Ready, set, comment! Speaker cables don’t make a difference?

@audition__audio Why did you thank Pesky for the "China comment"?

We would say, yes, they make a difference. 

     Was using standard 16ga as speaker wire in long runs. 
   Years back, switched to locking plugs with 8ga wire, in short runs of about 1foot to 1.75 foot as my runs to the amps. They sit 8 inches from the speaker, . There is a definite bass increase, as well as soundstage. 

   Silver plate or core rca and speaker wire, did increase the top end frequencies.  

I've heard that silver conducts significantly better than copper or gold. I've also heard that electricity travels on the surface of the conductor, not primarily the core. So, I was just wondering if silver-plated copper wire is really a good idea. Does it result in some part of the signal diverted to the core with higher resistance than the part of the signal traveling along the silver super-highway? Wouldn't that alter the timing and phase of the signal and possibly result in a sonic difference? Perhaps it's too small to notice or measure, but I thought the topic might be good for another 100 or so comments. ;-)

Because I thought the comment about speaker wire # 15437 was very funny. 

willie, yes silver has slightly lower resistance than copper. In the context of audio cables and wire it means absolutely nothing. You are talking about skin effect. Higher frequency alternating current electricity migrates to the surface of the conductor creating a "skin." the higher the frequency the thinner the skin which increases the resistance of the wire at these frequencies. Fortunately, bass frequencies, which require the most current, travel through the entire conductor. The most important factor with speaker wires is keeping them as short as possible followed by gauge and induction. Kimber Kable makes the lowest induction cable and 12TC ends up being 8 gauge. IMHO it is the best speaker wire made. Mono amps placed right near the speaker is always the best way to go. If you have to keep your amp far away from the speakers it is best to use speakers with a high impedance preferably 16 ohms and higher gauge wire with at least twisted pair construction. Zip cord is theoretically the worst. But, if I blind tested everyone on this thread it is highly unlikely that anyone could hear the difference between Kimber Kable and Zip cord.