Excellent, excellent....and this just in from Audioquest!
Directionality: It's All About Noise
07.01.16
If you’ve ever wondered about the arrows on AudioQuest cables, read any of our educational materials, or merely followed any of the online chatter regarding our products, perhaps you’ve wondered what this “directionality” thing is all about.
There is the widely accepted version of directionality: In most audio-grade shielded interconnects, as compared to standard coax, negative has its own internal conductor and the metal shield is attached to ground at only one end, thus defining the cable’s directionality. Many cable manufacturers end their exploration of directionality there, going only as far as to mark their cables for directionality based on the relationship of shield to ground, but altogether neglecting conductor directionality. Because we believe in directing noise to where it can do the least harm, we, too, believe in the advantages of controlling for the attachment of the shield. In fact, long before we controlled for conductor directionality, AudioQuest interconnects were also controlled for direction based on the relationship of shield to ground.
Over the years, our understanding of conductor directionality and its effect on audio performance has steadily evolved, growing stronger and more complete. While we’ve always been keenly aware that directionality plays a significant role in the overall sound of any hi-fi system, we couldn’t completely explain it. This was okay: We trust our own ears and encourage listeners to do the same. The test is easy enough: Simply listen, then reverse the direction of the cable, and listen again.
In one direction, music will sound relatively flat and a little grainy, as though being forced through a screen door. In the opposite direction, the obstruction is removed and music will be communicated with a natural ease, depth, and an open invitation to pleasure. When presented with a cable whose conductors have been controlled for the correct low-noise directionality, a listener feels a sense of comfort and relief: Ahh…Music!
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I did not see that coming.
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almarg
IMO. I don’t envision having any further comments on the subject.
Regards,
Al
>>>>That seems highly unlikely. You are the self proclaimed Damage Control Officer for fuse and wire directionality. No sacred laws of science shall be abrogated on your watch, sir!
Regards,
Geoff
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wolf_garcia
Left field tweaks utilizing unproven nonsense supported by gibberish like inserting the term "Quantum" here and there, and selling useless stuff on to the public at a huge profit ($2 fuses for 150 bucks that do nothing but stimulate the imaginations of suckers...magic and unexplained $500 magnetic placemats, etc.), are all part of the greedy snake oil creep cabal that will continue the fraud until the money goes away. Luckily this issue is sort of self-correcting as time in the markets shows the useless nature of this crap, and sends this stuff to the back room of irrelevant junk. This helps the tweaks that actually work to get some traction, and helps remove the stain of hucksterism from the world of ethical engineers and designers.
>>>I’m going out on a limb here....Asperger’s?
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mapman
Of course the fact is there is but one damage control officer for wire directionality in these parts based on pure number of posts rambling on about it over and over.
Guess who?
>>>>This isn’t meant to start a fight but my repeating it over and over again doesn’t seem to help make it penetrate the thick membrane that protects your brain 🧠 from new and confusing information. You don’t even know what wire directionality is, do you, sweet pea? 😳
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kosst_amojan
@geoffkait
I thought we talked about your psychological name calling already. I thought we agreed you would at least be creative enough to rotate through the mental illnesses in order to bring awareness to more of them. At least be creative, will you? Why’s it always Asperger’s? Are you well acquainted with it?
>>>>>For your information:
I mention Asperger’s occasionally on these threads for several reasons, the primary reason being some people, including your humble scribe, sometimes exhibit Asperger’s-like symptoms. Do they apply to you? You decide. Perhaps there is some connection between audio nervosa and Asperger’s. But I’m not a psychiatrist. Perhaps you know better than I. Below find major symptoms. I skipped a few symptoms that didn’t seem appropriate here.
As for *wire directionality* I doubt you would be able to prove the negative.
Asperger’s Symptom #1: Underdeveloped Social Skills
Individuals with Asperger’s syndrome often have difficulty in social interaction.
Asperger’s Symptom #3: Inability to Empathize
Individuals with Asperger’s can often seem as if they are insensitive or uncaring towards others as they have issues providing socially acceptable responses when they interact with others.
Asperger’s Symptom #4: Difficulty with Eye Contact
Asperger’s Symptom #5: Restricted Interests
Individuals with Asperger’s can have narrowed or restricted interests that are focused. It can be interests such as model building, drawing, video games, or more. The interests that they are so focused on provide a sense of security and comfort for them.
Asperger’s Symptom #7: Literary Language
Individuals with Asperger’s may have weaknesses in areas that uses nonliteral language such as humor, teasing, irony, and sarcasm. They have difficulty interpreting what others are saying and often take what the other person says as truth.
