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Where does the myth of silver-plated and gold-plated audio cables come from, does it make sense?

andreyatakum 2730 40

TL;DR

  • The piece examines the audiophile claim that silver-plated or gold-plated audio cables improve sound quality.
  • It traces the myth to professional and military high-frequency communications gear, where silver plating helped resonant circuits and oxidation resistance.
  • Copper's resistivity is 1.72×10-⁸ Ω-m, silver's is 1.59×10-⁸ Ω-m, only about 6% lower.
  • The conclusion is that silver plating in acoustic circuits makes no sense because skin effect is negligible at audio frequencies, while gold is worse.
  • Silver-plated conductors mattered in circuits above 3 MHz, where skin effect and copper oxidation could affect coil stability and resonance.
AI summary based on the discussion. May contain errors.
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  • Short cable bandwidth limited by source impedance

    #31 21910664
    elukam
    Level 18  
    Posts: 420
    Help: 11
    Rate: 195
    Well, if I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't have believed it.
    And what, anyone else feel sorry for Unitra? :)
    Audiophiles are unlikely to use a plastic mortar like the Amateur Stereo.
    Maybe nobody noticed before because nobody tried to record with it? :) And if he was recording to a tube reel-to-reel with an input with an impedance like an oscilloscope, he had that 10k theoretical bandwidth with a 0.5m cable. Neither radio nor tape recorder carried that much anyway, so it might have been ok.
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  • 220 kΩ input resistor and short cable explanation

    #32 21910673
    pikarel
    Level 39  
    Posts: 5042
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    Macosmail wrote:
    220k is a big overkill. I took a cursory look at this schematic and there are indeed such resistors, but it's probably more of an input than an output.

    Look carefully and don't discover America :)

    With the short connection cable everything was normal.
    The 220kΩ resistor is there because the signal is taken from the compensation amplifier for the reactive tone, so the signal here is higher by about 10dB (about 3x), so there is simply a resistor of this chosen value.

    For interconnecting equipment, 'shorts' of 40 or 50cm were produced, especially for interconnecting components in an audio tower, in which case the small capacitance (especially of cheap cables with eight wires in the screen) did not affect the bandwidth.
    The cable I was writing about had at least "pindzisiont" of them in a woven braid (yes, there were such), I wish I had counted :)
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  • #33 21910680
    elukam
    Level 18  
    Posts: 420
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    Rate: 195
    pikarel wrote:
    so there just happens to be a resistor of that chosen value

    I'm not going to say that I understand this argument and the logic flowing from it (I think, in the assumptions) :)
    Can you elaborate on what this selection of values consists of?
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  • Input resistor forms divider to match tape recorder levels

    #35 21910735
    pikarel
    Level 39  
    Posts: 5042
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    Rate: 1848
    elukam wrote:
    pikarel wrote:
    so there is simply a resistor of that chosen value

    I'm not going to say that I understand this argument and the logic flowing from it (I think, in the assumptions) :)
    Can you elaborate on what this selection of values consists of?

    If you don't understand the topic, why are you writing?
    I'm not obliged to teach you, but I'll write in a nutshell: it's the matching of the input with the output.
    The output voltage for writing to a tape recorder (from a tuner or CD) is assumed to be 1mV/kΩ. If the input resistance of a tape recorder is 47kΩ - 100kΩ , then a 220kΩ resistor with the input resistance forms a divider of 1/5 to 1/3. From this you can conclude that the voltage from the preamplifier in the Amateur before this 220kΩ resistor is above 250mV, and this could cause overdrive of the input stage of some tape recorders.
    I recommend reading books by Mr Feszczuk, Mr Witort or school textbooks for electronic technicians.
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  • Replacing the resistor breaks the input concept

    #38 21911267
    elukam
    Level 18  
    Posts: 420
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    Rate: 195
    pikarel wrote:
    If you don't understand the topic, why are you writing?

