Speaker cable and Interconnect BRASS Connectors

Its a strength game pure copper, silver(somewhat) and gold are way to soft to use with out adding something so brass wins the strength to cost to performance game. My guess is there are some legal requirements for strength as well for safety reasons.

Tinned bare wire is best "IMO" but not very convenient. I say tinned to prevent-control corrosion you can use products to help here, but I’m not personally a fan of smearing goop on my connectors - wires.

You wont find high quantities of silver in silver solder that is DYI use with out special equipment.  I think around 3% - 5% for electronics using an iron. Anymore an you need torches not something your going to do with electronics I'm thinking. You can get up to 80%+ but that's for fixing water pipes and silver dishes etc. and some specialty items were you need no lead. 

Almandog,

This is an interesting question/concern which I have considered at length in my pursuit for perfection in speaker cables, and I’m glad you bring it up. In my case I use Acoustic Zen Absolute Copper interconnects and Hologram 2’s at the recommendation of Robert Lee, owner of AZ for optimizing my system which includes PASS labs x250.8, XP-20 preamp and among others Focal Scala Utopias. I own both connectors for my 2 sets of Hologram 2 speaker cables, spades on both ends, which are zero copper, and spades with locking banana which are brass. I must say trying to hear the difference between the two is difficult. The zero copper length wires of the 9ft runs of each I feel overrides the small brass terminators on the speaker end in the case of the spade/ banana pair. I don’t hear a bottleneck affecting sound in any way, highs lows detail etc. But I propose to you calling Robert ( his cell number is on their website and he will pick up) and discussing this with him and posting your/his conclusions here, as he is articulate, a perfectionist, engineer and former violinist. It could be very helpful to all.

Best,

janmnov

Another thing we dont know is: The kind of wire used inside the speakers. But that is another subject because cable makers and speaker makers are mostly different companies. Last weekend I was in Tokyo and I went to my favorite spot to buy some interconnect and speaker connectors but they only had brass connectors. I bought a few pairs. I will do a test at some point.

Tellurium copper (or even berylium copper) would be superior to brass or bronze, yet strong enough and elastic. Brass is a legacy, historic material but also obviously cheaper to make connectors from. While it is great for general use it's not the best available yet affordable option for hifi. 

However makers of connector still mostly refuse to accept that minimum metal mass is a way to go for hi-fi instead of massive, heavy connectors which have to fight Eddy currents. Also, heavy nickel plating under gold or silver finish plating is still preferred over direct gold/silver plating just because it gives that nicem looking eye-candy effect gloss. Seems many manufacturers prefer eye candy gloss or massive approach before what's best for the sound. However wise ones will choose otherwise if they have an option...

Are there audible characteristics that gold plated brass exhibits that anyone here has picked up on? I’m my experience with upgrading binding posts and AC connectors from gold plated brass to copper (gold and rhodium plating) that brass exhibits a distorted, more forward, less refined, harder character from the midrange into the treble. Can anyone else characterize what they hear in gold plated brass?

Not sure about what you are saying. But seeing that most connectors are made of brass, seems to me one can't tell the difference. I looked for copper connectors but hard to find. This topic is highly debatable. But to each his own. Just be satisfied with what you have. 

Bearing in mind it is the RCA Connectors Inner Pin (+) that will be the most beneficial material to be made of Copper as part of the Connector.

With a Modern Design Concert, using the most up to date Designs for Copper Metal, there are Furutech, Zavfino and Aeco RCA Male Connectors.

For a Solid Silver (+) Pin there is Aeco, which I use at present on my most expensive Wires.
There are also Silver RCA's from Furutech, but I am not sure if these are utilising a Solid Silver (+) Pin.

Costs Vary across the above RCA Connectors, but unfortunately they are Rare and Branded Items.

Mapleshade produce their own Solid Copper RCA, I have been using these as well, with a M'shade Cable I own.
I have dismantled one RCA Connector and it is a very simplistic Design.

If uses a Outer Copper Tube/Housing with a ID to match the OD of the Female RCA.
It has a Copper (+) Pin with a OD to Match the ID of the Female RCA Centre Penetration.   
The Copper (+) Pin is Mounted Centrally into a Wooden Dowel and the Dowel is of the Diameter that offers a Snug Fitting within the Outer Copper Tube/Housing.
Ensure there is a short overhang of the Centre Pin from the rear of the Dowel, to serve as Tag to connect the (+) Wire.

If a person is familiar with producing their own Cables and have an understanding of a RCA's Construction and Function, the M'shade method will be easily understood, and the cost to produce a RCA will be seen as very affordable.           

Wire construct MS or SC
OCC
OFC
Silver over either
Silver
Pure Tungsten stinger (SC)

Covers
Poly vinyl
Teflon
silicone
AIR

Terminals, nuts, bolts, washers
Copper
Red Copper
Silver over either
Gold over either
5n silver

NO
Rhodium (VERY harsh environment)
brass (ok when copper, silver or gold clad and tune the BASS a bit..)
steal
Stainless
tin
lead
nickel (though not bad)
gold (to expensive)
aluminum