The copper sounds more muted, like a recording. The silver sounds more live. Had to go back and verify it wasn’t just a different take after a 2nd listen. Definitely a difference. I Ike both.
To me personally, the silver sounds better. If I was to describe it, I would say the copper sounds two dimensional, and the silver sounds 3 dimensional. I'm currently using Audioquest K2 speaker cables (Which are silver), and handmade pure silver XLR between my pre and power, but I've heard silver foil for speaker cables at least, are next level, and not having heard any til now, was somewhat unsure, and after hearing this, will definitely consider upgrading to foil in the future. Thanks for the vid !!!
The silver has more clarity, resolution and extension especially in the high notes. The biggest difference which some may prefer is the weight of the hammer on the key feels more full body which extends through the musical instrument for example here in the body of the piano that is on the copper however it’s a trade off. You get it in the silver but not with the same level of weight and resonance through the piano. You do however get it in a tighter package with the silver. Technically audibly I’d pick the Silver on a system like this it shows more of the capability of the entire system over the copper. Comes through very clearly on RU-vid excellent job with the video thanks for sharing.
I'm not going to declare a winner or make any sweeping statements about which is better or you can't tell over RU-vid etc.. None of that is possible, to a large degree. What does come through over RU-vid is the gestalt of the sound, the nature of the tone, the character. What I hear is the same difference in the nature of sound through the 2 materials as I hear in my system. On that level I think this video is valid and useful. In my system I very much use Copper or Silver in various locations to tune/shape the sound as needed, as needs change every time an element of the system is changed or improved.
Remember- not all copper is the same, not all silver is the same. Metallurgical properties vary.... its hard to navigate through this in our current supply chain situation.
That's true, but I think the purpose of the test is just to show someone that there is an audible difference between the 2 metals. When I do copper/silver comparisons, I make sure both cables are made by the same company, and the construction is identical. The only difference is the type of metal, but everything else is exactly the same so that any differences can't be due to some other factor.
I set up a blind test with a few of my friends to listen for audible differences between copper and silver. I'll share how I set the equipment up so that any differences heard has to be from the cables, and nothing else. The first thing I did was pick the cables. I chose a 1 meter pair of Audioquest Cheetah and Panther. I picked these 2 cables specifically because if you look at the design, they're absolutely identical in construction. The only difference between the 2 is the metal used for the conductors. I plugged both pairs of cables into an old Arcam 33 cd player I had laying around. I used this specific player because it has 2 identical sets of single ended outputs. Each pair of cables got their own channel on a preamp. When a CD is playing, all you have to do is switch channels using the remote. And yes, I swapped positions to make sure there was no variance in the CD player or preamp. I'm sharing this because in most cable A/B tests I've seen, they never quite isolate everything completely. So the difference heard is probably the cables, but not 100%. I can't find fault with this setup, but if anyone can, let me know so I can make changes for my testing in the future.
Hey Mike. Sometimes I also switch with speaker cables. Both, copper, silver, carbon, gold, or combined. I can hear the difference between dynamica or height, mid-low etc..... I think they all have something special. Greetings from the Netherlands Limburg Maastricht and of course continue. And as you know, coffee beans coffee hhmm. SSEEYYAAA Brother..... ✌🏾🌍😘💯%☕️👈🏿😎
I prefer the copper ...a lot , even if we hear more resolving sound or resolution, but a bit crispy and we loose weight on the notes . I m hearing with the Abyss TC headphone and a linear amplifier as it is in live , thanks for the comparison and your work !
Same, I only had cheap silver coated interconnects in the past, but this gave me the same impression of long term unbearable sheen from the mid-highs on... perhaps in person in the right room at the right distance it would be different. I had a similar experience with gold lion 6922 tubes, a wow sense of realism from the exagerated detail that took them out of the system in very short time.
