[bequietjk]

I moved from a wattgate classic (cheapest one) I think it's brass, over to the furutech fc15 copper connectors and ohhhh wow is there a difference. For the good.

 

[PointyFox]

Metal.

 

[Kitechaser]

OCC Copper to my ears is the most natural sounding cable.
Hybrid and plated cables are a big no no and have timbre issues, at least that is how I hear it.
Silver can accentuate peaks, and can sometimes sound harsh with sensitive iems.

++UPOCC Copper with good shielding and quality connectors for the win

 

[galangerz]

worry more about the source first. I hear better sound from my m11 with a balanced copper cable than a single end silver cable.

also, cable material on a budget can be a minefield when it comes to special technologies and expensive metals like silver, you cant be sure you're getting what they're advertising.

I've never heard one, and I'm a skeptic on cables, but i read to hear decent differences in a cable based on its material alone will lead you to searching for the TOTL or near TOTL cables of around 500US and up at least.

if its anything below that, expect the sound to be relatively the same, with only changes to ergonomics and aesthetics.

 

[Wes S]

Silver from Norne Audio, can't be beat.

 

[goga1980]

Silver from Norne Audio, can't be beat.

silver pure 5N biggest soundstage?

 

[goga1980]

OCC Copper to my ears is the most natural sounding cable.
Hybrid and plated cables are a big no no and have timbre issues, at least that is how I hear it.
Silver can accentuate peaks, and can sometimes sound harsh with sensitive iems.

++UPOCC Copper with good shielding and quality connectors for the win

60ohm not sensitive iem?

 

[pataburd]

Solid core UPOCC silver or copper . . .
Well implemented silver is better IMHO.

 

[Ghoostknight]

some of the best materials that can be used:
- occ copper/silver
- teflon / PTFE
- cotton
- "air"

 

[Zapacat]

My vote goes to 99.999% high purity solid core UP-OCC (monocrystal) silver in teflon insulation.

Material IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard)
Ranking - Metal - % Conductivity*
1 Silver (Pure)105%
2 Copper 100%
3 Gold (Pure) 70%
4 Aluminum 61%
5 Brass 28%

I suggest cables without any shielding. Also don`t forget that connectors are as important as anything else. Most connectors that are used (even on $$$$ cables) are actually cheap gold plated brass. I suggest some low mass low capacitance pure copper or pure silver connectors i.e. Eichmann, Xhadow, top of the line WBT etc.

Stats are important but by hearing:

Sound quality:
1. Pure & fine Silver 100%

2. Good made silver plated copper 95%-100% (I only know one - ViaBlue)

3. Gold plated copper 85%
3. Copper 85%
3. Gold 85%
3. Platinum 80%

4. Bad made silver plated copper 75%

5. Brass 70%

6. Carbon 50%

7. Aluminum 0% (unlistenable)

 

[Zapacat]

Solid core UPOCC silver or copper . . .
Well implemented silver is better IMHO.

The only manufacturer that makes UPOCC silver cable is Neotech from Taiwan and I don't believe a word they are saying. It is unimaginable that anyone who has a brain would sell soft and easily breakable fine silver (99,99%). The utmost you can use as a cable (not wire) for an acceptable time without breaking is pure silver (99,00%). Besides that there are many reports how bad and harsh Neotech connectors and wires sound.

 

[pataburd]

The only manufacturer that makes UPOCC silver cable is Neotech from Taiwan and I don't believe a word they are saying. It is unimaginable that anyone who has a brain would sell soft and easily breakable fine silver (99,99%). The utmost you can use as a cable (not wire) for an acceptable time without breaking is pure silver (99,00%). Besides that there are many reports how bad and harsh Neotech connectors and wires sound.

Harsh-sounding connectors and wires? That has certainly not been my experience with NeoTech silver (or copper).

 

[MindBreak]

I for one can hear a difference between cables, but I have yet to try terminating my own cables. I would be interested in trying silver cables, as all my cables up to this point have been one type of copper or another. First thing is first though, as I have to purchase my Yggdrasil MIB next year prior to buying more cables. I will stick with my Corpse Cable XLR interconnects, and headphone cables for now. I also have a few interconnects from WBC as well as an RCA coax cable to connect my Wiim Pro to my Bifrost 2/64.

 

[Zapacat]

I for one can hear a difference between cables, but I have yet to try terminating my own cables. I would be interested in trying silver cables, as all my cables up to this point have been one type of copper or another. First thing is first though, as I have to purchase my Yggdrasil MIB next year prior to buying more cables. I will stick with my Corpse Cable XLR interconnects, and headphone cables for now. I also have a few interconnects from WBC as well as an RCA coax cable to connect my Wiim Pro to my Bifrost 2/64.

You can use silver cables only when your system is free of HF noise and in the case your stereo does not have the hint of harshness somewhere cos silver will bring the highs to a new level and show problems in the treble what copper can't achieve. Use pure silver 99.00% not fine silver 99.99% and never sterling silver 92.5-93.5%. 1mm sounds OK, if you need more bass you can choose a higher diameter 1.25-2mm, if you want more speed and leaner bass you can use 0.5-0.7mm. Use Teflon or cotton (matter of taste). Try to use solderless plugs. There you can also choose between Rhodium, Gold and Silver - all sound different. If you wanna use solder take WBT or Mundorf. Don't order the Silver from China buy locally from a reliable shop. Try first without shield - may sound better. Don't use WBT plugs - they are really bad - sound and build quality.

A rainy night in Georgia
It seems like it's rainin' all over the world
by Tony Joe White

Good luck

 

[MindBreak]

You can use silver cables only when your system is free of HF noise and in the case your stereo does not have the hint of harshness somewhere cos silver will bring the highs to a new level and show problems in the treble what copper can't achieve. Use pure silver 99.00% not fine silver 99.99% and never sterling silver 92.5-93.5%. 1mm sounds OK, if you need more bass you can choose a higher diameter 1.25-2mm, if you want more speed and leaner bass you can use 0.5-0.7mm. Use Teflon of cotton (matter of taste). Try to use solderless plugs. There you can also choose between Rhodium, Gold and Silver - all sound different. If you wanna use solder take WBT or Mundorf. Don't order the Silver from China buy locally from a reliable shop. Try first without shield - may sound better. Don't use WBT plugs - they are really bad - sound and build quality.

A rainy night in Georgia
It seems like it's rainin' all over the world
by Tony Joe White

Good luck

Maybe silver is not for me, as I can hear above 18khz, . I will stick with copper, but I will still attempt to terminate my own cables at some point. Thanks for the info, you saved my ears the pain!