See, I couldn't even spell PhD correctly. I do not have the higher education of many in and around these forums. I do have big ears though. :) Thanks for all guys, it is appreciated. Sorry if people get angry over it. I for one, do not.
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.
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Edit:. "Preview" shows the image. "Save" it doe
S represents the signal. Yes? . @rodman99999, I’ve used that Link many times trying to prove a point. Imo, a SPDIF digital coax cable with a solid center conductor with RCA plugs is one of the best cables to use to check for cable directionality. . |
I looked around for a primer on the subject and found this YouTube it's about a 40 minute chat but is, I think, rather good. Simple but not simplistic. He doesn't address directionality per se but does explain why different cables may sound different. To briefly summarize, the signal travels through the cable as a wave - (my simile now, a bit like a slinky, the free electrons nudging the next one from the high energy side to the lower, like the balls of a slinky from the high side to the low side). However, to the dismay of audiophiles, and the profit margin of cable manufacturers, the velocity of the wave along the wire is dependent of the electrical characteristics of the wire - which are dependent on the physical properties of the cable structure - material, coating, size, dielectric properties of the insulation, braiding - AND THE FREQUENCY OF THE DRIVING SOURCE. So, if the wave velocity is strongly dependent on the frequency then the complex waveform of the audio signal will be more distorted. There will always be some distortion, the magnitude of which depends on cable length, and audiophile manufacturers will attempt to minimize the distortion - or try to make it euphonic. Regarding directionality, if the crystal structure of a cable is asymmetric and that structure affects the electrical characteristics (resistance, capacitance, inductance) asymmetrically then the waveform will be affected asymmetrically as it AC so, perhaps directionality matters. It would seem to me that the best construction using drawn cable would be that each of the two conductors be a pair of wires, arranged in opposing directions to minimize the grain structure distortion. Does anyone know of a manufacturer that does this - if not does anyone want to start a business? (joke). |
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