    I guess it's logical for me to ask about something I don't understand.
    Indeed! I now recall that there was such a thing as mV/k input in the days of music postcards. It seems, related to the use of a single input for both microphone and other sources. A solution so archaic that it has completely slipped my mind. Even when I was messing around with electronics for tape recorders many years ago, this was no longer used. Or at least not used.
    By replacing the resistor with a smaller one you have also destroyed the concept.
  • #39 21911355
    sq3evp
    Level 39  
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    A CD shaver I can understand, but a demagnetiser I bow to the originators of the idea.
    I know of a case where the service department claimed that a SONY tower (cos about 2000, a very popular mini model) had been damaged by CDs being played through. So that anything can be justified.

  • Gold plating used for reliability, not audio quality

    #40 21911516
    pikarel
    Level 39  
    Posts: 5042
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    Rate: 1848
    elukam wrote:
    By replacing the resistor with a smaller one, you also destroyed the concept.

    Actually, I hadn't thought of that; I destroyed the concept, for which I should be serving a life sentence :)
    However, because I knew the concept I was able to destroy it; after analysing the schematic to find the cause of the problem and remove it easily.
    I would add that the M531S has a large overdrive margin. The only trouble with this tape recorder is/was the short (40 mm) potentiometers in the adjustment of all parameters, so also the recording.

    In the case I described there was an impact of the long connection cable, so I should either recommend the use of a 0.5m cable or the use of suitable DI-Boxes (read what these are), but in "those days" we only used them in sound systems (bought for foreign exchange)
    Home appliances were simply "upgraded" on a massive scale on their own, for example: replacing universal heads with ALPS heads, phono cartridges with Shure, amplifiers in Radmor by replacing the power amplifier board with TIM-less ones (a company from Gdansk or Gdynia sold these amplifiers, but mainly Secam-Pal transcoders).
    This was not an aldiowódó, it was replacing what the manufacturer could not use because, for example, the 'foreign exchange input' exceeded the permissible limits.

    On the subject of gilding;
    gold plating of the feet in Polish BCAPs (used e.g. in industrial automation modules, telephony) was still in use, although plastic technology and whitened feet of everything was already coming from the West. This cheapened their production "a thousandfold", and thus the price of the equipment. Continuous miniaturisation entailed the large-scale integration of integrated circuits, and thus the digitisation of everything, which was fashionable, so that completely new gadgets, unthinkable a dozen years earlier, could be put on the market.

    Gold is still there where you can't get rid of it; on the pins of processors, expansion cards, modules.
    Oh, and on the contacts of the fuses in the aldiode.

  • Isolation transformer preferred over lowering resistance

    #41 21911724
    elukam
    Level 18  
    Posts: 420
    Help: 11
    Rate: 195
    >>21911516 Maybe not a lifetime, but proud of the way the problem was solved shouldn't be too much either. The large resistance was there not affecting the performance of the circuit. By reducing it to 10k you essentially potentially introduced reverse interference into the amplifier circuit. You could have ended up receiving a KF station and, in the worse case, some coupling. The correct thing to do, according to the art, would be to add a transistor there in the form of an isolation secondary.

    I remember replacing heads with Alps with a hardened core. This was unfortunately done by people with the knowledge of a technician, i.e. none. The head in a tape recorder is a component that significantly affects the reading parameters and very significantly the writing parameters. Replacement of the head with an electrically similar but different one means, in the next step, correction of the characteristics plus re-tuning or even the necessity to rework the system of setting the primer current. Unless someone was satisfied with the "razor-sharp" treble re-adjustment :)
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FAQ

TL;DR: Silver is only about 6% more conductive than copper, and as one poster put it, "skin effect is negligible" in audio bands. This FAQ is for audio buyers and vintage-hi-fi tinkerers who want a clear answer on whether silver-plated or gold-plated cables improve sound, and when cable properties really do matter. [#21907260]

Why it matters: The thread separates real engineering cases—HF coils, contact reliability, cable capacitance—from prestige claims around "premium" audio cabling.