Asperger’s Symptom #10: Unusual Communication and Speech
While individuals with Asperger’s do not have any delay in acquiring language and speech, there can be abnormalities in their style of communication and speech. For example, there can be abrupt transitions, miscomprehension, literal interpretations, oddities in pitch, volume, intonation, and rhythm of their speech. There can also be echolalia which means that there is repetition of vocalizations. Their speech can be flat, unusually fast, jerky, or loud.
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You’re the psychiatrist, sweet pea, not me. |
glubson, I'm pretty sure you're exhibiting at least one of the symptoms as we speak. |
In reality the grain in wood is not (rpt) not analogous to the “grain” in metal conductors. The grain in metal conductors is actually the symmetrical crystal structure of all natural metals and some other materials such as quartz and most mineral crystals. Because wood grain is usually oriented in *one plane* (not one direction) it has practically nothing whatsoever to do with why wire in cables and fuses is directional. The grain in wood in not directional itself, the wood exhibits directionality according to the *plane* of the grain, determined by how it is cut, a butcher block, for example, or the Mpingo disc. Cut that way on purpose. Capish? The directionality of wire is due to unavoidable *deformation* of the symmetrical crystal structure during manufacturing along the longitudinal axis of the wire. Like porcupine quills, it’s easier to rub them with the direction of the quills than against it.
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elizabeth Isn’t the whole point of ’cast’ wire to remove the grain? Single crystal..I would think drawing wire then using a moving melt zone purification technique would clear all the grain (as an alternative to casting the wire. >>>>>Excellent question. Off the top of my head, totally guessing here, I’d say the grainless wire doesn’t sound as good as wire with grain - when the wire is in the *correct direction.* But I might be simplifying things too much. Here’s a 6 Moons review of various exotic cables, see what you think. We have had amorphous carbon cables for quite some time, how do they stack up? And the Teo Liquid Cables, of course, not sure if they are amorphous but they probably are. Graphene cables, anyone? http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/interconnects/interconnects_3.html |
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What’s in a name? Vampire Wire, Throbbing Gristle (TG) Audio, Shiit, Acme Audio, WA Quantum Chip, Dark Matter, Woo Audio, Blowtorch preamp, BAR-B-Q Amp, Anti Cables, Intelligent Chip, Liquid Cables, Brilliant Pebbles.
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et tu brute? Bad Uber! Bad! |
I am certainly not (rpt not) disparaging anyone who might have a debilitating or difficult condition like Autism or Asperger’s, the latter of which, by the way, is actually quite common, 37 Million or whatever, and usually not very difficult or debilitating and I’m not trying to start a fight, but the reason I even bring it is it’s interesting there are marked similarities between what we refer to as “audio nervosa” and (some of) the symptoms of Asperger’s, especially the loud, aggressive, repetitive, almost compulsive nature of many audiophiles’ posts on these and other fora, not to mention the obsessive and or compulsive nature of the hobby for some, whether is upgraditis or tweakaholiism. But in terms of sheer aggressiveness and repetition, can there be any better poster boy for the big A than Wolfie? I exclude myself, naturally.
I’m pretty sure there is no name for the condition the symtom of which is the constant barrage of what about this, what about that? Oh, wait! That’s very repetitive! Bad news!
Stalking probably isn’t a symptom but then again, I’m not a psychologist.
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Stalking is the sincerest form of flattery. It might even be a symptom of you know what.
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Uh, would you say the 54 ga conductor in Mapleshade’s top of the line interconnect is under spec’d? |
Who do you think I’m talking to? Let’s see if you can figure it out.
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Good answer. I don’t blame you one bit for dodging the question.
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Are you looking in the mirror? |
Do not seek the treasure unless you buckle up for a very long ride. Looking back probably best to settle for reasonably good sound that’s affordable I.e., cheap and doesn’t take up much time, energy or real estate. 😬 Good luck to you all.
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Oh, geez, here we go again. The “What about this, what about that?” circus is back in town. 🐘 🎪🎠 Send in the clowns! 🤡 |
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That makes a lot of sense. 😬
What will you little scamps think of next? 🤔 |
Uh, shouldn’t that be stevescam?
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Yes, uber doesn’t wish you any ill 😷 will. He just thinks you suck. Of course uber will laugh at just about anything. |
uberwaltz
Now now Katie, do not go putting words into people's mouths ... Or anything else for that matter.
>>>>Wishful thinking, Ubie? 🤔
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Stevecham seems to win on points. |
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MG - I shall no longer be supporting you here. You are hereby given notice you’re on you’re own. Good luck. You haven’t learned anything since our days at Stereophile. Nada. You are like the Wizard of Oz, after all. A hoax. |
Uber, you are a lost puppy dog. Is that funny enough for you?
