Audioquest Speaker Cable Type 4

[wb7629]

More evidence that expensive high end speaker cable is not worth it. I bought Audioquest Type 4 speaker cable which cost $250 and the silver banana plugs are faded just after 2 1/2 years. It was my mistake in buying them. Never Again!

 

[Verdinut]

More evidence that expensive high end speaker cable is not worth it. I bought Audioquest Type 4 speaker cable which cost $250 and the silver banana plugs are faded just after 2 1/2 years. It was my mistake in buying them. Never Again!

You mean that that the banana plugs are rather tarnished. That could cause reduction of conductivity. I would suggest that you replace the banana plugs or have them replaced by a reliable technician with good locking gold plated copper ones.

 

[lovinthehd]

Silver does that. They're just Fraudioquest, can't imagine spending any money that would get into those charlatans' hands....

 

[Pogre]

Silver does that. They're just Fraudioquest, can't imagine spending any money that would get into those charlatans' hands....

I was gonna say... doesn't silver tarnish? I've read the reason a lot of them are gold plated is because gold doesn't tarnish. It's not so much to do with better conductivity.

 

[Eppie]

Silver is only about 7% more conductive than copper, which is a measure of how much electricity is lost as it travels from point to point. Silver looses efficiency over time due to oxidization so it is typically used in specialized sensitive equipment were high conductivity over short distances is required. Gold actually has lower conductivity than silver or copper, but the differences are insignificant in audio cable, and as mentioned above, gold does not oxidize so it is ideal for plating. For an example of just how minor the difference is between silver and copper, a 1,000 foot long 24 gauge copper wire will have 2 ohms more resistance than silver.

 

[Mikado463]

More evidence that expensive high end speaker cable is not worth it. I bought Audioquest Type 4 speaker cable which cost $250 and the silver banana plugs are faded just after 2 1/2 years. It was my mistake in buying them. Never Again!

a little Caig lab DeOxIT a rag and you'll be good as new !

 

[Movie2099]

More evidence that expensive high end speaker cable is not worth it. I bought Audioquest Type 4 speaker cable which cost $250 and the silver banana plugs are faded just after 2 1/2 years. It was my mistake in buying them. Never Again!

Yeah, but how does it sound?? Amazing should be your answer! Make sure all your HDMI’s, power cables, cable conditioners subwoofer cables are all AudioQuest. $10k should be what you spend on the best cables. Worth every cent!

 

[}Fear_Inoculum{]

Yeah, but how does it sound?? Amazing should be your answer! Make sure all your HDMI’s, power cables, cable conditioners subwoofer cables are all AudioQuest. $10k should be what you spend on the best cables. Worth every cent!

Only 10k?

Peasants.........

 

[lovinthehd]

LOL 10k is a walk in the park if you want to get into some serious audiophool cabling....several brands are willing to screw you like that....

 

[j_garcia]

This is one of those moments where you realize much later that you got ripped off.

 

[Teetertotter?]

I'm one NOT to use any speaker banana plugs, due to long term conductivity issues. Take the time and screw down the copper stranded wires. To each their own....they say.

 

[Pogre]

I'm one NOT to use any speaker banana plugs, due to long term conductivity issues.

Long term conductivity issues?

 

[lovinthehd]

What about the natural tendency for even tightened down bare wire to loosen over time?

 

[Pogre]

Yeah, you don't just throw a statement out like that and not explain it. I use banana plugs! I wanna know what long term conductivity issues I'm gonna be experiencing if I continue to use them.

 

[Eppie]

Yeah, you don't just throw a statement out like that and not explain it. I use banana plugs! I wanna know what long term conductivity issues I'm gonna be experiencing if I continue to use them.

In about 1,000 years the gold metal plating might begin to flake off.

 

[Teetertotter?]

Long term conductivity issues?

Perhaps should have stated "Corrosion." of some kind?? Atmosphere impurities attacking banana plugs over time vs perhaps, more solid contact w/o using?? IMO of course.

 

[3db]

The cable and interconnect industry are rife with fraud. Back in the day, magic exliers were peddled by people in the back of their horse drawn wagons as a promised cure all for everything that "ailed you". The cable and interconnect companies saw how well that business model worked and is using nearly the same tactics to fool the gullable audiophile. I guess to be an audiophile, one's level of gullibilty must exceed one's hearing capabilities or else your relegated to being only an audio enthusiast.

 

[Eppie]

Perhaps should have stated "Corrosion." of some kind?? Atmosphere impurities attacking banana plugs over time vs perhaps, more solid contact w/o using?? IMO of course.

You'd be surprised how little an issue that is. Most higher end gear has gold plated terminals which do not tarnish or corrode. They will still look nice and shiny a hundred years from now. If you are constantly plugging and unplugging equipment, you may eventually wear off the plating if it's cheap and thin, but that would be unusual. I have amps and receivers both new and old. The 30 year old amps have tin plated connectors which do eventually turn grey with some tarnish. Plug an RCA cable into them and they still work 100%. The edges of the connector cut through the microscopic layer of tarnish and pass a signal just fine. Part of the reason for this is that it is just not that critical with audio signals no higher than 22kHz. Only when you start using radio frequency gear operating in the Gigahertz range do things like that become critical. Even oxygen free copper will eventually start to turn green, but only where exposed to air. Where the two metal surfaces contact each other there is no corrosion (unless you use dissimilar metals that can lead to galvanic corrosion, but no audio gear uses that).

I would be more worried about expansion and contraction due to changes in temperature. Mechanical connections like screw terminals and crimps can eventually work loose but that's typically only on amplifiers that run hot and then cool down when off. Most other connections are at room temperature and only vary by a few degrees.

Think about the internal wiring of a typical speaker. The crossover circuit boards often have screw terminals so that they can be removed for servicing. The speaker terminals have spade connectors that use crimped connectors on the wires. None of these connectors are gold plated. How many speakers that you have owned have ever needed any kind of servicing for their internal wiring? It's simply not an issue and if you're worried about banana plugs loosing their connection, there are plenty of locking banana plug connectors on the market. Get a gold plated plug, tighten them down and that connection is good for decades!

 

[Teetertotter?]

@Eppie , Your presentation is very much appreciated.

 

[panteragstk]

Yeah, but how does it sound?? Amazing should be your answer! Make sure all your HDMI’s, power cables, cable conditioners subwoofer cables are all AudioQuest. $10k should be what you spend on the best cables. Worth every cent!

Me and @Pogre got some Arizona Bay property to sell you. No pictures and you can't visit, but I assure it's gorgeous.