Can't believe no one mentioned: Silver is PURER sounding than copper. Silver is the best conductor of electricity, and is the Fillet Mignon of metals. Some like gold plated silver, but both are better than copper. But lumping all silver cables together under the same blanket, and doing the same with copper cables and then making absolutistic statements about each versus each other. Wait a minute! That's crazy. Each silver cable is different and so is each copper cable. There is particularly relevant things involved in their manufacture and how each company does things is different. The way the metal is drawn, the way it is cooled. How many strands of wire, how thick the strands are, how well isolated the strands are from each other, how they are wound, what material the cable sheathing is made of. There are papers on skin effect, which is influenced by what material the cable are wrapped in, and then there are the connectors at the ends of the cable. What are they made of and how are they made, and what care was taken? Making blanket statements about all these variables is ridiculous. Each cable is different and sounds different. Sometimes so different it is hard to believe. You wouldn't put all speakers under the same blanket and pretend they are all the same The best copper cables are worlds better than the worst silver cables. The best silver cables would outperform the best copper cables if everything is done just right. But often it isn't. You really have to know what you're doing working with silver. Someone mentioned about the possibility of combining silver and copper in a cable. It's been done. One example is Kimber Silver Streak interconnect. The positive wires are silver and the negative wires are copper. It must be a popular cable. It's been in the Kimber line since around 1990. It is forward sounding and does not emphasize depth. It makes many copper cables sound grainy, distorted and harsh, especially in the highs. There are better cables at higher prices including Kimber Select and cables from some other companies.
@@OCDHIFiGuy Silver and copper require many different steps from melting the metal to stranding. At least a dozen different steps in between. At best you are comparing 1 silver cable using what processes and care whoever manufactured it used, vs. 1 copper cable made with what processes they used from melting the metal to finished product, even if it was the same company. Just so your readers understand your are not pitting "silver" and "copper" against each other. You are pitting 1 particular silver cable in the world against 1 particular copper cable in the world, no matter who made it or how similar it was constructed.
I am one of the extremely lucky ones. I do not hear ANY difference whatoever That qualifies me to buy inexpensive cables., thank you very much Sir, You just saved me a lot of money. Have a nice day
@@brugj03 That must be it! I had not noticed before that I am completely deaf (neither has my wife ) Thank you so much for pointing this out to me. Guess I have to throw out my stereo and records.I am going to enjoy the sound of silence Have a nice day !
Lets be fair about this. When you put a pair of cables in your system, you never know what's going to happen. The difference can big, small or nothing. If there is a difference, its not always better. And that's just the way it goes. There's nothing wrong with you if you can't hear a difference and you're being honest about it. If you don't hear a difference that's worth paying for, you should never buy the cables. As I'm typing this, I'm looking at a pair of speaker cables in my system that cost about $4000 for an 8 ft pair. Single run, not biwire. I'm by no means a cable denier. But I'm not a fool either. (I really am, but not in this case.). Before I bought the cables, I did a thorough evaluation by using them in my system. I made sure I knew what I was getting before I made the purchase. I get the fact that most of us can easily hear the difference between silver and copper. But putting someone down because they don't hear the same thing is very damaging. "You must be deaf then. No other conclusion is possible. Enjoy the silence." That's a jackass thing to say. Maybe he doesn't have the listening experience most of us have. Maybe listening to a youtube video at about 128kbps isn't enough to bring out the differences. Maybe he's listening on his cell phone. The point is there are plenty of legitimate reasons besides him being deaf. Here's what happens. Statements like this can either turn a person off altogether, or it can push them into making a purchase before they're ready. And when that happens, you have yet another person yelling snake oil. No one starts out at a high level. It takes all of us time to build up our knowledge and listening experience. It doesn't happen overnight, and anyone who says otherwise, is lying.
Mike, IMO your system is richer and more pleasant with copper. The copper provides (your system again) a fuller sound; the silver to me sounds too thin. My system (SET tubes w/Aventgarde horns) sounds best with a combination cable (Synergistic Research SRX). It seems this choice is system dependent; possibly room dependent too. BTW, love your channel. Peace.
Same here. To me it sounded fuller with the copper wire. I wanted to say the silver but it just sounded too thin to me. It could be the due to RU-vid compression at this end. Take it with a grain of salt. Loved this comparison, keep it up.
