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Topic: Gold cables and the like- snake oil or the real deal? (Read 7451 times) previous topic - next topic
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Gold cables and the like- snake oil or the real deal?

Hey folks,

Another quick question- I'm going to be annoying today.

I've been hearing, over the years, quite a bit of conjecture over whether or not having gold plated cables (or whatever the best cables are supposed to be, I'm not sure) improves the quality of recordings.

Would (for example) having a gold-plated/tipped RCA or SPDIF connector make any difference over a standard, let's say, Radio Shack RCA cable?

Regards,
- Spike

Gold cables and the like- snake oil or the real deal?

Reply #1 –
Quote from: Spikey on
Hey folks,

Another quick question- I'm going to be annoying today.

I've been hearing, over the years, quite a bit of conjecture over whether or not having gold plated cables (or whatever the best cables are supposed to be, I'm not sure) improves the quality of recordings.

Would (for example) having a gold-plated/tipped RCA or SPDIF connector make any difference over a standard, let's say, Radio Shack RCA cable?

Regards,
- Spike

Gold plated connectors don't oxidize - that's good, because you always get a good electrical contact. Gold plating is also quite inexpensive. So gold-plated RCA cables for, say, $5, are OK. Anything above that is a mix of snake oil and real cost/value. Just use your good sense.

Gold cables and the like- snake oil or the real deal?

Reply #2 –
Quote from: Spikey on
Hey folks,

Another quick question- I'm going to be annoying today.

I've been hearing, over the years, quite a bit of conjecture over whether or not having gold plated cables (or whatever the best cables are supposed to be, I'm not sure) improves the quality of recordings.

Would (for example) having a gold-plated/tipped RCA or SPDIF connector make any difference over a standard, let's say, Radio Shack RCA cable?

Regards,
- Spike


They should remain free of corrosion, which is of course good if you're using them in humid environments. And most likely, these expensive cables are more durable with better soldering in the plugs, which is a plus. Otherwise, well...I don't think anyone has ever shown any perceptible sound quality improvements with these kind of cables.

Gold cables and the like- snake oil or the real deal?

Reply #3 –
If the cables are carrying analog signals, then theoretically cable quality can figure. However, whether or not you can hear the difference is something else.

The situation's different with digital data - the bit either arrives or it doesn't, period. Cable quality is quite nearly a non-factor in this case. A cheap spec-compliant digital cable works just as well as an expensive one.

As the above 2 posts say, durability is where the differences show up, mostly.
EAC>1)fb2k>LAME3.99 -V 0 --vbr-new>WMP12 2)MAC-Extra High

Gold cables and the like- snake oil or the real deal?

Reply #4 –
Also note that the cheaper gold platings tend to come off within a few years of insertion/removal, if you are plugging a gold-plated plug into a non-plated jack. It's not the most durable metal out there... but for corrosion resistance it's a fine choice.

The usual rule is to only combine connectors made out of the same metal; otherwise one of the metals will electroplate the other. This was a huge deal with RAM a few years ago. I suppose this is less of an issue with AC signals like audio.

Gold cables and the like- snake oil or the real deal?

Reply #5 –
Cleaning your contact surfaces before you connect will likely have a bigger impact than gold plating. Contact cleaner or 90% rubbing alcohol with a lint free cloth works well.

Also:
- Shorter is better
- Gentle curves rather than sharp bends (less likely to damage cable)
- Strain relief on the plug/cable interface
- Well shielded cables *properly* terminated (shielding matters far more for interconnects than speaker cable)
- High quality RCA plugs that maintain a tight connection.
- Routing away from power cables, surge protectors, transformers, antennas and heat sources.
- Discrete cables for each channel - rather than zip cord. (for interconnects, not so much for speaker cable)
- Well soldered wire terminations (wire to plug internal connections)
- Once its connected, leave it connected (don't play with it)
- Avoid large coils of overlong cables.

None of these tips require expensive cables and anyone of them will have a bigger impact than gold plating.

Beware - there are many crappy gold or gold looking cables out there.

From what I've seen/heard, most of the improvement in good cables comes from better construction and good plugs rather than exotic wires. Cable Warehouse has good, inexpensive cables.
EAC secure | FLAC  --best -V -b 4096 | LAME 3.97 -V0 -q0 -b32

Gold cables and the like- snake oil or the real deal?

Reply #6 –
if you are talking about something like monster cable, i'm pretty sure that is just marketting nonsense. a roomate of mine worked at a retailer and said the markup on this stuff was outlandish, hence the high price. you are not necessarily getting a better cable.

in regards to digital though, i was told that actually in a lower quality cable, you might get some bleedthrough of the left and right channels. can anyone confirm this? logic would lead me to believe this is totally wrong, but i dont know that much about SPDIF