Serious Question About Silver vs Copper Conductivity for Power

Yes, I realize that this topic is going to bring out the sharks, but if I get at least one serious response, it will all be worth it.

I understand that silver conducts 7% faster than copper.

Speed of conduction is not what is happening.
There is just slightly less resistance.

There is not some magic with silver that makes it “faster”, but silver and copper is make of neutrons, protons and electrons… and the # of protons is what defines silver as unique.

The electron movement is what carries the current in the wire.

 

I also understand that using a dielectric insulation like Teflon is best at keeping the wire from overheating,

The Teflon’s keeps the live and neutral from arcing.
The arcing would overheat the wire.

The teflon also keeps the ting from arcing into one’s hand when touching the wire.

 

stopping signals entering and stopping signals from leaving the conductor.

The teflon does nothing for isolating the conductor that way.
One would use a shield to shield the wire from external fields.

 

I understand that a certain amount of math is involved in selected gauge of wire depending largely on how much power the component is going to take, and how much the amperage is (20 or 15).

My question is regarding certain features applied to either silver or copper conductors that may or may not have an advantage over one or the other.

I have the Kimber Kable P14 Palladian. This uses 14awg copper conductors insulated in Teflon. Then it adds a massive filter that attempts to mitigate the standing wave ratio to as close to 1:1 as possible. I had Kimber’s Ascent power cable prior. It’s identical to the Palladian, except the filter. I have heard the difference between using those two cables. Apparently, mitigating the standing wave ratio lowers the noise floor significantly. However, any filter that chokes the signal and will slow the electrical current.

The US 60 Hz is already pulsing at 120 Hz through the rectifier. So one is not able to do any “filling up of the capacitors” for some amount of time, which happens at 120 Hz.

 

As I understand it, the amplifier works by opening the rectifier to allow the capacitors to fill with energy that the system will draw from. Being able to keep the rectifier open and fill the capacitors as fast as possible, reducing lag time, has the effect of creating more realistic and detailed sound.

If one were to show that the output power was higher with one cable versus the other, then we could be onto something. I did not see anything on the Kimber site explains the cable… no standing wave ratio or anything else.

 

With that said, changing to a power cable that uses pure silver insulated in Teflon, will ensure that power is delivered potentially faster.

Not in reality it won’t be any faster.
If the electronics on the cabe are filters, then you could get less noise out the end of the cable. But we do not know what is happening in that “fat part” of the cable.

 

Although, the silver power cable will NOT have a filter. Therefore the standing wave ratio will not be mitigated and the electrical signal will not be choked either.

So, would the amplifier benefit from faster electrical current or slower, but cleaner electric current? Since this signal isn’t directly applied to sound, the concepts of “colder” or “warmer” sound should not apply.

Since there is unlikely to be any “Faster” happening, then cleaner would be potentially better. But that assumes that the amp is not filtering out any noise.

and we do not know what the “fat part” of the cable is, nor what it is doing. It looks good though.

 

Can someone help me out without poking fun at the question? Additionally, I am not interested in having a cable-theory debate. If you don’t believe cables make any difference, I will not debate or have discourse on that topic.

At some point, understanding how cables work from a theory perspective is worthwhile. If we are only going to go by belief in cables, then it is only a place where we can have testimony and debate.

Personally I would prefer to stick to facts.

Your perspectives on how electrical current flows, and the speed of the flow is contrary to electrical theory. That coupled with not knowing what the ”filter” is, nor its parameters makes it a crap shoot as to what is happening.

I suppose one could use an oscilloscope and maybe 119 Hz and 1kHz and look for some low frequency IMD happening to the 1 kHz tone? Or clipping on the 119 Hz, as it is sliding past the incoming 120 Hz? But without that, it is sort of more along the lines of a story, which is heading towards fiction. If there was a shield over the cable, it may not do anything, but it would have a basis in fact. Also if the “fat part” of the cable was some capacitor shutting high freq noise, then that would be factual and could reduce noise coming out of the amp… but that gets smaller and small on high quality amps that are fingering out noise.

 

Additionally, I am not interested in having a cable-theory debate.

One cannot chuck out erroneous statements on how cables work as the premise for changing a cable, and expect that some discussion on theory would be out of place.

