It takes less energy to move the valence electrons in silver than it does to move the valance electron in copper
This impacts the dynamic performance of a cable and also the clarity and details, which in turn impacts the image.
In the world of DC. i.e. Direct Current, even though the voltage may be constant (e.g. 12 volts), the current drawn by the attached circuit varies based on the demands of the signals in that circuit.
- In the audio world the current demands can vary from subtle to extreme
- in which case the current drawn can be subtle or extreme and if the demand cannot be met then the DC voltage is impacted,
- This then impacts the current
- and performance of a poorly designed component spirals downwards from there
Anything that causes electrons to move will have an easier time with a silver wire than with a copper wire.
Another variable of cables is the insulation and it’s Dielectric Constant (i.e. DK) value of that insulation
- Air is the best at 1.1
- cotton is good at 1.3
- foamed Teflon is around 1.45
- Teflon is around 2.2
The higher the value of DK the greater the distortions introduced within the wires of a cable due to the charging and recharging of the insulation in the opposite direction as the audio signal changes polarity. These distortions flow into the circuit of attached components and impacts clarity.
Especially power cables, because they provide the power to the DC circuitry and if that power is not "perfect", distortions in the signal are introduced, which impacts clarity.
Impacting clarity in turn impacts phase between the LR channel signals, which impact the image and artist placement and venus scale within the image.
Once you have the metal and insulation sorted, then you have to consider the Geometry of the cable. Poor Geometry (e.g. two wires side by side inside a sleeve) causes distortions (or noise) in both wires.
In interconnects,
- distortions in the signal wire get amplified - turntables are particularly prone
- distortions in the Neutral wire are transferred between ALL connected components, which causes the circuits to distort the signal,
- because in a perfect world the neutral side SHOULD BE at ZERO volts for the device to work correctly
In power cables
- Power cables can experience a LOT of induced noise
- any distortions in either the live or neutral are passed onto the power supply stage.
- in components (e.g. amps) that have large well designed heavy duty power supplies, the noise is often dealt with for the most part, but some noise always gets through
- In components that have lighter duty power supplies, the noise becomes a more serious problem and and using a better quality power cables becomes much more noticeable
- Even DC power supplies experience noise because of the dynamic current draws
In Speaker Cables
- any distortions introduced into the neutral wire is fed back into the amp, which upsets the neutral side of its circuit (which should be at ZERO volts) and this impacts how well the amp can do it’s job
What about RFI/EMI...
- Noise from RFI/EMI are not too much of a factor in speaker cables and power cables because compared to the "signal", they are very small.
- In Interconnects, it can be amplified to annoying levels, so the geometry must protect against that
Those are some of the "basics" of cable design and the impacts that each one has on the audio signal.
So YES - silver cables do sound different from copper cables
Hope that helps - Steve
