Is silver wire any good?

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KenP said:
Some people say it's good and others say it gives a harsh sound to the speakers, opinions please.

It's my opinion that some people say it's good and others say it's harsh.

Not quite sure what you're looking for here. Seems you've already got a pretty good fix on the opinions out there. It's just as you say. Some prefer it and some don't. Is there a third option you're looking for?

Also what type of silver is best .999 or .925, does the hardness make a differance?

Do you mean .999 fine or 99.999 percent?

The lower the purity, the more resistive it will be for a given gauge. So technically the higher purity would be the "better" but what works best for you, i.e. what you ultimately may prefer is something only you can answer.

se
 
Not Cheap, But Good.

Hi KenP,
Frank is probably the expert here.
My experience is that as pure as you can get silver is good, really good.
In my experience silver plated copper can sound harsh and glary.

Beware of 925 silver as it is by definition 7.25% impurities, and does not sound the same as pure silver.
Minor differences in conductivity are not an issue - different alloys just sound different.
Also use Lead free solder when making connections for I find silver and lead do not go well together.

Eric.

PS - Take note of conductor directions when using any wire - ie make both channels identical.
 
I have some pure silver wire and solder I got off of Ebay. It was even directional. I set up an input with it in my BOSOZ. I also set up inputs with OFC and regular hookup wire. It allows me to AB the wire. The difference between the regular wire and the OFC is like everything clearing up a bit. When I switch to the silver the top end gets really smooth and clear. It's just nice, but you can hear the difference.
 
rwagter said:
Directional ????

When it came the coil had tape on it with the direction of signal flow marked on the tape. The surface was completely polished with no burrs or scratches either. I installed it like it was supposed to go so I couldn't tell you about it, but why take chances. The guy still sells it on Ebay. You can get it for tonearms as well.
 
Acceptance Of Possibilities....

PassFan,
Wire direction has been covered previously here on the forum.

Suffice to say just be comfortable that if you are going to make something truly stereo, things like wire directions need to be matched too, elsewise you are adding a variable.

If you accept that wire can be directional, take a fine listen and you will likely pick it up.
Arrows on the sheath or tape around the reel are a reference only - the marked direction may or may not be optimal in your system.
If you think about it deeply enough you can make interconnects that are truly non-directional - this has been covered previously too (Hint - star quad configuration)

Eric.
 
Re: Acceptance Of Possibilities....

mrfeedback said:
PassFan,
Wire direction has been covered previously here on the forum.

Suffice to say just be comfortable that if you are going to make something truly stereo, things like wire directions need to be matched too, elsewise you are adding a variable.

If you accept that wire can be directional, take a fine listen and you will likely pick it up.
Arrows on the sheath or tape around the reel are a reference only - the marked direction may or may not be optimal in your system.
If you think about it deeply enough you can make interconnects that are truly non-directional - this has been covered previously too (Hint - star quad configuration)

Eric.

I never questioned the validity of directionality, that was someone else. I simply followed the vendors recomendation. I can hear a difference in the wire as compared to OFC or regular wire. I appreciate the info.


:nod:
 
Here is my challenge to all people who claim a wire can be directional. I'll take your wire, remove all markings and give it back to you. I make an identifying mark in one end of the cable. You must, through listening, measuring, metallurgy, x-ray crystallography, or by any means, correctly identify the direction of the cable more than 50% of the time.

So far I've pulled this stunt on two of my friends, and neither of them could do it. And I'm not the sort of person who thinks cables make no difference: both of these guys can reliably differentiate between reputable speaker cable and lamp cord.
 
jwb, I spent a few years doing some contract work at a wire and cable company, one that manufactures for several of the hyper-expensive brands. During a lunch break, their production manager was telling me about a Big Cable Man (anyone would recognize the name) who would have his cable marked with a direction. And that direction would change from lot to lot. The way it was determined, the manager told me, was that the Big Man Himself, who had an office nearby, would come down with a gadget that would measure that batch of wire's "direction." He'd cut off a piece, stick the gadgets probes on each end, then declare that one direction was the way he wanted his arrows oriented.

I asked the manager if he knew what the gadget was or what the guy was measuring. Hadn't a clue, the Big Man was very secretive about his gadget. But he was so confident, he had the manager convinced that there was something the Big Man was measuring. I asked the manager, did you ever keep some retains of the wire, mark them randomly, and ask the Big Man for the orientation, and see if it was still the same as before? The manager looked thunderstruck and replied that, no, he never thought of that. But he did have retains...

So the next time the Big Man came in with his meter, the manager asked him to double-check the orientation of the retains. You can guess what happened...
 
What? Dude, electrons don't *make* tunnels in metal. The paths that electrons in a conductor move through are already present. In a conductor, there are empty molecular orbital levels that are very close in energy level to the lower full ones. When a potential difference is applied across a metal, electrons in lower orbitals are excited into the conduction bands where they are free to move. This also explains why metals are such good conductors of heat. When electrons at one end of a strip of metal are heated, the sea of electrons can easily transmit the thermal energy to the other end.

No burning in period is required. A piece of silver is a piece of silver. Running current won't change it in any way unless you plan to REALLY burn it in, and melt it or or cause an oxide layer to form on the outside, neither of which is a good thing.
 
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