I’m not going to dive into whether one sounds better than the other, but from a physics point of view a six foot silver or copper pc the same gage has no electrical differences at 120 volts at 60 hz.

+

and going from 14 ga to 12 ga is much less resistance than a 6% boost in going to silver from copper - in terms of conductivity.

 

And back to the earlier physics…
The teflon insulation actually cuts the speed proportional to the dielectric. So the field propagation along the cord is delayed more as the teflon, or whatever’s dielectric constant goes up.

Does that make a difference? Probably not… but a copper wire with no insulator is faster than a copper wire with teflon and/or a silver wire with a teflon jacket.
Faster by a few nanoseconds.

I never said there was silver magic, nor did I imply it. That is an erroneous and rather offensive stereotype that I don’t appreciate.

Correct, but you said that Silver conducts 7% faster than copper.

I understand that silver conducts 7% faster than copper

And also that the teflon keeps it from overheating.

Both those statements are erroneous.

 

It is also a fact that Silver is touted as having magical qualities by many manufacturers that sell it. Gold is actually 3rd behind silver and then copper in conductivity, but it also has a magical allure.

 

I don’t deny my lack of knowledge. However, I have decades of experience. You may see that as baseless testimony with no "facts" to back it up, but no one will have those facts

it is not your lack of knowledge that is the problem, it is that much of this gear is marketed with magical properties and stories which are laden in golden eared testimonials. Some/most cables do not even list the specs! At least Kimber provides some specs for the speaker cables (4TC and 13TC at least), so they are up the list a ways in comparison.

Without some provable facts it is difficult to understand whether they work or what they do. I would usually prefer to put the funds into a piece of gear that is more immune to needing a cable in the first place.
If the manufacturer says that “brand-X” cable is what they recommend than that is at least a good start.

Without that we are left with listening tests, and experience.

 

There are no tools for measuring sound quality except the human ear and that tool is subjective.

Ask your EE friend if he could measure the voltage of the power supply output. If so, then he would then have a way to show whether or not it was dropping down and a “faster cable” might help fill it better.
See what he says.

if the power supply output is rock solid, then I cannot imagine any way that a cable could help… but more noise would be worse.
He will know what is means, and could give you some insight.

Folks like @holmz and yourself see any discussion of cables making a difference as an invitation to shame and belittle.

He hasn’t offered any real scientific facts that matter. Talking about 60 vs 120 hz is just name-dropping scientific data that has no bearing on the question.

He completely removed his credibility when he focused on my "7% faster" comment as "magical." So I posted the scientific journal that explained it. I could keep going, but what’s the point. It’s just an on-going shame-game to you folks.

The reality is, you folks have made up my mind. You don’t have the knowledge nor the experience to answer the question

I am not responsible for emotional feelings, and you are reading in shame and belittling on your own.

You started off saying that the silver is fast, and the teflon keeps it from burning… both statements are untrue.

We do not know if a “faster cable” is better, but 60 Hz (120 Hz) is pretty slow. The way top make a cable faster is by lowering the inductance and/or the capacitance.

1. We lower the inductance with geometry.
2. We lower the capacitance with geometry and the dielectric.
   1. Teflon has a high dielectric constant (k), so we are going the wrong way. You need something more towards k=1 to lower capacitance.

If you are going to buy the cable based upon emotion, then just buy the thing and be done.

If you want to buy the cable based upon theory then it gets difficult as we need theories and metrics. The metrics for the cable did not appear to be provided, and the EE theories are not considered to be overly easy.

The third way is to some up with an alternative hypothesis. This was offered previously, and namely it was , “the output only depends on the smoothness of the DC power supply.”
One could measure the DC power supply, while the amp is in operation.

Or we just by how it sounds, but that is covered in psychoacoustic theory. And it is laden with bias.

 

As for the criticism of word choice on "faster" electrical conductivity, consider this: "Silver is sometimes thought to be the best conductor because its electrons can move faster than other elements—which is attributed to the polarity of crystals and their structure."

^Freer^, is probably a better word, than faster in that website quote…

 

Lastly; when people are trying to offer you help and solutions to your question, then accusing them of causing you offence is not helpful in adult conversation. Either explain where and how you were triggered so that they can work on their delivery, or try and read the post without inserting your own emotions.