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Good luck in your quest for mediocrity. I was initially happy to see you were contemplating going out to Henderson. Hence the link to Wizard of Oz song. But you have both been a dick. Now, I couldn’t care less.
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michaelgreenaudio
On Audiogon though, as I told them, I’m not so much interested in doing ads here until the internet trolling is cleared up on the forum.
>>>Should be any day, now. The wheels are in motion.
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Glubson is a ....you know. And a somewhat misguided one, too, not to mention a rather confused one, if I can be so bold. Of course he would opine that a troll is hard to define. Hey, I’m a poet! |
Yond Glubson has a lean and hungry look; he thinks too much: such men are dangerous. Fear him not; he's not dangerous; He is a noble T—— and well given.
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That was close. Very close.
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Actually pigeons and smoke signals and even humans have been employed for many centuries to send messages, even encrypted messages. Would you believe they used to argue until blue in face which pigeons were the most reliable and fastest? And which wood produced the best smoke for long distance reception, you know, early telecommunication? My favorite use of encrypted messaging was shaving a runner’s Head completely, writing the secret message on his bare scalp, then waiting until his hair grew back in before sending him to deliver the message, you know, in case he was stopped by the enemy. 🏃♂️ A precursor of spread spectrum communications you could say.
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Just so there are no misconceptions, and in the interest of full disclosure, MG and your humble narrator engaged in debates and discussions on a range of topics almost daily for a period of two years over on Stereophile magazine forum, which was then quite active. That all stopped a couple years ago. Peter and May Belt of PWB Electronics were involved heavily in those discussions and debates as were others at Stereophile forum, including a moderator. A very patient moderator. A good time was had by all. 😬
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What a sensitive young man. 😛 You have no idea what I’m talking about yet you’re what, cautioning me? How rude! If you’d been paying attention you would have notice do have not attacked MG at all while he’s been here. I gave him free passage. Yet he has attacked me directly and indirectly at least a few times. Wake up and smell the coffee. ☕️ |
As long as there’s no shriveling and drying up into useless husks, otherwise I’m outta here!
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Whoa! What? Did he just put a curse on us? Are we to become like the dead and rotting corpse of Stereophile? |
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Something’s obviously wrong with Costco-emoji. We don’t really know what it is. He exhibits a lot of Aspergers’s symptoms, but so much more. Once he sinks his teeth into you, he never lets go. Think of him as our pet wolverine.
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Ironically perhaps, HEA was invented by salesmen and aspired to by audiophiles who couldn’t afford to join the club, eking out what they hoped was 90% of HEA on a Taco Bell 🌮 worker’s salary.
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O...M...G! Did Costco Emoji just call someone a bully?! Well shut my mouth and call me corn pone! |
It appears audio websites that were once powerhouses, thriving and active and enthusiastic, dry up and blow away like so many dandelions in a stiff breeze as soon as Michael leaves the building. Stereophile is now a vast wasteland. Did they all pack up and go to Tuneland? Can that be our destiny, to become a dried up useless husk? Have we been cursed? OMG!! Michael! Come back! Michael! My mother needs you!
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Bingo! Your mama and your mom and your mother are oft found more in the ‘burbs. |
Did they just up and disappear off the face of the Earth 🌍??? Audiopoint! Audiopoint! Come back Audiopoint! My mother needs you!
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Well, that would certainly explain all the likes. |
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A lot has already been said about speaker location and room acoustics and why trial and error - move a little, listen a little - is not (rpt not) a particularly effective way to determine the optimum location for speakers in a room. What is needed is a comprehensive method that allows for an on-going room treatment program and the ability to change speaker locations periodically to account for new room acoustics treatment and other changes to the system. That method must work for ANY type or make of speaker in any listening room, with or without room treatment. And that method must also be able to account for improvements to room treatments, equipment changes/mods, tweaks.Trying to determine the ideal speaker locations by trial and error - move a little, listen a little - is like trying to solve a set of n simultaneous equations in n+ x unknowns. The best you can hope for is finding local maximums.
When you Control the Mail you Control Information. - Newman |
Personal attacks don’t seem to help one’s arguments very much, I find. They can serve no real porpoise. 🐬 |
Rather than just guessing, I don’t know why people don’t adopt a sure thing. The out of phase track on Test CDs like the XLO Test CD is just the ticket for finding the absolute best locations for any speaker in any room. And with any level of room treatment, from zero to $20,000. As you improve room acoustics over time the track will allow you keep track and find the best locations as you progress. It’s fool proof. Hel-loo! Trying to calculate or guesstimate or move a little/ listen a little will not work. They will provide only local maximums. You need a guaranteed method. Trial and error methods are like trying to solve x simultaneous equations in x + n unknowns.
Don’t be a cube, rube. Go ape! 🦍
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