Are silver coated cables a bunch of hype?

I don't want to prejudice anyone against my favorite cables, but Purist Dominus is ultra high purity copper with silver coating.

Purist Audio never mentions this fact in advertising or specification sheets, nor do they make any claim as to the technological or performance benefits.

I only discovered this when a roll of Dominus conductor was shipped to me to use in various components that I was modifying.

Soundlab wired my U-1 with this conductor and the comments were that the insulation (Teflon) was the most uniform and predictable to strip they ever worked with. The exposed silver plated copper was free of any adhesives or synthetics and easy to solder. The final results set solidly, ultra clean without any debris or puddling in the matrix of metals.

As already mentioned here by others, implementation is more important than subjective discussions of the impact of the materials selected.

Performance wise, Purist Dominus typically is described as liquid, dynamic and seductive. I have never heard a criticism of phase or brightness problems. Again, implementation is everything.

TWL, your comments about cross section of wire and skin effect may explain something I had not previously considered.

Dominus conductor is multi stranded and TINY. When the Teflon jacket is stripped away, the strands seem inseparably bound together, until the nudge of a fingertip spreads them. Only then it is obvious they are instead a very soft and tightly bound bundle.

The construction obviously has a bearing on sound, combined with the fact these conductors are then housed in hollow tubes and suspended in a soup of chemicals and water. Certainly a departure from all the other high end cable designs.

Redkiwi, good to see you again. Hope you intend to stick around.