Can't say I manage (in attempt) to hear the difference. My mind wanted to select silver as " better clarity and air" cable, but playback in copper to the same seconds of music (yep, I divide into section of 10 seconds listening), my ear could not tell the difference, and certainly not able to in blind test. Having said, I'm listening thru iem, maybe I will catch the difference thru sr1a, which I use 5N silver digital cable between DDC to DAC, the rest of interconnect in 6N copper
it's human nature that the more one tries to concentrate of hearing something specific, the more illusive it becomes. it's just how the mind processes sound , accuracy over illusion was not an evolutionary advantage, whereas direction , distance and movement, the things that avoid predation, are very accurate. double blind tests can be utilized to avoid the mind's expectation bias during listening . No wire has ever passed such a test, despite the obvious sales advantage of demonstrable proof .
Imho there is no clear winner here. Of course i appreciate what silver make - better clarity, more extendet higs, more dynamic bas - more beeing there feeling. But for my ears my undertansing of sound cooper have more weight, intruments have more weight, more mass. And thats why i prefer cooper. Peace 🙏
I use 99% pure copper 2.5mm solid copper for speakers (tightness , definition, etc / certified industrial grade) and 0.5mm pure silver solid (bought industrial and certified purity) for balanced interconnects and love the combination. YOu should try the comparison of cables with feminine voices to see if there is apronounced sibilance or the typical "shh" effect on the "S" letter.
The Pure Silver Cables sounded absolutely amazing it is audibly brighter and silver tends to sound livelier while offering more clarity and harmonic richness.
Rather than tell us that the difference is in "upper mids", it would be easier on us to tell us to focus on the effect on specific instruments, like separateness and punch of the percussion instruments Once I focused on that, it became more apparent. Well done.
No difference. I would suspect the voltage between the 2 cables is negligible. It should be a blind test -10 times greater than 80% accuracy . Video the procedure to get authenticity
No difference here either. A better description of the wires (gauge etc.) would help in determining what wires we are actually listening to. In that we are all listening over different devices makes this whole exercise pointless.
A suggestion would be , instead of saying which cable is which maybe you could say cable 1 and 2 ? i am enjoying my afternoon coffee now and couldn't hear a difference, amazing system as usual though. When are we getting an update on the new subs you're building, i got bit by the diy bug when the pandemic started so it is an extremely interesting topic to me. Keep the great content coming!
You make a reasonable point, but it really doesn't matter because if you can't hear the difference in a sighted listening test, you won't hear anything in a blind test. You use a blind test to make sure what you're hearing isn't biased in some way.
@@AT-wl9yq Oh i know, i am just making that suggestion because some people will say it is the only way to compare stuff like this and all that, good way to avoid attacks like those before they even happen if you ask me.
@@andr192 Those people are going to attack no matter what you say. If those guys (I call them audio junk science review people. I don't know why, but the term just pops into my head for some reason.) wanted the truth, its easy enough to be had. To prove there's an audible difference between cables is not hard to do. We've all done it many times over. For the type of people you're referring to, this has nothing to do with cables, or anything audio related. Its about the argument, not the facts. Consider this. I've been listening to these people screaming blind testing and measurements for decades. And not different people, the same people. In all these years, I've asked every one of them the same 2 questions. 1. Can you refer me to any well done blind test on any type of audio gear for any reason? Not one time have I ever been given an answer, so that means they're lying every time they claim there's been test done. 2. What would you like to see measured, and why? Again, so response. So, when the measurement freaks can't tell you what they would like to see measured after they claim measurements are everything, isn't a good sign. How could they not have a response? For some reason, the concept of high end audio offends some people to the core. They literally hate it, and devote time out of their lives to pursue their hate. Whatever the underlying cause for this hatred is, it has nothing to do with audio equipment.