Have a good day sir.

Conductivity goes gold, silver, copper, aluminum.... solid cable is not necessary because electricity travels on the outside and not throughout a wire... if it is silver coated that should be enough. The only thing I can say is I use silver coated wires and it seems better... but that is my impression.

@frankmc195 there are also silver wires with insulation other than teflon. Coincidentally I have these en route for ICs.

And there are also copper wires with with insulation other than PVC and teflon, specifically with a lower dielectric constant.

And there are wires in silver with the Linz geometry, which are used when one wants lower inductance, like for a phono lead.

table 7.1 here: https://www.engineeringenotes.com/metallurgy/metal-conductivity/conductivity-of-metals-metallurgy/41956

Says:

1. silver
2. sodium
3. copper
4. gold
5. aluminium
6. …

And in a power cord the frequency is low by definition, so more of “the whole wire” is carrying the current. That current gradually moves towards the surface as the frequency increases.

If you decide to go with an outer jacket try to avoid materials containing Barium Titanate.

why ? @dekay 

And, in case anyone was in doubt, it makes no difference if the power traverses the cable 7% faster.

@clearthinker to be fair to the OP, it is spruicked in the literature of many of this sort of gear, using words of speed and fastness… and all sorts of things that help them, sell the gear as “being needed.”

I certainly have spent more than I ever thought I would on a power supply, and I could spend more on a battery for it, as the front end preamp and phono amp uses 12V… So the last thing I would do is put on a fancy 240v cable to it with a darn good (and proven) reason.

@holmz As to manufacturer’s hype, we all need to keep our bullsh** detectors turned up full, otherwise we and our wallets are just cannon fodder.. Most people know that electricity travels at something approaching the speed of light, so a 7% reduction in the time to traverse a 6 foot length of wire will not be very long at all in audio terms. In this discussion, we are only keeping a capacitor topped up of course. You just can’t beat good old common sense that regrettably appears in very short supply these days and not just in audio

@clearthinker

Yeah but it is not 7% faster, it is 7% more conductive.

• And even if we were to say it was 7% faster, throwing in some PVC or Teflon slows the field down by 1/SQRT(k), so using an insulator with a lower dielectric constant (k) defines the speed. But alas the conductor material does NOT define the speed of electricity, nor the speed of light, or any other EM field.
• And if we were to imagine some massive high amperage burst during a uS, then the inductance probably comes into play much quicker than the silver versus copper conductivity.

 

As others have pointed out going from a 14ga copper to a 14ga silver is 7% better for lowering resistance, but going to 12ga or 10ga is a lot more benefit than 7%.

Than as ​​​@mitch2 sort of implied, the current flow through a 20ga cable seems like it going in the opposite direction of the OP’s hypothesis of dumping massive short current bursts into the amp.

I use an effective 20ga for ICs, and they seem OK… however I would be using a “store bought” power cord over a 20ga power cord.

The mention of the 20ga power cord solution has me thinking that we have been expertly trolled… in masterclass fashion.

 

For those nervous types who are obsessed by the risk of noise, I concur about DC battery supplies. These are particularly useful with preamps as you say, where the oomph required is much less than for power amps. But unless you are an electrical engineer, you need to buy an amp with built in provision for a battery supply, and this restricts choice unacceptably for most. I wonder if there s a place for a well-engineered all-in unit to do the job of inputting to an amp designed to take only 240v AC. Battery supply kills off all noise issues except for the very severely obsessed.

The old preamp was fine and has no noise issues.
The new power supply one was a package deal with a phono stage.

It sounds good, but I did not get it being obsessed with noise… It just looked good to have all the pieces in a stack, and adds some Feng Shui to make domestic bliss.

I am NOT getting a battery pack for it, but if I was to put it into, say, a camper or motorhome, then I easily could.

@holmz Yes I should have said conductivity, not speed. I am entirely prepared to accept your scientific explanation and I thank you for it.

