Directional wires/cables
Is there any reason to support the idea that cables, interconnects or any other kind of wiring can be considered directional? It seems that the theory is that carrying current will alter the molecular structure of the wire. I can't find anything that supports this other than in the case of extreme temperature variation. Cryo seems to be a common treatment for wire nowadays. Extreme heat would do something as well, just nothing favorable. No idea if cryo treatment works but who knows. Back to the question, can using the wires in one direction or another actually affect it's performance? Thanks for any thoughts. I do abide by the arrows when I have them. I "mostly" follow directions but I have pondered over this one every time I hook up a pair.
@audioman58 - The nitrogen atmosphere in the drawing process is to prevent the surface of the copper from oxidizing. If the surface is oxidized, it will have a higher hardness level and create smaller grain sizes when drawn. Smaller the grain size, the bigger the impact on the electron flow. There are a lot of good videos on Youtube about "wire drawing" if interested. |
The brands of interconnects with directionality, as specified by the manufacturer, that I have, have all stated that the reason for the directionality is that the shield is grounded at the source end and is floating at the destination end. This reason makes sense to me, from an interference shielding reasoning. None of these brands have claimed that the reason for the directionality is that it is about a specific grain structure. |
BS TO directionality! I RECAL AUDIOHOLICS SAID IT WAS bs |
@jeffbij Not to continue the war, but while the existence of crystalline grains affecting electron flow may have a base in physics, it still does not support the idea of cables being directional. A musical signal alternates - potentially imperfectly at times, and an AC current (power) alternates rather perfectly, even if potentially distorted from a pure sine wave. Also, note that what is typically called ’electrical current’ is not the motion of electrons, but the variation in electromagnetic field, which is not the same thing at all (see e.g. Veritasium’s video on electricity). I’ll accept that asymmetrically terminated cables (e.g. with shielding connected at one end only) may transmit signal differently if plugged in A --> B vs. B --> A, however I would also point out that it’s not ’the material in the cable’ being directional as such, but the effectiveness of the shielding in two different points of the EM field. This said, if people believe that they hear differences, I’m not getting in their way. |
