A lot of boutique Japanese manufacturers use nothing but nickel-plated brass for their connectors and interconnects. Even on the highest-end Shindo aplifiers, all you see is regular nickel sockets and plastic-capped binding posts, nothing fancy at all.
I've been using regular Switchcraft nickel-plated RCAs with silver and/or silver-copper alloy wires twisted together (similar to what Shindo does with theirs) and the results are simply stunning. I get a local jeweller to make the wire, sleeve it with some cloth and solder the (very basic) RCAs to it.
More than sound, I think the plating affects the life and corrosion resistance, and therefore durability of the plug/socket. Gold plated connectors seem to dull or wear out, the Rhodium plating on the Cardas I also use seems to look like new even after hundreds of insertions. I think that the better contact and durability plays a bigger role in the sound quality than absolute properties of the metal itself.
I've been using regular Switchcraft nickel-plated RCAs with silver and/or silver-copper alloy wires twisted together (similar to what Shindo does with theirs) and the results are simply stunning. I get a local jeweller to make the wire, sleeve it with some cloth and solder the (very basic) RCAs to it.
More than sound, I think the plating affects the life and corrosion resistance, and therefore durability of the plug/socket. Gold plated connectors seem to dull or wear out, the Rhodium plating on the Cardas I also use seems to look like new even after hundreds of insertions. I think that the better contact and durability plays a bigger role in the sound quality than absolute properties of the metal itself.
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