Filter Geometry

With the Firewall having so much more skin, we encountered the problem of having that much more reflection and transmission (and therefore, re-inductance) of high frequencies. LessLoss's elegant solution? The geometry of our filter would ultimately provide it.

Our initial belief: the geometry of a coaxial design should easily yield a firm location of the high-frequency phenomena we wished to control. The coax design theoretically encapsulates all high frequencies between the center conductor and the shield. However, with such a solution, we ran into an unexpected barrier.

The interesting thing about a coaxial design for controlling the high frequency content of a signal is that the signal will balance itself if the wavelength is comparatively short. I repeat: if the cable is long enough, or, alternatively, if the wavelength is short enough, the signal actually becomes balanced after transmission. This means that the return path will swing just as the signal path does. Of course, for 50 Hz, the length of the coaxial cable would have to be extremely long - thousands of kilometers - for this to happen. But for very high frequencies (a.k.a. noise, where our work in this application is centered), only comparatively short lengths are required: for some, only a few cm of length.

However.

This leads to a new problem: the shield of even a coaxial design actually fluctuates with the high frequency signal.

What that means practically? We run into the same noisy high-frequency problem mentioned above - so much so that even the outer shield of the coax will begin to broadcast the signal. Talk about frustrated scientists: there is so much noise generated by the shield of the coax that it is comparable to what would have happened had there been no coaxial configuration to begin with. Utterly defeats the purpose. (Remember?) Right: it was supposed to concentrate all these volatile high frequencies in a controlled location so we could wipe them out.

Faced with this situation, more investigation was required. LessLoss needed to develop another, as yet unidentified configuration of signal and return conductors. The configuration we so ardently sought would result in maximum control of this galling high-frequency trait of broadcasting and reflecting, and would establish a predictable locality into which we could focus that high frequency noise on our way to eradicating it.

(Always easier to shoot a non-moving target.)

In other words - we had to build a trap.

The first step we had taken in our quest to liberate the perfect sound was to use the same filter technique that worked in the DFPC, simply by using more of the same skin-treated metal in the conductors. This had quickly yielded very promising results: simply by connecting two filters in series, we proved that the results could get better. Connecting two filters in parallel proved even better sounding, but this was actually worse news: the filter technology still had plenty of room for improvement. It wasn't until we'd reached some 120 times the effectiveness of the DFPC that further expansion in this direction proved inaudible. Some good news at last: one parameter's limit was reached.

But now, to get the configuration of the geometry to create an electromagnetic 'trap' so that the high frequency noise would be controlled and remain stable in a predictable location. Seriously tough, but it turned out, not at all impossible!

After endless iterations, we had firmly focused the noise: had made a successful internal arrangement which would send the high frequency noise in such constantly close proximity to the original loss-y skin of the conductors that a second skin akin to the original simply needed to be added after application of a thin dielectric material spacer, and, presto, the filter took care of a substantially greater amount of noise while not exhibiting any noticeable coloration effects in the audio!

The sound is quasi illuminated, comes forth with more ease, is impressively dynamic and somehow more authentic and alive than ever before.

There is a reason for this. Although the design is in principle similar to that of running 120 DFPC's in parallel, it is our precise configuration of said conductors and the application of the second layer of skin-configured conductors to them which results in the phenomenal perceived audio performance of the LessLoss Firewall.

That's not all. There's even more to this Firewall if you're still with me.