Pure Silver Wire


If silver is so good to use why do we not see solid silver speaker cables? Price is not that high- 10ga diameter pure silver 6ft is just under $300. That makes a pair of speaker cables about $1,100 for material. I see the price of some of these cables on the market and $1,100 is a fraction of their asking price.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124678485835?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28&google_free_listing_action=view_item&srsltid=AfmBOorHuS09_34uZqjKKIZUU7NaBQP-mVnY7vnYHl72VmVtDOLiHwnphDA

piebaldpython

Silver does react very readily with sulfur containing gases in the atmosphere, like hydrogen sulfide (H2S), to form silver sulfide (Ag2S). The typical tarnish or corrosion observed on pure silver is due primarily to the formation of Ag2S. The presence of water vapor (high humidity) increases the reaction rate. 

Hi

Let me put it another way: the distance between the atoms (not molecules – molecules are a combination of different atoms like H2O) of Copper and Silver.

But the “charge carrier mobility” is higher on silver than on copper.

Silver = 66 cm²/Vs

Copper = 43 cm²/Vs

And this is why silver sounds so different than copper.

 

Maybe that will help you. Sorry my mistake on the wording.

Best regards Robert Neill

@worldwidewholesales  posted the following:  "the “charge carrier mobility” is higher on silver than on copper. And this is why silver sounds so different than copper.

Yes, the charge carrier mobility has to be greater for silver compared to copper. Silver has a slightly greater conductivity than copper and the charge carrier mobility is directly related to conductivity. A metal’s conductivity is directly proportional to the following:

  1. The charge on each carrier. For Ag and Cu the charge is identical because both metals have 1 free electron in their outer shell.
  2. The number of carriers per unit volume. In the pure metals, the interatomic distance between Cu atoms is less than the interatomic distance between Ag atoms. In the pure metals, Cu has ~ 8.43 x 10^22 atoms/cm³ and Ag has ~ 5.85 x 10^22 atoms/cm³. Therefore Cu has more charge carriers per unit volume (~1.44 x more) compared to Ag.
  3. The mobility of the charge carriers. The greater charge carrier mobility for Ag compared to Cu offsets its lower number of carriers per unit volume compared to Cu to give it a slight increase in conductivity.

The difference in conductivity between Ag and Cu is relatively small (~5%).

Ag conductivity - 6.30×10^7 S/m

Cu conductivity - 5.98×10^7 S/m

 

Kimber cables knows how to design silver cable. I have their digital cable D60, kcag ic, and 8AG speaker cables.they match well with tube gear. Onother favorite is Audioquest dragon speaker cables , diamond ic. They work well with tube and ss.

Wire is wire. Resistance is all you need to worry about, so save yourself a lot of money and buy some low cost speaker wire of the appropriate gauge.

Not a single person in this thread could discern a difference in a proper test.