# Gold and silver 3.5mm jack sound quality



## Headphoneboi

Is there a difference in sound quality between gold and silver plated 3.5mm jacks? And how different is the sq?


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## goodolcheez

^ I was told that gold plated interconnects provide "warmer" sound, like in the low to mid ranges.  Silver interconnects provide "cooler" or "colder" sound signature which excels in the highs. On top of that, it provides greater detail across the band.
   
  I do need to pickup a nice quality silver 3.5mm jack for my setup though.... it's $$$$$$ and I have an oil change coming in a few days.


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## IEMCrazy

Quote: 





goodolcheez said:


> ^ I was told that gold plated interconnects provide "warmer" sound, like in the low to mid ranges.  Silver interconnects provide "cooler" or "colder" sound signature which excels in the highs. On top of that, it provides greater detail across the band.
> 
> I do need to pickup a nice quality silver 3.5mm jack for my setup though.... it's $$$$$$ and I have an oil change coming in a few days.


 
   
  I haven't heard nearly as much talk about the plating material on jacks as with the differences with cables.  I think the amount of contact and the distance is so short it probably doesn't matter much one way or another.  Cardas seems to use silver for their cable terminations, most else seems to use gold.  I can't find a pattern between the connector pairings and sound signatures, it seems more aesthetic, or maybe about impedance matching than about signature.
   
  I tend to prefer gold for most connectors, though, mostly because it's a self-lubricating metal, so it greatly reduces the wear & tear of friction from connecting and won't tarnish/corrode, and is generally just smoother to plug/unplug..  Wear & tear on connectors probably causes more sound degredation than choosing a different precious metal for the plug


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## liamstrain

There should be no audible difference. Gold plating (or Rhodium) generally corrodes less and stays on better, and so there may be a usability benefit over time.


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## goodolcheez

Sorry I meant the interconnects inside the cable, not the coating outside the metal plug at the end.  I wasn't clear when I wrote...
   
   
  Yeah for the gold plate outside the metal, like you said, probably for looks and reliability.


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## goodolcheez

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iemcrazy said:


> Wear & tear on connectors probably causes more sound degredation than choosing a different precious metal for the plug


 
   
  Good post.  This is the reason why once I plug it on to the 3.5mm input, I leave it on almost forever.  I rarely take it out unless all hell break lose, like tornado coming toward my house and I have to pack my macbook in hurry.


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## liamstrain

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goodolcheez said:


> Sorry I meant the interconnects inside the cable


 
   
  Still should be no sound difference. A bad soldering job would have an effect - but otherwise, no difference.


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## proton007

Quote: 





goodolcheez said:


> ^ I was told that gold plated interconnects provide "warmer" sound, like in the low to mid ranges.  Silver interconnects provide "cooler" or "colder" sound signature which excels in the highs. On top of that, it provides greater detail across the band.
> 
> I do need to pickup a nice quality silver 3.5mm jack for my setup though.... it's $$$$$$ and I have an oil change coming in a few days.


 
  Are you sure they were not relating the sound to the color? If i remember correctly, Gold gives a yellowish sound (hotter) while silver a whitish (cooler) ?
  Otherwise, as liamstrain said, bad stuff is more likely to produce a difference.


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## Lenni

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proton007 said:


> Are you sure they were not relating the sound to the color? If i remember correctly, Gold gives a yellowish sound (hotter) while silver a whitish (cooler) ?
> ...


 
   
  I can't quite understand whether you're being serious or just writing meaningless nonsense. I hope is the latter.
   
  ...
   
  I tried a pair of gold plated IC's, and the result was a slightly warmer (bass) sound indeed, which was real nice, but it was at the expenses of some clarity. for example, it seemed like the singer had taken a few step back and was placed behind the band, whereas with the copper IC's she was placed in front. I think gold mixed with silver/copper in very small percentages may yield some good result, otherwise too much is not good, imo. I sold the IC's the next day.
   
  I really wish I had a pair of AKG701's to try with the gold IC's. people often complain of them being on the 'cold' side (I know). I think a pair of gold plated wire could give a slight, and much wanted warmness, especially in the bass region.


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## liamstrain

No. Nothing about that post is based in either science, or listener experience.


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## muscular

The outer coating shouldn't have any difference, if any it's like placebo due to the colors.


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## goodolcheez

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liamstrain said:


> Still should be no sound difference. A bad soldering job would have an effect - but otherwise, no difference.


 

 I was talking outside of bad soldering job though. In other words, when each cables are functioning without defects.
   
  The insulation of the cable construction and materials and the type and quality of interconnects matter in sound quality and signatures.


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## liamstrain

Quote: 





> The insulation of the cable construction and materials and the type and quality of interconnects matter in sound quality and signatures.


 
   
   
   
  No, not so much. Not the way you think anyway. Most of the wisdom about these is a persistent mythology - the sound science subform deals with the specifics in more detail though. I won't dwell on it though - believe what you will.


