Difference in sound between copper and silver digital cables?

@maxima95 - unfortunately XLR implementations are not my specialty, since most of my components do not employ that socket type.

Others have had great success using the Helix geometry with Analogue cables, but I do not know of anyone that has tried what you are considering.

If I were in your position, I would try building a prototype cable first using inexpensive wire.

For prototyping I used...
- Thermostat wire (for the Helix neutral) from a local hardware store  
>>> Thermostat wire is 18 gauge solid core copper
>>> it holds the helix shape very well 
- CAT6 for the signal wires - 24 or 28 gauge is ok

The prototype wire for a 3 ft AES/EBU digital cable would probably cost less than $20 - since you already have some good plugs. 

If the cable sounds good then opt for the better grade wire.

What I have observed with digital cables is that wire quality is not as important as it is with analogue cables, so I would use 20 gauge silver plated Mil-spec for the neutral and 24 gauge mil-spec for the signal.

Hope that helps - steve

" Copper tends to deliver more mid-bass body and weight and is not as well defined in terms of leading edge detail. Bass is a tad more rounded and yes this can vary, but in general is accurate."

I’m not disagreeing with this statement - but I do have some thoughts...

I have been dabbling with cables for the last 12 years. in that time I have read many postings on Agon pertaining to what people hear with their various cable selections and substitutions.

Being a firm believer in trusting my ears I have to believe this statement is true - i.e. it is what those people observed.

Cables are very complex beasts...
- wire type - solid or stranded
- metaurgy - copper or silver plate or silver
- insulation type and thickness
- cable geometry - how the wires are placed with respect to each other within the cable
- burn-in
- directionality
- etc...

But one thing I have noticed in the last 12 years...
- cables effect the performance of the connected components.

So it might not be the cable that is actually responsible for changing the sound/tone to "more mid bass body", it is just the component performing differently ...
- due to the various attributes of the cable.
- and the cable is simply conveying what the component is now delivering

Regards - Steve

I just ordered a pair of Audio Envy O'nestian 4:4 balanced XLR;
Can't wait to get them installed!

"For digital, it is primarily about no bit errors (which are highly unlikely) and no added jitter" That is 100% correct. When digital transmission improves (usb, spdif, aes) the sound signature will not "color" like an analog silver cable can do. Instead you get more low level detail, focus, bandwidth and precision. Its just more correct timed information for your dac to work with. Silver behaves better at the high frequencies (mhz/ghz) bands because the enhanced conductivity and bandwidth of silver itself at high frequencies. The skin effect is where most of the digital transmission happens. A good implemented copper digital cable can outperform a bad implemented silver digital cable. The implementation (geometry, shielding, dielectric, impedance matched connectors) is key. If these are exactly the same: silver will perform better.

If you have a high quality pure silver cable with impedance matched connectors it is about as good as it gets. For example Neotech nevd-2001,  Oyaide FTVS-510.  Just my 2 cents

I compared silver AudioQuest Truth interconnects to copper AudioQuest Truth interconnects both 1 meter air dielectric and copper sounded better. So that is one case that disproves the general theory.