But this element of the discussion relates to topping up large capacitor(s) in a power amp to replace power used by the unit in playing music. If you employ a decent gauge of wire (as manufacturers put in the box for you), there is no way enough juice is not going to get to the cap(s), and no way sending 107 per time unit is going to be better than sending 100. Indeed, the cap won’t absorb anywhere near all the power that can run through the wire and will in fact draw a lot less than that.

The concern is entirely unwarranted and obsessive

@clearthinker I was pedantic on using “conductivity” versus “speed”, mostly for others who might later read this… and agree with your post ^above^.
(I know you know it, so it was mostly for the future.)

 

Well, since no one has proven themselves to be true, by backing up their supposed "correct" statements with any form of facts, it is the assumption that one should just "take them at their word." Too bad that use of sarcasm and belittlement ruins ones credibility if one hasn’t proven themselves prior. I have no choice but to disregard answers that are marred by needless derision.

There are text books and equations that are in the field of physics and electronics and EE that have been mentioned. Would it help to mention the theories and laws? Or to provide links?

 

“I’m not sure why that isn’t more clear to you." <- Because no one posting is an actual Electrical Engineer and is unable to provide any source for their statements. These are all ASSUMPTIONS and GUESSES.

I am %90 sure there is at least one poster is a EE, and %100 sure that one has a degree in physics.
That not withstanding, most of the part with electrical codes is rooted in a high school shop electronics class or H.S. physics level of things like Ohm’s law.
People have linked the published conductivity numbers for various metals.

So these are engineering assessments, and not guesses and assumptions. The only assumptions are what the actual current needs/requirements are.

 

This is SOLID SILVER wire at 28awg. *NOT* multiple, hair-thin, strands twisted together to make 28awg. Yes, that is an important distinction.

Each 28 ga wire is a hair, so 20 of them together is like a thin ponytail.
https://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm

0.0126” is more like 2 to 12 human hairs.
https://hypertextbook.com/facts/1999/BrianLey.shtml

 

Also, *EACH* *INDIVIDUAL* strand is insulated in Teflon. First of all, silver has an extremely high melting point (over 900F). So, regardless of my electrical load on a 15 amp plug at 120v that single silver 28awg wire isn’t going to melt; even if it is subjected to a constant 15 amp load at full 1800 watts.

I think it would likely melt. I made a hot wire cutter for styrofoam that runs somewhere around 5 amperes through a with about 0.032” in diameter, and the bastard gets red hot and smokes through the foam. The foam actually cools it from conduction, so it is a balancing act to keep the middle hot enough to plow through the foam, but the free ends cool enough to prevent the wire from splitting apart.

(It glows red hot.)

 

IN fact, the Teflon jacket has a heat rating of 500F (260C) Therefore, if we all here waxing "scientific" and "math" and "electrical engineering" I could run my speakers on just that one 28awg insulated wire and not start a fire or short anything out. If I am wrong, prove it (spoiler alert, you can’t.)

Prove it yourself.
You can use a FLIR camera and measure it, if you so choose to.

Maximum current for a 20 ga wire made up of 20 strands is 2.1 amperes. Link:
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wire-gauges-d_419.html

That is like 16W maximum on a 4 ohm speaker. People often use 11-16 gauge on speaker wires, but horns and older high efficiency speakers could manage 20ga. So it is on the hairy edge, but on a 8 or 16 ohm speaker should just work.

 

With that said, taking 20 of these silver cables means offloading heat and electric loads. In final, it means you all are incorrect in your assessments, until you can actually prove it. That means not just taking your word. That means going out and finding an algorithm that can determine correct awg needed for 100watts from a 120v US socket using silver wire encased in Teflon (and I wish you the best luck finding it.)

Ignoring the math on heat flow, like the work of Fourier, many would use the FLIR camera, or a thermocouple to measure it in-situ.

Or they would just ;ook at the aforementioned link: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wire-gauges-d_419.html

 

This post, if you bothered to read the original post, is whether or not there is a performance change using a braided, insulated silver power cable versus an insulated and filtered copper cable. I had actually avoided stating what company was making the silver cable. Interesting that you, once again, wrongly assumed something.

