No one knows because there is no "better". Some may like silver, some may like copper, some may like gold, some may like palladium, some may even like a combination of some of the above metals. However, what others like has no bearing on what you would like. What one may hear as "better", you may hear as "worse".
Sorry, just like choosing ice cream, there is no absolute "better" flavor, only opinions.
Cheers,
John |
IME copper has more body, silver more detail. What works depends upon what you want/need. |
Sorry, just like choosing ice cream, there is no absolute "better" flavor, only opinions. Truer words have never been spoken!! Thanks,John. |
I prefer the greater conductivity of annealed silver (where affordable and practical) to maintain retreaval of signal and tune with tube swapping. I like the idea of at least having maximum signal transfer and go from there rather than try to recoup something that is lost. But that's just my take on it. I'm sure that many others have their own path on this topic.
Good Luck |
All good replies so far. What I use are hybrid designs. For interconnects- stranded Continuous Cast Copper + Soft Annealed solid core silver. Listen for yourself, and settle on what sounds "best" to you. |
Demo a pair of JPS Labs speaker cables - an alloy of copper and aluminum. In my experience they outperform the silver or copper I've owned - detailed, open, and all the other superlatives.
Ultimately, you need to try any cables in your system to determine which sound best to your ears. |
Thanks .. I think I am actually trying to get something more scientific or meansurable. I believe silver has lower resistance than copper. However, crygenic treatment change the crystal structure which also lower the resistance ( I think ). Maybe my question is ... which one has lower resistance, silver or crygenic treated copper? |
That was easy, just google it:
"
Cryogenics changes the way current flows in a conductor. Aluminum, brass, copper, tin, and lead used in the electron- ics industry are affected by cryogenics. All of these materials exhibit longer wear, and more durability, but they also exhibit a better conductivity rating. When these materials are in the molten state during the metal-making process, as the solidification takes place, some molecules get caught in a random pattern. And we know that molecules do move about at sub- zero and deep cryogenic temperatures, albeit slowly. Liken it if you will to water freezing or crystallizing as it turns to ice. The molecules move to form into a tighter, realigned pattern. Upon returning to room temperature, the molecules stay in this new relationship, producing less random, more even spacing, which in turn reduces the open areas between the grid matrixes to one another. The resulting product exhibits a better electrical current flow. It also strengthens solder to make their joints stronger and less subject to lifting. The printed circuit board material itself loses the stress it has, which helps the board last longer and puts less strain on component parts. The increase in conductivity has been measured between 5% and 10%. This helps cabling, wire, solder runs, and transformers to operate more efficiently."
No |
Thanks for the reply, but your quote is the explaination of the term cryogenic treatment. It didn't say how is it compared to silver. I tried google it, but can't find any specific number, of it stated specifically that silver has lower resistance or lower impedance than cryogenic treated copper, or vice versa. |
As has been stated, It's all in the ear of the beholder. More important than the actual metallurgy is the geometry of the conductors as well as the dielectric materials and their interaction. LCR parameters are affected more by the cable design than the conductor material itself. The difference in conductivity of silver over copper is relatively small and if the silver is alloyed with something else, then the difference is even smaller. I personally have a strong preference for copper over silver, but that's just me. |
Two things I have noticed:
1. Typically all pure silver wires I have heard till date alter the tone and timbre of the instruments.
2. Cryogenic treatment of wires also makes the sound tad dry and lifeless, less micro details as well.
I am waiting for at least one exception.
I apologize if this was not very helpful for the original poster but since both the things are related to un-musicality so I could not resist writing it. |
Don't have a lot of experience with silver wire, but every piece of cable that I've had cryoed has resulted in improved sound quality.
The description of dry, lifeless and less micro details would, in fact, be exactly the opposite of what I've heard.
Cryoed wire does need extensive break-in (or re-break-in in the case of even well used cables) to the tune of 2 weeks to a month under normal load. A cable burning device is a real positive post cryo to avoid some of the pain. |
I'll tell You if you tell me which is best radiator hose
for my dodge van. |
Pani, can you please say the wires you evaluated before and after their cryogenic processing? TIA |
Pani, can you please say the wires you evaluated before and after their cryogenic processing? Thats an interesting question. Short answer is NO. I have not heard the same wire before and after cryo. But its just my observation after hearing some of the very well known cables which use cryo treated copper and cables which are not cryo treated copper. Typically the Cryo treated ones sounded cleaner, more silent, blacker back ground, better separation of instruments (in fact much better) and smoother over all....but along with all this it took away some life from the music, the tones were relatively dry, the air around the instruments were lessened, I hear less nuances in the tones which make it sound smooth but flat and over all less real. Silver does not take away life from the music but on all occasions it managed to alter the tones of the instruments to a degree where it sounded a bit mechanical and less body. But I do agree that silver can sound very smooth, detailed, transparent and extended all at the same time. If you do not care for that little alteration of tone and timbre it can be a very musical experience. Audio Magic cables are great examples of good silver wire. |
why not try both? Grover Huffman makes his cable using both cooper and silver with some aluminum thrown in there. Auditioning a set right now and so far sounding great. |
I can attest to that myself as I have a pair of Grover's new Sx balanced cables in my rig and in conjunction with new 60" Room Tunes the sound is quite remarkable for me. Good example, yesterday I was listening to Pink Floyd Dark Side and it ALWAYS HAS SOUNDED LIKE CRAP! Very veiled and paritally constricted, hard to listen to, I even treated it with Ultra Bit and still no difference. When I listened yeaterday for the first time it was clear, clean and deep the way it's supposed to be (finally!). I gotta figure that Grover's cables hit a new plateau and it is simply spectacular! (I also use his Silver Bi-wire speaker cables).
I could rave for a long time about the sound but one cavet is: This is just my opinion in my room. These are great cables, Good Luck. |