I’ve just done 6 comparisons ... have to take your word that #1 is Copper and #2 is Silver ... that said I think there was maybe 15% difference (improvement) in clarity with the Copper over Silver. It’s hard to understand why the sound should be different just because Silver is about 5% more electrically conductive, I’d have to defer to an audio engineer what that could be so. In all 6 comparisons I did, the music sounded more pleasurable with the Copper, particularly with clarity and depth. So there you go.
I did the same test with silver and cooper interconnects. Silver is going to be brighter and sharper than cooper not just for speaker wires. My ear was bleeding with silver so it depends on the overall equipments used to achieve what you want. I can be ear fatiguing.
Copper sounded right. Silver shifted everything upwards, sounded irritating and brighter. Not as natural. Piano sounded fake compared to copper, I have a pretty transparent system. Easy to hear the difference. I can't afford silver, so this is good. Besides, many have been listening to digital MOFI and thinking it was all analog for how many decades now? I have always heard a difference with good cables. But when you get to a certain point, you just need to listen to music and stop spending money. Thanks for the great vid.
Yes Mikey I've just changed my whole loom over to silver in regards to interconnects. I can hear quite a big difference in the way the cable performs. The midrange and Upper frequency extension is definitely something that has improved in the presentation I'm hearing in my rig. The speed has improved I could hear that in your presentation as well. In my set up I noticed when using silver I could really hear right into the music more clearly then what I could with copper.
Skin effect via surface area & conductivity of the metal used for the conductor. Using silver instead of copper yields an advantage in conductivity. Using a ribbon style conductor could have significantly more surface area than the outer “skin” surface of a stranded cable and therefore due to the skin effect, those electrons can skate along more happily, less impeded by the confines of a stranded cable. This being said, there are points of diminishing returns. Surely silver conductors can become cost prohibitive especially in the context of diminishing returns.
@Rik ster It`s not the difference in conductivity that matters, it`s the sound signature. Simple electric rules do not apply, you need to treat it as an musical instrument where different materials and finish make or brake the sound.
@Rik ster Are you talking to me. If so, thanks i like your opinion. Even if it sounds like a broken down record. Maybe you should go Audio science review, many persons of your liking there. Btw i came to this channel to be rid of preachings like this that ad nothing of value.
@brugj03, you are correct ... you get it ... No Effing way an Engineer will even admit if it smacks him in the face but does not show up on the Gay scope. @Rik ster... Weve done the comparison in the mastering studio where we can save the waveform of the music... not a test tone, then change cables and lay the second exact SMPTE coded waveform on top and its different... LOL> Sorry Bruh...
For me, the copper offered more weight to the instruments. The silver was “leaner’ sounding. Piano sounded like what it is, a large instrument. The snare shots have more weight with copper.
They should make cables with copper and silver mix. There's an idea. Connect both copper and silver cables to the binding posts at the same time. Best of both worlds
Just like the difference between Jantzen Silver-Z and Jantzen Alumen caps. Silver is bright and wimpy. Copper is more full-bodied, darker and warmer. Goes to show why regular copper cables usually sounds just fine.
Hi ! Electrical engineer here :) Lemme just say that the conductivity of Silver @ 20Celcius is -+ 6.29 x10^7 /Ohms meter. On the other hand Copper is -+ 5.95. Difference of 0.34. Remember guys that a really nice thing about conductivity is that there is a direct correlation between conductor size and its ability to transmit whatever. So basically, get 12 AWG copper instead of 14 AWG silver and you will have the same results as far as conductivity. But anyway it's your money so do as you please ! Who am I to tell you that "hearing" a difference is total bul...t. Since you already bought Silver wire, one could say that you are perhaps already hearing a Nobel price knock at your door ?
With all due respect, brother, you think you are the only guy that went to Engineering school ? At the very least you must admit the cable companies are far smarter at making money than you are, aren't they ? Yes they are. It's a mass delusion, and everyone is imagining ghosts are real. You are the only guy that "gets it" lol....