 

The original post was about silver versus copper AS WELL AS about the filter that matches the standing wave… here is one part:

With that said, changing to a power cable that uses pure silver insulated in Teflon, will ensure that power is delivered potentially faster. Although, the silver power cable will NOT have a filter. Therefore the standing wave ratio will not be mitigated and the electrical signal will not be choked either.

 

It is mostly the “Faster” and “Speed” part that is a problem.

 

You’re taking this out of context. I don’t know whether you’re doing that on purpose or whether you haven’t followed the whole thread. *I* am not questioning whether or not 100 watts running at .83 amps is correct or wrong.

You should question ^that^, as it is the basis over overthink else.
Most electricians do not question it, they just assume that it can draw up to the 15 amps… or they use a clamp style ampere meter and measure it.

0.83A looks like 100W, but there are 2 speaker connected to a stereo amplifier, so you more like 1.6A, and with losses everywhere along the chain is only goes up.

A Class-D amp might be 80% efficient, but a Class-A or AB is less. At 50% efficient, then we double the 1.6A and get to 3.2 amperes… or more.

 

*I* am questioning whether or not it is a problem running that on Teflon insulated solid silver.

The answer here^ is. “0.83 amperes is < than the 2.1 amperes that the cable is rated for.”
But I would want a cable that is capable of inrush current, and can handle the maximum expected or measured current needs. That teflon is not going to help a whole lot, as the idea is not have the cable trying to get to 260 C on its own internally… That 260C is more like, “use this cable in the engine bay, where the temp can get to 100-200C, as a PVC cable will likely melt if the engine bay is too warm.” It is NOT, “Use teflon because I am wanting to run an undersized wire red-Hot”.

 

You’re all so busy attacking me, that you can’t see that you are all applying algorithms based on copper to silver.

So....I must apologize as I don’t see where I need to feel any shame.

I am not a psychologist, but I seem to recall that shame statistically varies by cultural. No one posted anything that seems to be overtly laden so as to induce shame, so it appears that you are piling the shame onto yourself.

Being emotional usually tends to impede one’s ability to absorb new and difficult information.

 

Run whatever cable you feel is good, and have a nice day.evening.

 

… (by the way, no one should be concerned because it isn’t their system. Also, the amp has a fast blowing fuse, so I am also not concerned in the slightest about damaging my speakers or system. I thank everyone in advance for their concerns for my personal and equipment’s safety.)

But people do care about this stuff and like to understand it, and to share their knowledge.
Hence please provide some feedback after you have tried the new cable, so that others may benefit from your experience.

 

 

You’re right, electrons and metals do not care what resistance they encounter. They have no control over their molecular structures.

Actually a metal does have control of its atomic structure, which is why metals are conductive, and do not have a massive gap that they need to overcome in order to get an electron “free”.

 

 

However, circuit boards, capacitors, inductors, resistors, rectifiers, coils, and magnets do care a little bit as they’ll be the ones to make use of all those incoming electrons and someone configured them to care simply because there is an intended and desired end result.

The electrons for copper and the ones for Silver are the same sub atomic particulars. So all the electronics in the box have no way of differentiating where any particular electron came from.

And ^that^ assumes that it is all about electrons in a EE sense. If it is actually about electric fields, then the electronics may also care about things like dielectrics, which are not conductive.

 

 

In regards to inductance, it appears to be a specification largely applied to resistance coils in a circuit.

It is not a resistance coil. The things which are designed to have inductance are called inductors.
The things which are designed to have capacitance are called capacitors.
And the things which are designed to have resistance are called resistors.

 

 

Having low resistance will mean that the inductance will be different.

No, that is incorrect.

 

Silver has lower resistance than copper. Therefore, inductance will change between the two materials. After all, they can’t help it. ;)

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/direct-current/chpt-15/factors-affecting-inductance/

No, This is also incorrect.

Inductance is not resistance, and neither is capacitance call resistance.
Both inductance and capacitance are what make complex loads.

Resistance is the “real part” of impedance, and the complex part of impedance is governed by inductance and capacitance.

One can have a massive inductor, with a lot of inductance, and it can also have a DC resistance close to zero.
One can also have a massive capacitor, which will have a DC resistance that is super high, but can appear as a short circuit to a momentary load, or a high frequency signal.

