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Question: is silver soldering neutral to sound? I had the feeling that it is not (but you can like it or not, this is not the point).
I'm normally using silver soldered cables (for copper wiring). Better electrical properties than those of standard soldering etc.
By chance, I replaced the one connecting the pre to the amp with an old prototype cable, using same copper wires and length, whose only differences were the connectors (not the same but similar) and the soldering (standard vs. silver soldering).
To my ears, the silver soldering emphasizes the high range at the expense of the middle-bass range, and the resulting sound is more detailed but less natural (voices or classical instruments compared to their live performance). So I prefer to listen to the prototype cable since it seems to be more neutral...
Since the connectors in the cables are similar, I'm quite sure that the reason is mainly due to the silver soldering in the "final version" cable (which has better connectors).
As a remark, I should add that my speakers are very revealing of any harshness in the system and so I do not like how silver cables sound in my system: the resulting sound is "thinner" meaning that you loose the "body" of instruments. Copper wires are better in this case to my ears. (Maybe silver cables are good for other systems.)
Cheers
Roberto
Follow Ups:
Anything that increases conductivity is good in my book. That's one of the reasons to solder in the first place. Otherwise tightly wrapping the leads around the posts or whatever would be "ok".
I don't think properly cleaned, soldered connections using quality solder sound different from each other, but that's just my opinion.
A bigger problem is that most people who think they can solder are not very good at it.
I wonder how many tweaksters clean the two surfaces first with non chlorinated solvents?
Even solders with the same silver content will sound different from each other. I have listened to at least 20 different solders over the years and they all sound different. Acer racing solder is something like 6% silver....sounds very rolled off. On the other hand Siltech solder 3%? will burn your ears off. I generally use the latest Wonder Solder (there have been at least 5 or 6 versions of Wonder Solder...each with their own signature, over the years) and then use other solders to add flavor as I need it.
Ric is right! Everyone in the know, knows that different solders, even of the same general composition, sound different. Flux differences? Who knows. I find the SN62 2% silver bearing solder to be the easiest to use and very well balanced.
Considering that most soldered parts are already touching when they are soldered, the signal only has to pass through a "few" molecules to transverse the joint. I find it hard to believe that a few proper solder joints could make a sonic difference to human ears.
If we are talking about all (in some cases hundreds) of the solder joints in a system, maybe it is in fact audible. My ears are not that great, I admit.
As for flux, there are huge differences. I use a 4% silver/tin/lead solder with halogen free flux in my work. Keeping the tip from permanently fouling is a bitch. Even flux dips don't work. The only thing I can do is keep the iron tip soaked with solder between joints and uses with Kester 44. Whatever its flux is works wonders keeping my tips serviceable.
doggy
Thanks for the replies, I learned a lot.
With further experiments, I discovered that the change in the sound was due to the connectors.
Although similar, the ones in one pair were not as tight as the the other pair's. I was able to make both types tight and the difference disappeared.
I did not consider mechanical issues in my AB-comparison but only electrical. I was wrong :-(
Cheers
Roberto
Hi.
I used 2% AG solder since day one. I find it works better than non-silvered solders.
Sonically, I do not find it "emphasizes the high range at the expense of the middle-bass range". All the interconnects & power cords are 4N Ag conductors I DIYed built with Ag solders.
Given thorough breaking-in (using wideband white noise HIGH power signals, up to 20KHz, preferrably over min 48 hours non-stop), I have not had any issue of high frequency peaking with my & many audiophiles' home rigs & commercial sound studios' systems hooked up with the AG cords I built.
Maybe your rigs sounds already a bit too bright to start with.
A definite edge of Ag cords over copper is at very high SPLs (say 110dB
peak levels), properly built AG ICs maintain the finely knitted integrity
of the music texture while many many coppers already crap out despite they all sound as good at low SPLS.
C-j
knotty ......ime I can't tell between silver solder and standard lead free...if and its a big if ....you use the solder to glue the connections together[ good metal to metal contact first] ...if on the other hand when you solder and use the solder to make the connection which is poor practise then you could possibly....but I would expect that what your hearing is the plug not the joint .....why would you want to pass the signal through a lump of brass [rhetorical !]
Unless all of your equipment has a ROHS compliance mark chances are it is full of lead solder.
I just don't see the point of wringing your hands over one out of literally thousands of solder joints in the average receiver..
There is silver solder, and then there is silver solder. Like gold plating there are varying degrees of efficacy. Gold plating per se is NOT a panacea. Gold will not tarnish or oxidize. However, it will support tarnish If the matrix (mesh) of the gold plating is not fine enough it will allow tarnishing of the base metal to bleed thru the gold plating and the effect will be much the same as if the gold plating did tarnish or oxidize.
With silver solder there are various alloying. One of the major factors of merit of silver solder is that a high quality silver solder will contain no lead, which is a factor of merit in itself. Then there is the question of the amount of silver in the "silver solder". Some silver solders contain only 2% silver, which is hardly enough to have any real efect unless it is lead free, and it is then the absence of lead that is the factor of merit. The highest silver content silver solder I am aware of is available from Kapp Alloys who offer a lead free 8% silver solder.
Happy Soldering !
There may be other factors at play here:
1. new stuff needs burn-in.
2. your ears noticed the change initially and
over time will "accommodate" or "adjust" to the
new sound.
3. Just unplugging and plugging makes a difference.
This last item is interesting - I used to invite
people over for a listen and after the first play
I would unplug the ICs and plug them back in with a
rotating twist as I replugged them in. I felt that I broke
the crud on the mating surfaces.
Lo and behold - everyone heard a difference. The differences
were bigger the longer the interval between "tune-ups".
Bob
You got good ears.
Stu
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