no one has really able to articulate a plausible scientific explanation. Here are some that I have heard:

1. Diode affect
2. Metal latice structure due to manufacturing process
3. Resistance (especially high freq) is different based on which direction (but the signal is AC).

The link to Roger Skoff article is helpful but I think they are more or less "conjectures" but there are really no "hard" evidence.  

Yes, there is no hard evidence and Skoff even admits it, but think about it for a minute. In the advancement of this hobby, the results have been for better isolation of components, better transmission of data, and better overall performance using better quality materials, which seem to help.

If higher metal purity results in better sound, then Skoff's imaginings show some merit. The differences can be small but the end product is a more enjoyable one, and to some, it's worth it to pursue and make.

All the best,
Nonoise