Why silver is better!

[warnerwh]

Because when it oxidizes it will still conduct. Those of you who've owned some copper zip cord for years may know what I mean. I recently stumbled on some silver plated zip cord by a company called Knukonceptz on Ebay, but they have a website also. Polyethylene insulation too. 12ga. is 1.49ft. I think this company is mainly in the car audio business but I bought some of this and it works fine in my home system(imagine that). For people who plan on keeping the same stuff for years I think silver has it's advantages as you won't need to buy it again unless you need longer runs.
Acoustic Research makes an interconnect cable with some locking rca connectors that is silver plated and double shielded. Just thought others may be interested in some cheap alternatives that will last for many years. This btw is a most refreshing site when it comes to wire.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Because when it oxidizes it will still conduct.

You mean that the silver oxide will still conduct and better than copper oxide?

One solution is to have the connectors soldered on and the connector gold plated? Why would I be concerned what is happening on the surface of the wire if the connector is not affected?

 

[warnerwh]

Because when it oxidizes it will still conduct.

You mean that the silver oxide will still conduct and better than copper oxide?

Yes

One solution is to have the connectors soldered on and the connector gold plated? Why would I be concerned what is happening on the surface of the wire if the connector is not affected?

You wouldn't be concerned about the oxidation issue with soldered connectors but alot of people use unterminated speaker cable so I guess this doesn't apply to you. Then again I've had copper oxidize and you could see it inside the insulation, it may not affect the sound but I'd rather not worry about it. I've seen copper cables get bulges from oxidation and with silver this is a non issue. If you live near salt water it's even more of a problem.

 

[Mudcat]

Amazingly though, copper oxide is an ingrediant in ceramic superconductors. Whereas silver oxide just looks ugly, copper oxide looks like, well it looks just like the Statue of Liberty. Prettiest green there is.

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

...copper oxide looks like, well it looks just like the Statue of Liberty. Prettiest green there is.

So pretty it even has a name: verdigris. (Literally, "greengray") Just another item from the Van Woofer Archive of Fun Facts.

Silver makes prettier jewelry than copper, though. So I guess if one regards cables as "audio jewelry"...

 

[mtrycrafts]

Silver makes prettier jewelry than copper, though. So I guess if one regards cables as "audio jewelry"...

You haven't seen those copper bracelets people wear to cure their ills? So nice when highly polished. It might even work better

 

[glz]

Good one