I think once Wolfe got tuned into the Archie channel, it became hard for him to assess how much of that broadcast other people are able to pick up.

I am definitely on board with this theory! Especially given the "electric current" paragraph in this book--if Archie feels that current, surely Wolfe does too. And so Wolfe would think, consciously or subconsciously, that Archie's deceptions must be apparent to everyone else the way they are to him (or at least that they shouldn't run the risk).