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## proton007

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muscular said:


> The outer coating shouldn't have any difference, if any it's like placebo due to the colors.


 
   
  Most probably. I can see a direct relationship, hence the previous post. Add to the list, copper, has a (reddish) or rusty sound.


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## FreedomG

Don't know if anyone said this, was too lazy to read all the posts lol, but it should be because of rust. Gold doesn't rust, iron rusts. Gold is the most inert, non-reactive of all metals; it will never react with oxygen, either atmospheric or in solution.


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## proton007

Same way nickel has a sparkly (shiny) sound.


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## Lenni

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muscular said:


> The outer coating shouldn't have any difference, if any it's like placebo due to the colors.


 
   
  lmao, so this is what you learn from the science forum huh?
   
  I think you're confusing Placebo with Gazebo - that's when you gaze at it long enough it sound different - it's not been scientifically approved yet, but it's just a matter of time someone will make up some dumbass theory, and it'll be official...


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## proton007

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lenni said:


> lmao, so this is what you learn from the science forum huh?
> 
> I think you're confusing Placebo with Gazebo - that's when you gaze at it long enough it sound different - it's not been scientifically approved yet, but it's just a matter of time someone will make up some dumbass theory, and it'll be official...


 
  I wonder what kind of sound will silver have when cooled to superconducting levels...erm... Super Cool?


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## goodolcheez

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liamstrain said:


> No, not so much. Not the way you think anyway. Most of the wisdom about these is a persistent mythology - the sound science subform deals with the specifics in more detail though. I won't dwell on it though - believe what you will.


 

 For audio, it's all about signal loss, timing, and interference, such as electrical noise and jitter.  If you are deep in to sounds you should know this. Those low cost generic cable won't cut it. Even when it's working without defects, this is due to the limitation of the cheap cable.  No, it's not about believing what I will.  This is the way things work as it's a mother nature.  You must be new to the audio.


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## goodolcheez

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proton007 said:


> I wonder what kind of sound will silver have when cooled to superconducting levels...erm... Super Cool?


 

 It's not about silver has cool flavor. It's not an ingredient that gives you kool-aid taste. It doesn't work that way.  It gives you detail (due to almost no signal loss and close timing) which gives you cooler, more accurate sound.  Loss of accuracy results in warm sound, this is due to the loss of detail.


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## liamstrain

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goodolcheez said:


> You must be new too to the forum too.  It's not about silver has cool flavor on it. It's not an ingredient that gives you kool-aid taste. It doesn't work that way.  It gives you detail (due to almost no signal loss and close timing) which gives you cooler, more accurate sound.  Loss of accuracy results in warm sound, this is due to the loss of detail.


 
   
  Seriously - visit the sound science forum, read a bit about what is possible both in theory and in practice. The differences you mention all vanish in blind testing and which metal you use, aside from the amount of resistance (which affects volume/attenuation, but not detail), is not a factor in the least. 
   
  If you want to get into t-line theory and possible ground loops, and EMF noise, we can talk. (jitter, incidentally, is only a factor in digital signals - and audible only in massively faulty quantities). The rest of it, is not based in measurable, audible reality. Psycho-acoustic phenomena, on the other hand - I'll give you.


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## goodolcheez

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proton007 said:


> Same way nickel has a sparkly (shiny) sound.


 

 Brass and nickel are poor conductors that introduce significant loss at the points of contact.  Like I said earlier, it doesn't have the ingredient that gives you flavor.


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## goodolcheez

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liamstrain said:


> The differences you mention all vanish in blind testing and which metal you use, aside from the amount of resistance (which affects volume/attenuation, but not detail), is not a factor in the least.
> 
> If you want to get into t-line theory and possible ground loops, and EMF noise, we can talk. (jitter, incidentally, is only a factor in digital signals - and audible only in massively faulty quantities). The rest of it, is not based in measurable, audible reality. Psycho-acoustic phenomena, on the other hand - I'll give you.


 
   
  Describe blind testing.   You mean take someone or a group of people other than yourself to listen for the difference?  That would have to be the worst method of testing. If you want to know why, feel free to ask. - I'll give you. 
   
  And it's not a theory. Mother nature is something that we deal with. it's not about theory or faith.


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## liamstrain

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goodolcheez said:


> Brass and nickel are poor conductors that introduce significant loss at the points of contact.  Like I said earlier, it doesn't have the ingredient that gives you flavor.


 
   
  Loss in nominal resistance is overcome by larger surface area... also - what ingredient, precisely, does an ELEMENT have (silver/gold/copper) that a different element or alloy containing them, would not - especially as regards the behavior of electricity. Something eminently testable and predictable. 
   
  Do not misunderstand the word theory. Theory means a series of principles, backed by observation which describe and predict the things we see and expect to see. Not a guess, or faith. But really - we should not go on about it here.
   
