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
hifiman, I’m getting a bad feeling that maybe he’s pulling our leg. You know, what with the looking for arrows inside the component and trade secrets, making phone calls, driving out the free oxygen from the copper, things of that nature. Perhaps he just has a very refined sense of irony and sarcasm. 😛 My guess we just witnessed a drive by shooting. Muzzleblast. Get it? 😳

LOL, yes...  I've been a lurker for a while... but usually stay busy enough, I don't have much time for forums.  It's like watching Trump and Kim Jong Un sparring...

I'm an engineer by profession... work in defense industry... while lots of instances where this matters, it isn't in consumer electronics between audio sources.

My system is based around klipsch k horns with Crites mods and crossovers and altec valencias driven by either a mac mc240 updated and modded by mufich audio, or with a fully restored citation 2 with all Jim mcshane updates, that I completely rebuilt, then tested at mufich.

I build my own preamps, but also have a mac mx110 for comparisons... I prefer tube over ss, but some ss products sound quite good.  I like glow of tubes, but also how easy tube equipment is to mod and upgrade.  I make my own signal ic cables, and build my own speaker cables.  No snake oil needed, or used.
@muzzleblast,
Without putting too fine a point on it, could you elaborate (without giving away state secrets) as to which applications do take wire directionality into consideration? (if that is what you implied, or was it I inferred?) 🤔

All the best,
Nonoise


 
muzzleblast
2 posts
LOL, yes... I've been a lurker for a while... but usually stay busy enough, I don't have much time for forums. It's like watching Trump and Kim Jong Un sparring...

I'm an engineer by profession... work in defense industry... while lots of instances where this matters, it isn't in consumer electronics between audio sources.

>>>>>Whoa, hey, small world. 

I prefer tube over ss, but some ss products sound quite good. I like glow of tubes, but also how easy tube equipment is to mod and upgrade.

>>>>>Again, small world.

 I make my own signal ic cables, and build my own speaker cables.

>>>>>Well, in that regard I might be ahead of you. I don't use IC cables, speaker cables.  Or power cords, for that matter. 

Welcome aboard, sailor! 


nonoise...

Sure, but as I alluded to, its not in the audio (more specifically analog vs digital) world. I wasn't trying to take subject matter beyond the interest in audio.  However in the RF (now we are out realm of "wired" interests) world, where one is interested in "using" low power RF signals emitted in free-space, there are numerous instances where directionality is impacted by material construction (type of insulation; Teflon being but one good example), type of conductor (Silver plated copper, and in some instances pure silver-  silver is a better conductor than copper), terminations, etc. and all are considered to reduce transmission losses (insertion losses), and maintain gain when you have exploited all that's possible from things like antenna gain, pattern coverage, etc.  However, one is dealing with signals that are much lower in emitted power than normally seen in low-power level signals from your phono player, CD, Preamp, etc. Often one is also dealing with frequencies that are in the GHz bands, not KHz as with audio.  However, none of this is fair nor applicable to the subject at hand.  Frankly the benefits of such wiring just isn't cost effective with audio signals.  However, that doesn't mean its not used to help sell lots of signal IC and speaker cables.

However, I'm sure that geoffkait can well appreciate some of this since he is totally wireless anyway.  I'm still working on my wireless approach, but alas its limited to Blue Tooth and WiFi as well as 2.4 & 5.6 GHz home networking products.  I'm still researching Nickola Tesla's work in wireless power transmission to see if I can build my own Wardenclyffe Tower, but my homeowners covenants prevent having one as tall as Tesla had.