@@OCDHIFiGuy There is indeed a certain type of customer that will buy product based on statements and beleifs. Kind of weird to rely on "Crisp" " Mellow" or any other kind of subterfuge to dictate a products quantitative qualities. Of course if I spent north of 10k for cables I'd feel a difference. It's called cognitive bias. Let me enlight someone with the mindset of one of the greatest companies that mastered the art of creating need for it's customers. “Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves.” ― Steve Jobs.
As someone who has hearing damage in one ear, I found the copper cables did seem warmer but the silver cables gave me a more accurate feel to the center of the sound stage rather then the, usually quite off center, feeling I have because of my damage. It was amazing for me, I think Ill swap my headphone cables for some pure silver ones and see how they feel/sound, thanks!
I have a mid fi system using silver flat cable from a chinese company Xangsane and it def sounds better than my previous Van Den Hul round copper cables that costs 4X more. My system is around 9k total.
For me the best is the Monocrystal silver cables . I have 2 Siltech 35 th anniversary edition ( power & rca ).The other cables I have 1 Siltech classic legend 380 speakers , 1 Siltech classic anniversary SPX-800 power cable & Siltech Berlin power cable . The sound is more natural ,3 d & more real than copper ❤
maybe its just the remote listening or me but the top end always sounds more pronounced than it should be, the cymbals, they are just as loud or louder than the piano. To me the cymbals should be about 10-20% more reserved. Next time dont tell us which is which. lol Todays song suggestion- Artist- Soundgarden Song- 4th of July
I’m shocked, but I was able to hear the difference through my phone’s speakers. I’m sure in person it’s much more noticeable. It was similar to the first time I heard an isolated bookshelf speaker vs no isolation.
Interesting differences Silver more upper registers rather more sizzle and zing, that throws off the balance across the spectrum. Begins to sound mp3’ish. Room or recording diffs must be at play… Differences are as you say but somehow sounds artificial rather than smooth as was the copper. Hard comp on YT…
Thank you, your comparison perfectly hits my buttons: By random just last week I moved from copper to silver in some relevant areas of my system with absolutely identical results. I was not prepared for it and I also feel sad that I did not do it years before. Where the difference to copper is most prominent is before the phono stage, where the low MC signal is very fragile. But of course everywhere else as well. I am not using these ribbon cables but regular solid core in cotton/silk. Big thumb up!
Is the Cu/copper 6N ? The Cu is warmer (meaning masking. I don't like it) & 2 D sound. I prefer Ag/ silver one. It's more transparent, soundstage, better tone & more revealing. It's as if listening to live music (I mean they playing in front of you). I've ever bought some meters of pure Ag cables in some diameters from an Ag company. It's cheap (of course the value is higher than Cu). The problem is when it's in finish product, eg. cables, the mark up price is way too much because people think, "Wow ! Silver !). I've never heard gold plated cable. A friend who owns it (2 m headphone cable) said the it's warmer. I told him I don't like it. It's masking & manipulating. I myself is a DIY electronic assembler. Some audiophile gears (amps, pre-amps, DAC) using Ag fir internal wiring. For a short distance, in my opinion, we can't hear the difference. They use it for fancy only. However, if it's longer distance, say more than 1 meter, yes it has sound different. Google "What's the best electrical conductor". Result: 1. Ag, 2. Cu then 3. Au (gold).
As a producer who has worked for majors - the copper is absolutely better. It's interesting you didn't do abx testing, right? Did that make you feel uncomfortable?
@Magnum Farce Nope. Not at all. It will remain, regardless what I do. People believe what they want. So I just put it out there and let them choose. What am I gonna do ? Prove I can blindly pick the silver every time ? How does that help anything ?
@@OCDHIFiGuy "How does that help anything ?" How does replicable evidence help anything? Well, it helps us producers create the stuff you listen to and KNOW you're going to hear what we want.
@Magnum Farce first off, for you to speak as "we", meaning music producers, perhaps you can qualify yourself first so I know how to respond. Are your projects published ? What label ? Grammy nominations ? My starting position for this discussion will be to assert you don't give a shit what we hear. You wish to sell numbers. That is the measure of an engineers/writers/producers success. Grammy Award Winning.