The metal has no effect on capacitance, nor on inductance.
Geometry affects both capacitance, as well as inductance.
And the use of dielectrics only has an effect on capacitance... the dielectrics have no effect upon inductance.

 

I disagree that one can make better cables at home. I know, I have tried. It’s difficult to twist heavier gauge wire in the precise intervals needed to increase conductivity and lower resistance/inductance. You really need precise machinery and tools which if you went and bought, and then bought the materials, you would be out as much money as it would have cost to buy one of similar specification. I suppose the only benefit then is the satisfaction that you made it yourself

Places sell the wire woven, and some people do simple twists on smaller wires/cables. Kimber 12TC is one example of a bare woven wire. And there is another out of Tx, which I forget the name of.

https://kimber.com/products/12TC

Other manufacturers sell the ends that are put onto the wire to make a cable.

It is not rocket science.

@theaudiomaniac and add in Wim Winder “Wings of desire” and Mel Brooks “Space Balls”. 😋

@jjss49 7% faster for 3 hours would only be 11:46.5 seconds… I am guessing you rounded it to 15 minutes? 😉

It should certainly affect rhythm and pace.

You know, it doesn’t matter how many times you post in opposition,

What part was in opposition?

it doesn’t make you any more of an expert on what you’re talking about than the previous times you haven’t established it.

I actually understand some of the electronic principles and atomic prociples.

You, as well as others, have failed to provide any accolades or links to any proof that back up your claims.

I asked previously what sort of links and evidence you wanted.
(There are textbook in the engineering physics departments that cover this stuff to deep levels… and we can reference pages out of those to help you.)

I don’t agree with what you’re saying because from my education and experience, it doesn’t add up to reality.

Correct, it does not add up to reality.

If your position comes from a place of nay-saying that cables cannot and will not make a difference, then you are wasting your time. If you *ARE* coming from a place where cables make a difference, then you need to find some articles written by reliable sources that can prove your stance.

If the capacitance, or inductance differ between two cables then they can make a difference. More so in speaker cables and ICs, than in power cables.

For the resistance more so in speaker cables than in ICs.

 

You can assign as many ad hominems against me, and you can gaslight as much as it fulfills your quota, and it won’t change my understanding or position until you can prove me wrong beyond just your word.

What gaslighting?
What ad hominems?

For a psychologist you seem surprisingly more able at misconstruing the message, than I would have thought possible.

BECAUSE, as previously stated, *YOU* have not established that you are correct, nor have you established a reason why *I* should trust anything you say.

Understand? Feel free to begin picking apart my post and presenting it back to me out of context.

What is the context?
How does pointing the factual (science parts), that appear to be error, result in such a strong emotion response? I am just point out fact, so try and read it without emotion.

I will receive this dangerous and poorly designed cable on Monday evening. I will replace the Kimber Kable Palladian with this cable. It will burn in for 5 constant days. At that point, I will know if it outperforms the Palladian and I will report back to this thread with those results.

^That^ is great - I am sure a few people are interred in the results.

Good day, sir. ^___^

And also with you.

In light of the above discussion, interesting quotation directly from the Lavri cables website:

"5N silver transmits electrical signals faster and with less distortion than ordinary OFC wires".

Hmmm.

@twoleftears  we would have to ask them (Lavri) what it is exactly that they mean.
They do have Linz weaves for ICs, so maybe they means that the inductance low so as to providing a faster response?

But the last bullet mentions air - I am not is it is aI rated teflon, which have a lower dielectric constant, and provide a faster signal than non-airated.

 

https://www.lavricables.com/cables/ultimate-silver-silk-mains-eu-power-cable/

Here is what it says:

•   New carefully braided 14 core pure silver mains cable.
•   5 cores of 5N solid silver wire AWG28 are used for Active line and 5 cores for Neutral in order to transfer AC voltage.
•   4 cores of silver plated copper 0.3mm diameter are used for Earth line.
•   Aimed for Preamp, DAC, Streamer, Headphone amp.
•   Unshielded design brings more air & transparency to the soundstage.
•   Woven Teflon Litz construction is ideal to deliver RFI and EMI rejection and provides low capacitance.
•   5N silver transmits electrical signals faster and with less distortion than ordinary OFC wires.
•   High grade Teflon insulation gives a predominant air dielectric and is regarded as the best insulator for bare cable.

