Silver-plated or single metal IC's?

hi leica man:

perhaps you could inform me what silver cable you are using that you feel is not fatiguing. is it possible that these cables are euphonic and a band aid for poor recordings ?

i am currently evaluating an expensive cable. before making a decision, i may want to evaluate the cables you are using.

thanks

gentlemen:

i have reviewed many cable products. some of my reviews included cables wihich use silver coated copper. others were pure copper and one was gold.

there are no generalizations that are meaningful. all copper cables do not have common sonic attributes. read my reviews. one cannot necessarily distinguish a copper cable from a silver coated copper cable to a pure silver cable.

there are many factors beide metals which affect the performance of cables. i have noticed characteristics of silver, i.e., upeer mid/lower treble coloration as well as lower mid dips. but i also have experienced the affect of replacing the connector, e.g., rhodium-plate with a brass connector where conductors were silver coated copper.

the idea is to listen and not generalize.

any statement regarding silver plate vs all silver is purely hypothetical.

by the way, my latest review is on audiophilia.com, namely the MAC products.

hi leica man:

i have reviewed synergistic research cable, but not the tesla. i heard the tesla cables this past january. i received a personal audition from ted dennehy.

sound was very very detailed. no romance or bloom.

i think that unless you have excellent recordings one may get fatigue. cables seem to be ruthlessly revealing.

it is difficult to compare brands of cable without having them in my system at the same time. usually, after a review, i will return cables as soon as possible, unless i decide to purchase them.

the element cable signature series is my reference for line cords and speaker cable. i am still searching for an interconnect.

the soundstring interconnect , 6 meter pair is my reference between preamp and amp, while one soundstring line cord is used with a dac.

i will try to make some broad statements regarding some of the cable products you mention.

i find the soundstring a bit attenuated in the treble and the deep bass. otherwise they are very rounded and listenable. the element cable -- line cords and speaker cable i find a bit warm of neutral, but not to the point of significantly affecting resolution.

the whisper cable i returned. i liked the interconnect to some extent. there were no egregious flaws, but there was a bit of noise or grain i noticed when listening to female voice. the speaker cable seemed to be a bit top heavy.

the mac cable i found very balanced, as indicated in my review. for my own enjoyment i prefer a cable somewhat less focused. for typical audiophile sensibilities, i think the MAC cable a very good value and it delivers a presentation that should satisfy many serious listeners.

i hope this helps.

currently i am auditioning a pear cable anjou interconnect, an all gold cable, an ixos cable and a whg audio design solid core copper cable.

i also have cable from a company called ear to ear, which is silver plated copper. i will be reviewing interconnect, line cords and speaker cable from that company.

there are too many generalizations. one must be an empiricist and audition many cable products before reporting such tendencies of metals or combination of metals.

forget about what was said about silver plated copper, silver and copper.

any cable can sound spectrally imbalanced and there is no way to predict in advance whether a copper cable will sound "warmer" than a silver plated copper cable, or silver cable.

have an open mind and listen to cables.

i have probably auditioned a greater variety of cable products than most people who post on this forum.

forget generic product descriptions. a cable is a cable. listen and decide what it is. the next time you audition a cable, don't ask about the wires. listen and then decide for yourself. do not be influenced by prejudices or a small sample of experiences.

hi leica man:

you are correct in indicating my personal preferences.
however, i stand by what i hear. i also reviewed synergistic cables, but not the tesla.

i agree with your description of the tesla cables, except for one word, namely musical. the tesla cables are relatively uncolored. musical implies a coloration.

all recordings reproduced on a stereo system will not sound musical. if a stereo system always sounds musical, it is probably subtractively and additively colored.

hi leica man:

musical=timbre, pitch and dynamics. all recordings when reproduced by a stereo system are inaccurate with respect to timbre and probably dynamics. recordings are definitely a problem.

your synergistic cable may emphasize the upper frequencies too much.

we can agree to disagree.