We couldn’t possibly answer them all, but here are a couple common ones that relate to the information above: Gold-Plated Connectors Improve Your ToneĪlthough gold is the third most conductive metal behind copper, it would be rather dubious to claim any significant audible benefits of gold-plated connectors to the human ear. There are a lot of claims manufacturers and audiophiles make when it comes to cables. Should the solder point break or degrade, you’re sure to experience less than desirable influences to your sound. If there is any part of the connector that can most influence the sound, it’s likely to come from the solder point. The primary reason these metals are used isn’t because of their conductivity, but because they resist corrosion more effectively. Most often connectors are made with a combination of nickel, rhodium, or gold-plating. These are the aspects of every cable that you actually get to see, and influence. The braid provides more complete coverage of the conductor, minimizing noise that would degrade the sound. The more noise they pick up, the more it gets amplified when boosted by a preamp, which is why you see manufacturers promote braided shielding in these cables. Shielding in these cables becomes much more important because their levels are comparatively low. Check out this video by CS Guitars for a visual breakdown of the difference in sound. Unbalanced cables are more prone to pick up unwanted noise in longer runs since the ground wire inside acts as an antenna, making it more susceptible to interference. In the case of balanced cables, shielding is less important because they typically transmit line-level audio signals that don’t need to be boosted, and part of their design is to carry two identical signals in opposite polarity before reversing one in the end, which cancels the noise. Part of audio quality is in cancelling or limiting noise that the conductor picks up between sources. Aluminum has much lower conductivity and is typically found in the most inexpensive audio cables, which lack the same clarity and brightness of sound. Instead, gold is often used as a coating on cable connector ends, which we will cover below. Gold isn’t as conductive as silver or copper, and due to its cost, it’s never used as a primary conductor. Other common conductive metals for cables are gold and aluminum. To learn more and hear how silver and copper compare, check out our previous story, The Advantage of Silver Cable. You don’t often see silver used in cables due mainly to its price.Ĭopper is the second most conductive metal and most commonly used in cables When compared to silver, the human ear perceives copper as a more balanced and “warm” sound. Silver is the most conductive metal, which the human ear perceives as a brighter and more present sound. Should the conductor be too small or made of inferior conductive metals, the audio signal will encounter more resistance and the sound will change. Conductors of appropriate size and material preserve the integrity of electrical transfer through the cable from the original source. ConductorĪ cable’s conductor is the wire that conducts the electricity needed to pass signal and power. We’ll take you through the cable components, claims, and myths to “cut through the noise” and explain when cables affect your sound. The cable industry is a small but competitive place, with some companies making big claims about why their audio cables are better than others.
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