Although longitudinal waves can travel through all media types, what is the disadvantage of this type of wave transmission? Particles become too close together as they bump into each other making it more likely to hit other particles down the line. The waves travel in all directions which does not ensure that it will come into contact with particles down the line. The efficiency of the wave transmission is greatly diminished as the media becomes less dense. The oscillation of one set of particles has a huge impact on neighboring particles.