The silver has a slight higher pitch that I don't like as much. I didn't notice with the copper. It's very subtle but I prefer the copper. I'm here because I was looking at computers and I was looking for an example of gold plating for audio jacks but I can't find a sound comparison. This was very interesting though.
Makes no sense to compare two cables of different topologi and insulation material - just as important for sound as conductor material. Topologi will affect the electrical values of the cable.
Only difference I could hear, maybe, was in the bass. Maybe!!! So not enough where I would go for the extra cost. Of course that’s just me. I am a believer that a good grade of copper, a good gage like 12, and good connectors and that’s all you need. I always wonder about the people out there that sell silver cables but the gage is so much smaller than decent copper cables that you loose any small advantage you might have from the higher conductivity of silver. Pretty much cable agnostic.
I can tell a difference in your presentation..... I hear better extension on the mids and also feel a bit cooler feel on the silver, this brings out the detail of strings and also the copper gives a thicker bass response, but at a loss of how the instrument really sounds. The best cable reproduces the music to how it was originally intended to sound ! .......I am a true believer in cables and can tell the difference between every single Iem I own and the sound of every cable I own.....
That and the size of the sound stage are dead giveaways when it comes to audio quality, because they can't be easily faked with tuning. Bass volume, yes, but not perceived depth.
copper connectors give a denser sound; kind of like a wall of sound...great for rock silvers give off a clearer sound; easier to locate each instruments... great for chamber/jazz ensemble
Being OCD too, over all attributes the silver takes it, and you know it - with your system and in general. People talk about the higher end of the spectrum, I personally enjoy the unfiltered very low end of the spectrum one gets with silver also. I've thought about fatigue with silver when first making these changes, but with time, that fades and isn't a consideration. I think there is a misconception or confusion between warmth and full spectrum delivery, I'm a silver convert myself.
I had to laugh because the difference between the two is so plain and so clear in this video (so much more in real life). You are correct, if a person can’t hear a difference then they should thank their lucky stars, move on and enjoy music through whatever system they have.
According to many shitty youtube channels you are mistaken because you cant possibly hear a difference. Imagine the arrogance and backwardness of that.
the silver sounded a little thin and did not have the emotional presentation that the copper had the silver just seemed a little faster...i prefered the copper with the emotion and warmth.
I have a pair of old Realistic two way speakers hooked up to a old Pioneer integrated amp that is awesome but I cannot hear any difference from these low fi speakers ..
Listening on Sennheiser 650, I couldn't tell any notable difference between them. They're slightly different but definitely not worth the difference in price. Both sound amazing, people are losing their heads. listen to the song, not your equipment. I would love to blind test some of the people in the comments section
@@OCDHIFiGuy Nice work and apologies for being a smart ass, I'm into making cables myself, a couple of whisky's down, I just couldn't resist, stay cool bro.
I have to say, although i am a silver person myself, i prefer the sound of the copper cables. It` more musical in my ears and relaxed. Not as detailed but i don`t care. The silver cables give the piano also something dry and just a tat bit flatness. I think the low end of the silver is better but sounding a little detached.
@@OCDHIFiGuy On which speaker system did you replace the cables or did you do it to al of them. I understand you run 3 speakers per channel. Just curious.
WITHOUT any doubt the silver is more focused, controlled and sweeter sounding. What mike did you use, because your system was right here in my place? Tuanis.
I once compared silver and copper and thought I heard an undeniable difference until I blind tested. It blew my mind that I could no longer detect even the slightest difference when I didn't know which cable I was listening to. What I thought I heard sighted wasn't subtle, so the psychological effect of knowing I was listening to pure silver was profound. I'm not implying that other people under different circumstances can't hear a real difference. I'm just saying that for me, my perception of what I think I'm hearing can be very much effected by what I think I'm listening to.
Its crazy what our mind/thoughts/perception can change... I remember having a GF that I thought was soooo sext ... until she turned into a raving you know what... then when I looked at her I could see what a dogface pony soldier she was... LOL