Option What it helps Where it makes sense Main limit in audio
Plain copper Low resistance at low cost Normal speaker and RCA cables Needs adequate cross-section
Silver-plated copper Stable HF surface, oxidation protection Resonant and HF circuits above a few MHz Audible benefit in audio not shown
Gold-plated contacts Corrosion-resistant contact surface Selective contact plating in pro gear Gold bulk resistivity is higher than copper
Thicker cable Lower series resistance Longer speaker runs, low-impedance loads Overkill on short line-level links

Key insight: In normal acoustic audio cables, geometry and interface quality matter more than precious-metal plating. For weak or long links, shielding, symmetry, capacitance, and correct source impedance dominate the result. [#21908158]

Quick Facts

  • Copper resistivity was cited as 1.72×10^-8 Ω·m, silver as 1.59×10^-8 Ω·m, so the conductivity gain is only about 6%. [#21907260]
  • Gold was cited at 2.44×10^-8 Ω·m, about 30% higher resistivity than copper, which is why gold plating is valued for contact stability rather than bulk conductivity. [#21907260]
  • In the thread’s RF example, the silver skin depth was given as about 65 µm at 1 MHz, showing why surface condition matters in MHz circuits but not in audio. [#21907260]
  • A practical line-level example used 0.012 Ω versus 0.009 Ω for a 1 m cable and questioned whether that tiny change can justify a thick "audiophile" replacement. [#21907416]
  • In the vintage DIN case, 220 kΩ with about 1 nF cable capacitance gave a -3 dB point near 723 Hz, proving cable capacitance can matter when source impedance is abnormally high. [#21910437]

Where does the belief that silver-plated or gold-plated audio cables improve sound quality actually come from?

It largely comes from copying practices that were valid in military and professional RF equipment, then misapplying them to audio. The thread argues that silver-plated wire was widely used in tube-era resonant circuits above about 3 MHz, where surface condition affected Q and stability. That historical use later became an audiophile prestige claim, while gold also gained status value because it looked premium and impressed buyers. [#21907260]

Why does silver plating make sense in HF and resonant circuits above a few MHz, but not in normal acoustic audio cables?

Silver plating makes sense in HF circuits because current crowds near the conductor surface, so oxide-free surface quality directly affects losses. The thread cites resonant circuits operating above 3 MHz and gives a silver skin depth of about 65 µm at 1 MHz. Audio cables work at far lower frequencies, so surface-only conduction is not dominant and the benefit largely disappears. [#21907260]

How much electrical advantage does silver really have over copper, and why is increasing cable cross-section usually a cheaper alternative?

Silver offers only about a 6% resistivity advantage over copper, so the gain is small. The cited values were 1.59×10^-8 Ω·m for silver and 1.72×10^-8 Ω·m for copper. One poster then corrected the geometry: to cut resistance by about 6%, you increase cross-sectional area by that amount, or diameter by only about 3.1%, which is far cheaper than using silver. [#21907325]

Silver-plated copper vs plain copper for speaker cables — which matters more in practice: plating, diameter, or shielding?

For speaker cables, diameter matters more than plating, and shielding usually matters less than in weak-signal lines. The thread states that if cable resistance stays at 5% or less of speaker impedance, that is sufficient in practice. Silver plating does not improve audible performance at audio frequencies, while thicker copper reduces series loss directly on long runs. [#21908158]

What is the skin effect, and why is it considered negligible at audio frequencies?

"Skin effect" is an AC-current distribution effect that concentrates current near a conductor surface, reducing effective cross-section as frequency rises. It matters when frequency is high enough that surface conduction dominates, as in MHz resonant circuits. The thread explicitly says that in acoustic-frequency circuits the effect is negligible, so silver plating on speaker or interconnect conductors does not improve sound by that mechanism. [#21907260]

What is selective gold plating of contacts, and where is it still used in professional electronics?

"Selective gold plating" is a contact-finish method that coats only the actual mating area, preserving low-corrosion contact where reliability matters while reducing cost. The thread says it is still used in high-quality professional equipment where loss of contact is unacceptable. It also notes that in ordinary consumer electronics, simpler technical coatings usually provide enough protection and durability. [#21908158]

How does oxidation or sulphide tarnish on copper, silver, and gold affect contacts and conductor surfaces over time?