  There are many discussions dealing with your questions in the Sound Science subforum.


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## goodolcheez

Quote: 





liamstrain said:


> Loss in nominal resistance is overcome by larger surface area... also - what ingredient, precisely, does an ELEMENT have (silver/gold/copper) that a different element or alloy containing them, would not - especially as regards the behavior of electricity. Something eminently testable and predictable.
> 
> Do not misunderstand the word theory. Theory means a series of principles, backed by observation which describe and predict the things we see and expect to see. Not a guess, or faith. But really - we should not go on about it here.
> 
> There are many discussions dealing with your questions in the Sound Science subforum.


 
   
  You mean the larger contact area overcoming the loss in resistance?  That is true, but not if that metal is poor conductor altogether.  Metals (conductors in the cable) do make difference due to the ability of reducing strand interaction, a major source of cable distortion. Coated silver is good, but solid silver conductor is the best approach. Also the construction of the cable in the outer layers do help reduce distortion as it reduces on energy absorption.  The jitter and electrical noise exist everywhere in the system.  If your ears are not sensitive to the noise, distortion (in the highs), and detail you don't have to take my advice.


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## goodolcheez

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liamstrain said:


> Oh wee wee! bling bling!  (jitter, incidentally, is only a factor in digital signals - and audible only in massively faulty quantities). The rest of it, is not based in measurable, audible reality. Psycho-acoustic phenomena, on the other hand - I'll give you.


 
  See underlined above for reference.  Umm, no. jitter is ANALOG. It exists everywhere as nature. You can't get away with it. No where to hide. The only thing we could do is to help minimize it.


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## Mauricio

That's right.  Jitter is analog and everywhere in nature.  Don't you know that when the Lynx gives birth in the wild the jitter in the vixen's contractions prior to birth give a clue about the viability of the kitten?  Jitter is like gravity.  It is is inherent to time-space.


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## proton007

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mauricio said:


> That's right.  Jitter is analog and everywhere in nature.  Don't you know that when the Lynx gives birth in the wild the jitter in the vixen's contractions prior to birth give a clue about the viability of the kitten?  Jitter is like gravity.  It is is inherent to time-space.


 
  What about human babies? Jitter plays a role there too?


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## Mauricio

Of course.  The newest prenatal examinations make use of an ultrasound jitter probe that checks the fetus' hearbeat.  Any jitter could point to cardiac abnormalities in the unborn baby.


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## DE Nefta

There is no sound quality difference between gold en silver. The only difference is that gold is a durable product. When you switch your jack a lot, than is gold a good choice.


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## mcmalden

Gold often is softer than silver. Gold plugs tend to degrade very fast in my experience. I would go for platinum.
   
  To the cable non-believers: take a listen. In fact even power cables can make a lot of difference. Goodolcheez: I use some QED silver coated copper cables and they suck. Copper cables often have a bit of woolyness in the upper-bass but silver cables can be very analytic.


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## Mahay

Does anyone know if a pure silver jack 3.5 mm or 6.5 mm exist in the market (sterling or even close to 100%). I mean the plug itself not the wire and also not plated. I found this link but not sure if it is pure silver or just plated one. Also looking for good recommendation of real silver cable 20, 18 and 16 AWG (not plated as well).
  Thanks


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## scootermafia

These have rhodium over silver plating and the base metal is brass.  Pure copper and pure silver are not suitable base materials for 3.5mm and 6.3mm stereo plugs due to how they are manufactured.  Making one is impractical, essentially impossible, and wouldn't improve sound quality.


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## goodolcheez

Quote: 





mcmalden said:


> Gold often is softer than silver. Gold plugs tend to degrade very fast in my experience. I would go for platinum.
> 
> To the cable non-believers: take a listen. In fact even power cables can make a lot of difference. Goodolcheez: I use some QED silver coated copper cables and they suck. Copper cables often have a bit of woolyness in the upper-bass but silver cables can be very analytic.


 

 Good post.  Good man....
   
  The thing I like about with my silver (100% solid) cable is that it gives better details in the highs and there is reflection to the music. You can literally hear almost every part instruments with sound bouncing off the walls. Freakin awesome actually.  I also like it that it has smoother transition (less harshness) after it has gone through well over 500 hours of use.  Sound god damn dumb good.  I'm thanking myself for taking a chance on such expensive cable.  I also have a very good quality copper cable which costs $200 and is also very good. It does better job in the lows to mid bass detail. I get pops of certain musical instruments that come close to your face when with generic cable it was far away faint.   But the silver one has more headroom for highs and has rock-solid transition so I like it best.


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## mcmalden

I actually just sold my inakustik ls-1302's. Very clean sounding though a bit boring. Made a huge difference with the qed's. Need to buy a laptop though^^'


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## kiranjoshi7

Hi,
 What's conclusion then? Silver or gold plated?
 I think silver plated ones are hard to locate?
 Regards,


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