To All Cable Deniers, 1 Very Simple Question.

@vitussl101 You asked a fundamental question that is worth answering.

Yes, pure copper is too soft so it cannot be used as plugs. About 98% is the max you can go for a plug according to some sources. 

But some plugs have 30% copper. Average is 60% copper is what google says. 

So understanding the role of copper in a cable. And understanding why it cannot remain pure. The question arises, as copper % decreases, what then happens to the sound fidelity?

Do keep in mind, there are 2 ends in every cables, and there are multiple power cables in a system.

To the person(s) asking about why does it matter if there are hundreds of ft of wire are running in the wall. I’ll borrow the words of a man much wiser than I am to answer.

Misconception #3: There is up to a hundred feet of wire in the walls, so the last 6 feet of power cord can’t possibly make any difference.

Answer: “The power cord is not the last 6 feet, it is the first 6 feet from the perspective of the component. As stated in #1 the local current and electromagnetic effects directly affect the sonic performance of the component.”

It usually takes a wise man to point out the obvious. The power cord is indeed the first 6 feet. People that don’t understand why this is, maybe grab the closest person next to you to ask for an explanation.

@samureyex  Thankyou for responding to my question and jostling my memory, remembering something from years ago when I was modifying a CD player, and one of the things was dip sockets for easy opamp swaps.  While searching catalogs, I found these really nice sockets with machined pins made from almost (I thought) 99.7% copper. Don’t quote me.  When I researched them further, I found that they had like 0.3% Beryllium mixed in.  A strategic material that hardens the copper.  That was forty-plus years ago.  I’m getting old.

Classic research on the effect of cables:

M. N. Kunchur, “Cable Pathways Between Audio Components Can Affect Perceived Sound Quality,” Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, Vol. 69, No. 6, pp. 398–409, June 2021, DOI: 10.17743/jaes.2021.0012

• This peer-reviewed AES journal paper specifically investigated whether the interconnect pathway (i.e., how cables are connected between audio components) can be audibly distinguished in controlled listening tests.

• The conclusion was that two audio system configurations differing only by the interconnect cable pathway were audibly discernable in blind listening tests — suggesting that connections and topology can matter more for perceived sound differences than simply cable materials or exotic designs.

@mambacfa - Do you have a link to the paper? I can only find it for purchase. I did find another from later in the same year by the same author about time-domain effects of rca ICs, but no listening tests in that one.