I must be very important to you all for you to spend so much of your energy attacking me. Knowing you have absolutely no control over me, must be infuriating.

You misconceptions are what is being questioned, so do not confuse that as some an attack on you.

But you are taking this way more personally than I would have thought to be rationally possible.

@guakus Did the cable arrive yet?

You could not possibly be more mistaken.

@cleeds Technically is it possible, just not probable. 😃

I don’t deny that conductors can and will degrade overtime. However, there is an electrical feature called, "Dielectric Bias Field." This is where the insulation becomes more polarized over time by electrical flow. The "break in" period is the time it takes the insulation to becomes fully polarized and no longer impacts electric flow.

Your original post talked about silver versus copper, and a few people brought up the dielectric, including myself… as being potentially of greater importance.

If you were concerned with that, then AQ biased cables would have been a choice to consider.

 

The PC’s, (power cord’s) weakest link is the 7 small solid core silver insulated #28awg wires that make up the Hot and Neutral conductors and the safety equipment ground conductor of the PC. Any flexing of the cable, especially at the power connectors can and more than likely with the passage of time will cause breakage of the small #28awg wires.

@jea48

Accounting the manufacturer the ground is copper. So that is great that the ground if potentially more durable.

The URL says Silver/Silk, but the description says Teflon.
They (Lavri) also recommend it for loads much smaller than amplifiers (As highlighted below) , which others have pointed out with the math on currents, and watts.

 

• New carefully braided 14 core pure silver mains cable.
• 5 cores of 5N solid silver wire AWG28 are used for Active line and 5 cores for Neutral in order to transfer AC voltage.
• 4 cores of silver plated copper 0.3mm diameter are used for Earth line.
• Aimed for Preamp, DAC, Streamer, Headphone amp.
• Unshielded design brings more air & transparency to the soundstage.
• Woven Teflon Litz construction is ideal to deliver RFI and EMI rejection and provides low capacitance.
• 5N silver transmits electrical signals faster and with less distortion than ordinary OFC wires.
• High grade Teflon insulation gives a predominant air dielectric and is regarded as the best insulator for bare cable.

 

Be patient. The cable is currently burning in. Cook your popcorn and get your incendiary, troll comments ready.

@guakus how are you “burning it in”?

1. Just plugged in and nothing playing?
2. Or playing some sound?
   1. And then how loud is it playing?

Usually when a posts starts out this way, it begging for argument or suggests paranoia.

Yes, I realize that this topic is going to bring out the sharks, but if I get at least one serious response, it will all be worth it.

^It^ is a clue, for the wise, to stay away.
(As I did not, it shows evidence of a lack of wisdom on my part.)

 

Guakus you have serious problem why you need the center on what you deem is relevant to what believe you know and argue calling people names, what wrong with you can be resolve on Audiogon. Don’t be a DICK.

@jew16384 At this point let’s give the OP the benefit of the doubt that he/she may have issues that we really don’t need to know about, and cannot help their communication style.

If we stick to facts and take a helpful tone, that is about the best that we can do. So let’s just avoid getting sucked down into the mire.

You all need to understand something. You have no power to stop me from posting. You don’t have the power to stop me from asking questions. I am not at all obligated to believe anything you say if I don’t think it is correct.

The only people with that power are the Administrators and Moderators on Audiogon. If they don’t like my content they’ll remove it, as they have on a number of posts in this thread.

I have an important conclusion coming, this Friday. I will be posting that conclusion whether you appreciate the content or not. There is absolutely no rule that I am violating.

I am not certain what type of individual you are used to harassing, but I won’t be intimidated by any of you. So, by all means continue to reveal who you really are in this thread; it will make no difference to me.

That is an oddly worded “thanks for everyone that tried to answer my questions” post.

So I guess, “you’re welcome.”

 

Secondly - it is both within your rights, as well as the gentlemanly thing to do, to post your findings.
This is the way for others that are looking at cables such as these, to gain the insights of your direct experience… in addition to the more engineering oriented input that others have given.
It would be remiss of you not to tie a bow around it, when you are ready.