Silver cables added resolution

Your experience is common. Know that proper assessment of cables demands they be compared in sets, at least initially, according to manufacturer recommendations. So, all the comments about assessment of particular cables' attributes  when used in mixed sets are pretty much worthless. 

It is common for silver OFC and silver conductors to show more brilliance and noise, as you hear. There are many variables involved, but silver does not always mean brighter. Case in point, the Iconoclast cables I just reviewed for Dagogo.com are better balanced in terms of frequency spectrum than most copper cables I have used. So, simple selection of conductor material alone is not a definitive answer. Imo, AWG is as important to obtaining a less strident sound as is conductor material. 

If you hear more hiss, then you have an elevated/increased upper frequency range with that particular combo of cables. It typically is perceived as adding more information. You can hear this easily when you listen to music. Put the older cables in, and the hiss diminishes, and the brightness is not there. 

I can tell how bright a cable will be to some degree based on such hiss; I know the cable has brought more upper end energy/emphasis before even hearing the first note. When a cable is less "hissy", then you will have more balance toward the bottom end of the frequency spectrum. I regularly tune systems with selection of the appropriate cable that confers the proper qualities, such as the degree of emphasis (or not) of the upper end of frequency spectrum. 

Most audiophiles do not have a thorough understanding of these things, because they have never used and compared complete sets of cables. It is simply too challenging in terms of cost/time/effort for most. They mix them and have no baseline to gain more developed understanding of these things. The worst are those who think the conductor material does not matter. They spread misinformation, wretched system building advice, when it comes to using cables to elevate system performance.  

I am not interested in arguing my observations and recommendations. 

For what this is worth....
I was discussing the impact of all silver versus hybrid silver and copper with a rep from Kimber Kable.  I was able to get 2 sets used from a friend and was trying understand what was the difference between the cables.

"They're explanation of the intended difference was all 'silver' would transmit the information better and the result would be excellent high frequency performance and clarity in details.  The hybrid was intended to enable dynamic impact especially on lower frequencies because 'copper' tended to provide better bass performance." 

They both were a noticeable upgrade from the Better Cables I was using and I couldn't differentiate between the all silver and hybrid silver copper (1 copper line used for the ground, 2 silver used for + and -).

Have you measured it? done any blind A B testing? Then it is all in your brain.

ashoka... blind listening tests over the course of a week.

I focused the auditioning on DAC to preamp then preamp to amp.

And I was hoping to be not hear a difference as my friend was planning to sell them on eBay.

And it could still be in my brain because when listening to music you can easily have your mind drift into memories of listening...

High end companies do sophisticated things to make cables sound good. Lessor companies sound like the metal they use

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A big yes on that.

I use silver cables and found that a better made set exhibits none of the usual attributes bandied about on audio forums.

That, and cable synergy can go a long way, but I, myself, don't use all the same make of cable but when it comes to bi wiring, heck yes. Just to be clear, I use Cabledyne silver speaker cables and Darwin silver ICs and TWL copper PCs.

I've gone through the trouble of trying this and that cable to complement the ones I use on the lows and nothing really worked. I have a set from the same make finally figured out how to use two bananas on a single input, bringing serendipity to my doorstep. 

As for mains noise, I doubt you'd hear it the way you describe. Mains noise, for me, was an overall masking of detail, air and focus that I got rid of by getting a power conditioner. I didn't think I'd hear that much of an improvement, but I did, and the noise you're hearing, I wasn't. 

That, and you say the noise was already there and is now more apparent, so it could be the cables or they're clearing things up enough to hear that problem from somewhere else.


All the best,Nonoise