Copper oxidizes quickly, silver mainly tarnishes by reacting with sulfur compounds, and gold resists ordinary corrosion best. The thread says copper oxides can reach around 100 nm at room conditions, while silver sulphides can reach single-µm thicknesses. For HF surfaces and contacts, these films change the real current path or contact quality over time, even when the base metal remains conductive. [#21907270]

Why can gold plating actually worsen conductivity in power paths compared with copper, even though gold is seen as premium?

Gold can worsen conductivity because its bulk resistivity is higher than copper’s. The thread cites gold at 2.44×10^-8 Ω·m, about 30% above copper, so gold is a poor choice when the path must carry meaningful current with minimum loss. Gold earns its reputation from corrosion resistance and contact reliability, not from better current conduction in power paths. [#21907260]

When does cable capacitance start to affect audio bandwidth, as in the Amateur Stereo and M531S DIN cable example?

Cable capacitance starts to matter when source resistance is very high and the cable is long enough to form an RC low-pass filter. In the thread’s vintage case, a 2 m DIN cable interacted with a 220 kΩ source resistor, audibly reducing treble during recording and monitoring. A short 40–50 cm interconnect would have had much less effect because total capacitance would be much lower. [#21910399]

How do you calculate the cutoff frequency created by a 220 kΩ source resistance and the capacitance of a 2 m audio cable?

Use the RC low-pass formula and plug in the total cable capacitance. One poster already did the arithmetic with 220 kΩ and 1 nF and got about 723 Hz at -3 dB. That value is disastrously low for hi-fi, which is why the long DIN lead in that specific circuit audibly removed treble. [#21910437]

What was the purpose of the old mV/k input standard in tape recorders and audio equipment?

It standardized expected signal level against input resistance so different sources and recorders could interconnect without gross overload. The thread gives a rule of 1 mV/kΩ and mentions tape-recorder inputs around 47–100 kΩ. With a 220 kΩ series resistor, the source and input formed a divider that reduced a higher preamp output to a safer recording level. [#21910735]

How should you properly fix a vintage audio circuit where a long interconnect cable forms an unwanted low-pass filter?

The proper fix is to lower the effective source impedance without breaking the original interface assumptions. 1. Measure the source resistor and cable capacitance. 2. Add an isolating stage, such as a transistor buffer, instead of only shrinking the resistor. 3. Use a shorter cable, around 0.5 m if possible. The thread warns that simply replacing 220 kΩ with 10 kΩ can solve treble loss but may also defeat the original matching concept and invite reverse interference. [#21911724]

Why are shielding and cable symmetry often more important than conductor material for weak audio signals and turntable connections?

They matter more because weak signals are far more vulnerable to external noise pickup than to tiny changes in conductor resistivity. The thread repeatedly points to shielding and symmetry as the priorities for low-level audio links, including turntable-related wiring. A cable that rejects interference well will outperform an unshielded "premium metal" cable even if both use copper-based conductors. [#21908196]

For short RCA interconnects between a CD player and amplifier, what cable parameters actually matter: resistance, capacitance, shielding, or characteristic impedance?

For short RCA links, shielding and reasonable capacitance matter most, resistance matters little, and characteristic impedance is largely irrelevant. The thread gives an example of 0.012 Ω versus 0.009 Ω over 1 m and treats that difference as practically meaningless. It also notes that audio connections are not transmission-line matched like RF or 75 Ω composite video links. [#21907416]

What is a DI-Box, and how could it help when connecting audio equipment over longer cable runs?

"DI-Box" is an interface device that adapts an audio source for longer cable runs, typically by isolating, balancing, or buffering the signal to reduce losses and interference. In the thread, it appears as the proper professional remedy for the long-cable vintage problem instead of relying on a high-impedance consumer-style interconnect. That makes it useful when distance or noise, not cable metallurgy, is the real issue. [#21911516]
AI summary based on the discussion. May contain errors.
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