1 foot solid silver conductor interconnect vs. 0.5 foot Mogami W2964 interconnect

[Blumlein 88]

The only reason I see to use one over the other is the length. 6 inches is very short unless some peculiar gear arrangement makes this desirable. So I'd go with the 1 ft silver. Nothing to do with silver just the extra length. There is no difference in the sound, no difference in degradation.

 

[Punter]

Well a coat-hanger won't replace a coax cable.
But they could be replaced with those cables that come packed in many low budget products.

Fussy fussy! OK two lengths of coat hanger wire but they would obviously have to be equal length to preserve phase coherence!

 

[Beave]

The only reason I see to use one over the other is the length. 6 inches is very short unless some peculiar gear arrangement makes this desirable. So I'd go with the 1 ft silver. Nothing to do with silver just the extra length. There is no difference in the sound, no difference in degradation.

He probably meant 1 meter and one half meter, but, yeah.

 

[Blumlein 88]

He probably meant 1 meter and one half meter, but, yeah.

Well if he can't get his inches and his meters right not my problem.

 

[DonH56]

Note if the silver cable is not coaxial but parallel wires or a twisted pair then noise immunity will suffer compared to Mogami's coax.

 

[olds1959special]

The OP posted in a previous thread that he (she, it, they, whatever) could tell the difference between silver and copper cables, and preferred silver over copper for tubes and copper for SS. Hopefully this thread is the start of learning why and why not.

Yes, that's right. I have a collection of silver RCA interconnect cables I use in my audio systems. To my ear they sound brighter than copper cables. The silver sounds better in some applications, like when plugging into tube amps, or with components that sound darker. With the wrong application the silver cables can sound harsh. Here is the product info from the seller:

Basic Audio 1 ft long silver wire stereo interconnect stereo set
A more grain free sound, slightly cooler tonality than copper wire,
a nice upgrade for the cables that carry your sound.
Can silver wire be an audiophile's best friend?
Type B RCA connector ideal for Chinese made female RCA's that have
a thinner diameter barrel than most other RCA connectors.

• 1 foot/304 millimeters
• Minimal mass, low weight design
• Gold plated, split center pin RCA's with
• Type B spring loaded ground contacts
• Pure solid core silver wire, no silver plated copper wire used
• 99.99, Wire is soft annealed, a key quality for audio
• Audio friendly materials such as teflon insulation
• Black/Red/Silver woven outer cover
• Best for low RFI/EMI environments
• Hand assembled, USA made

I also use copper cables, I have some from Mogami (W2964) and Straight Wire I like. Right now I'm using them in a system without tubes. I find the copper warms the sound and thickens the bass a little.

 

[MaxwellsEq]

I have a collection of silver RCA interconnect cables I use in my audio systems. To my ear they sound brighter than copper cables

There's a well known reason for this: copper looks soft and warm; silver looks bright and shiny. But in a blind test (when people can't be affected by the "synesthesia" effect) or a null test they are indistinguishable.

 

[olds1959special]

There's a well known reason for this: copper looks soft and warm; silver looks bright and shiny. But in a blind test (when people can't be affected by the "synesthesia" effect) or a null test they are indistinguishable.

By that logic, if you wrap the copper wires in a yellow cover and wrap the silver wires in a black cover, the copper wires will sound brighter. However, this is not the case. I've made my own interconnects out of yellow colored Mogami cable and they still sounded like copper, because that is what the conductor is made of. Perhaps the feeling of a sound difference has something to do with the conductive properties of the different metals.

 

[wwenze]

Ahh, there it is, the true motivation behind the thread.

 

[MaxwellsEq]

By that logic, if you wrap the copper wires in a yellow cover and wrap the silver wires in a black cover, the copper wires will sound brighter. However, this is not the case. I've made my own interconnects out of yellow colored Mogami cable and they still sounded like copper.

Have you done a double blind test with levels perfectly matched using at least 20 random transitions?

 

[olds1959special]

Have you done a double blind test with levels perfectly matched using at least 20 random transitions?

No, I wouldn't bother. I just know what my senses tell me.

 

[MaxwellsEq]

No, I wouldn't bother. I just know what my senses tell me.

You are in the wrong forum. This place tends to be interested in reproducible, measurable tests which none of us can do with your senses.

 

[olieb]

Perhaps the feeling of a sound difference has something to do with the conductive properties of the different metals.

Absolutely! The feeling depends on it, but the difference in feeling goes away the second you do not know whether the silver, copper or gold cable is in the chain. That is what the tests say.

 

[wwenze]

From a national day song from a country with top 3 lowest birthrate and 10% of the citizen population living overseas... Guess senses aren't that accurate

 

[welwynnick]

The first step towards critical thinking is to doubt own's current knowledge.

Ain't that the truth

 

[RayDunzl]

Somebody could buy them and take them out of circulation...

 

[olds1959special]

You are in the wrong forum. This place tends to be interested in reproducible, measurable tests which none of us can do with your senses.

Me too, I’m also interested in the science of audio.

As has been stated previously, silver is a better conductor. It’s measurable. Analog audio is an electrical signal carried through wires.

 

[BDWoody]

No, I wouldn't bother. I just know what my senses tell me.

As has been stated previously, silver is a better conductor. It’s measurable. Analog audio is an electrical signal carried through wires

Measurable differences don't necessarily equal audible differences. If you're wondering how you could have heard differences, look into psychoacoustics and/or do a properly controlled test. It's hard to be convinced by others, but going through the exercise may be more enlightening than anything else.

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

I asked this because these are the two cables I have on hand. WBC cables use Mogami 2964 which is marketed as an analog cable.

Big Joe Turner

 

[MaxwellsEq]

Me too, I’m also interested in the science of audio.

As has been stated previously, silver is a better conductor. It’s measurable. Analog audio is an electrical signal carried through wires.

What is the audible benefit of better conductivity, (assuming cable lengths appropriate for a domestic environment)? And why is this audible?